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Learning hub · Communications · Lesson 1

VFR radio phraseology and technique

A radio call is a short, structured message. The aim is not to sound professional, it is to be understood the first time. This lesson gives you the structure and the standard words, so you can say what you mean with the least effort.

About 13 minutes, plus the quiz. Part of Communications.

1. Technique before words

Good radio work is mostly preparation. Before you press the button:

  • Listen first. Make sure the frequency is clear so you do not talk over someone else.
  • Know what you will say. Think of the call in four parts: who you are calling, who you are, where you are, what you want.
  • Press, wait a moment, then speak. If you speak at once, the first word is lost.
  • Speak at a steady, normal pace, a little slower than conversation, with a clear voice. Do not shout. Hold the microphone close and keep the volume and squelch set properly.
  • Keep it short. Every second you talk is a second no one else can.

Times are given in UTC. Use the standard way of saying numbers in aviation, which is in the next section.

2. Phonetic alphabet, numbers and call signs

The ICAO spelling alphabet is: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu. You use it for the letters of your registration, for runway designators with a letter, for taxiway names and for spelling anything that could be misheard.

Numbers are said digit by digit. Several digits are pronounced in a special way so they cannot be confused over a poor radio: three is “tree”, four is “fower”, five is “fife”, nine is “niner”, and zero is “zero”.

You meanYou say
Runway 27runway two seven
Frequency 118.375one one eight decimal three seven five
QNH 1015QNH one zero one five
2,500 fttwo thousand five hundred feet
Wind 260°, 8 ktwind two six zero degrees, eight knots

Your call sign is normally your aircraft’s registration, or the type of aircraft followed by the registration, spoken in the phonetic alphabet. Use the full call sign on the first contact. You may shorten it, usually to the first letter and the last two letters, only after ATC or the ground station has done so first. Never shorten it before that.

3. Standard words and readback

A few words carry exact meanings. Use them only in that sense.

  • Roger: I have received all of your last transmission. It does not mean “yes” and it is never an answer to a question.
  • Wilco: I understand and will comply.
  • Affirm / Negative: yes / no.
  • Say again: repeat your message. Do not say “repeat”, which in some contexts has another meaning.
  • Standby: wait, I will call you back.
  • Correction: I made an error and here is the correct version.
  • Request: I would like to know, or I would like permission to.
  • Report: pass me the following information.

Readback. Repeat back the parts of a message that matter most, and end with your call sign. The standard items are ATC route clearances, instructions to enter, land on, take off from, hold short of, cross, taxi or backtrack on a runway, the runway-in-use, altimeter settings, transponder codes, newly assigned frequencies, level instructions, and heading and speed instructions. Other instructions must be read back or acknowledged so that it is clear you understood and will comply. Information such as the wind or traffic information is normally acknowledged with your call sign alone. Where you are told to, or where you are unsure, read back more. Readback lets the controller hear any misunderstanding, so a short call now avoids a larger problem later.

For calls with high priority there are two special words. MAYDAY, preferably said three times, is a distress call: serious and imminent danger. PAN PAN, preferably said three times, is an urgency call: you have a problem but are not in immediate danger. Both take priority on the frequency, and other stations must not interfere with the call.

4. A worked example: departure and inbound

All names and call signs here are invented: Kestrel is an imaginary controlled aerodrome, Hillcrest is an imaginary destination with a Flight Information Service, and the aircraft is a Cessna 172 with the invented registration ZZ-ABC. Your own airfield may have different local procedures, so treat the calls as a pattern, not as a script. The words follow ICAO phraseology, as used in Europe. American phraseology is close but not identical: for example, in the USA the altimeter setting is given in inches of mercury, while Europe uses QNH in hectopascals.

Departure from Kestrel.

  1. Pilot: “Kestrel Ground, Cessna one seven two, Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie, at the aero club apron, VFR to Hillcrest, request taxi.”
  2. Ground: “Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie, Kestrel Ground, taxi to holding point runway two seven, QNH one zero one five.”
  3. Pilot: “Taxi to holding point runway two seven, QNH one zero one five, Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie.”
  4. Pilot, at the holding point: “Kestrel Tower, Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie, ready for departure.”
  5. Tower: “Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie, wind two six zero degrees eight knots, runway two seven, cleared for take-off.”
  6. Pilot: “Cleared for take-off runway two seven, Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie.”

Inbound to Hillcrest. The pilot first listens to the airfield information, then calls.

  1. Pilot: “Hillcrest Information, Cessna one seven two, Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie, VFR from Kestrel, ten miles north, two thousand five hundred feet, inbound to land, request airfield information.”
  2. Information: “Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie, Hillcrest Information, runway three six in use, wind three five zero degrees six knots, QNH one zero one four. Report downwind.”
  3. Pilot: “Runway three six, QNH one zero one four, wilco, Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie.”

Look at what each call contains: who you call, who you are, where you are, what you want. The reply starts with your call sign, so you know it is for you, and your readback ends with your call sign, so the other side knows who has answered. At an aerodrome that has a flight information service the service gives information and not clearances. Whether you receive a clearance or only information depends on the airspace and the station, so you need to know what you are talking to.

5. Position reports and lost communications

A VFR position report follows a fixed order, so the listener knows where to find each item. Give the following, leaving out what is not needed:

  1. the call sign;
  2. your position (a reporting point, or a distance and direction from a known place);
  3. the time (when it is required);
  4. your altitude, height or level, with the altimeter setting you use when it matters;
  5. your next position or your intentions.

An example is: “Hillcrest Information, Zulu Zulu Alfa Bravo Charlie, over the lake, two thousand five hundred feet QNH one zero one four, estimating the field in five minutes.”

Lost communications. You may be unable to transmit, or unable to receive, or both. In general terms, work through the simple causes first: the volume and squelch, the headset plug, the frequency, and the radio’s own switches. Try the other radio or another frequency. If your transmitter works but you cannot hear any reply, you can transmit blind: start with “transmitting blind” and say what you intend to do, as other stations may hear you even though you cannot hear them. Set the transponder to code 7600, the ICAO code for loss of communications. Then follow the lost-communication procedure in the national rules, which for VFR generally leads to staying in visual conditions and landing at the nearest suitable aerodrome while watching for light signals from the tower. The exact procedure is national, so find it in the AIP before you need it.

These calls are for training only. On a real flight, use the phraseology and procedures in the AIP of the country, the instructions of ATC and the rules of your school or operator. When a call does not fit the standard words, use plain language to be understood.

6. Try it yourself

Work each one out on paper first, then open the answer to compare. The numbers are invented.

  1. Write out, as you would say them on the radio: runway 34, frequency 125.350, QNH 1009, 3,500 ft, and wind 340° at 7 kt.
    Show the answer

    Say numbers digit by digit, with the special pronunciations: three is “tree”, four is “fower”, five is “fife”, nine is “niner”.

    Runway 34: runway tree fower. Frequency 125.350: one two fife decimal tree fife zero. QNH 1009: QNH one zero zero niner. 3,500 ft: tree thousand fife hundred feet. Wind: wind tree fower zero degrees, seven knots.

  2. Build the first call (all names invented): you are in a Cessna 172, registration ZZ-KLM, VFR from Kestrel, eight miles south of Hillcrest at 2,000 ft, inbound to land, and you want airfield information from Hillcrest Information. Use the four-part structure.
    Show the answer

    Who you are calling, who you are, where you are, what you want. Use the full call sign on the first contact, in the phonetic alphabet.

    “Hillcrest Information, Cessna one seven two, Zulu Zulu Kilo Lima Mike, VFR from Kestrel, eight miles south, two thousand feet, inbound to land, request airfield information.”

    Listen first so that you do not talk over someone else, press, wait a moment, then speak at a steady pace. When the reply begins with your call sign you know it is for you. You may shorten your call sign only after the station has done so first.

  3. The station says three things to you: (a) “Runway three six in use, QNH one zero one four.” (b) “Report downwind.” (c) “Traffic is a Piper on left base.” Which do you read back in full, which do you answer with wilco, and which with your call sign alone?
    Show the answer

    (a) The runway in use and the altimeter setting are on the readback list: read back “Runway three six, QNH one zero one four, Zulu Zulu Kilo Lima Mike.”

    (b) “Report downwind” is an instruction you will carry out: wilco (I understand and will comply), followed by your call sign. Roger is not enough, because it only means you received the message.

    (c) Traffic information is normally acknowledged with your call sign alone. If you are not sure you understood, say “say again” and do not guess.

7. Watch

An official short film on why standard phraseology matters and how to use it. It is American, so wording and some rules differ from European (ICAO/EASA) practice, but the technique carries over.

Open on YouTube if the player does not load. Not made by VectorEFB; check what you learn against your flying school’s material and your instructor.

More to watch

A long, patient walk-through of basic VFR radio calls. This video is American, so wording and some rules differ from European (ICAO/EASA) practice. For example, American calls use inches of mercury for the altimeter setting, where Europe uses QNH in hectopascals.

Open on YouTube if the player does not load. Not made by VectorEFB.

8. Check yourself

Five original practice questions. Answer them, press Check answers and read each explanation.

1. What does “Roger” mean?

Roger means the message was received. It does not answer a question and it does not mean yes. “Wilco” means you will comply.

2. When may you shorten your call sign?

Use the full call sign on first contact. Shorten it only after the other station has done so.

3. How would you say the frequency 118.375 on the radio?

Digits are read one by one, with the word “decimal” for the point.

4. What code do you set on the transponder after a complete communications failure?

7600 is the ICAO code for loss of communications. 7700 is for emergency and 7500 is for unlawful interference.

5. What is the reason for a readback?

A readback lets the other side hear any error and correct it straight away.

Next: IFR radio phraseology. Back to the learning hub.

For training and situational awareness only. Not certified for navigation. Always use official charts, the AIP, NOTAMs and a proper weather briefing for real flights.