Tower Radio Communication Examples - CFI Commonplace Book

Don’t forget to listen to [[ATIS]] prior to first call (before taxi, or before calling tower upon return to airport). #### Ready to taxi (runway 31, for pattern work): | ATC | You | | --- | --- | | | "Palo Alto Ground, Citabria one-two-three-alpha-bravo, Hotel row, closed traffic, with November" | | "Citabria 123AB, Taxi Three-One via Juliet, Papa, Yankee, Yankee One, Zulu; Advise Ground when runup complete." | | | | "Runway Three One via Juliet, Papa, Yankee, Yankee One, Zulu, 123AB" | #### Ready to taxi (runway 13, departure to the west): | ATC | You | | --- | --- | | | "Palo Alto Ground, Citabria 123AB, parked West Valley, with November Left 270 Overhead departure[^1]" | | "Citabria 123AB, Taxi runway One-Three via Juliet, Yankee, Yankee Three, Zulu, hold short Yankee Three" | | | | "Runway One-Three via Juliet, Yankee, Yankee Three, Zulu, hold short Yankee Three, 123AB" | [^1]: Other common departure requests include "left downwind", "right downwind", "right/left overhead 270", and "straight out". Palo Alto-specific requests include "left/right Dumbarton" #### Ready to taxi (runway 31, with flight following): | ATC | You | | --- | --- | | | "Palo Alto Ground, Citabria 123AB, Hotel row, with November, right Dumbarton, flight following to Truckee" | | "Citabria 123AB, Taxi Three-One via ...; Advise Ground when runup complete, Code on request." | | | | Read back taxi instructions and call sign. Start your taxi. | | Probably while you're taxiing... "Citabria 123AB, On departure squawk 4827| | | | Squawk 4827, 123AB | #### After runup, ready for takeoff | ATC | You | | --- | --- | | | "Ground, Citabria 123AB, Runup Complete" ^[This is a bit specific to KPAO, your airport may have its own variation on procedures.] | | "Citabria Three Alpha Bravo, Hold short Yankee One, contact Tower" | | | | "Hold short Yankee One, contact Tower, 3AB" | | | Taxi as instructed. Then contact tower for takeoff clearance: "Palo Alto Tower, Citabria 123AB, Holding short Yankee One, Ready for departure" | | "Citabria 123AB, hold short Runway Three-One" | | | | "Hold short Three-One, 123AB" Taxi as instructed | | "Citabria 3AB, cleared for takeoff runway Three One, left Dumbarton Departure, follow Cessna on upwind" | | | | "Cleared for takeoff runway Three One, left Dumbarton Departure, following Cessna, Citabria 3AB" | #### Initial call when returning for landing: | ATC | You | | ---- | --- | | | "Palo Alto Tower, Citabria 123AB, Over [[SLAC]] @ 2500, inbound with Bravo" | | "Citabria 123AB, Palo Alto Tower, make left traffic runway Three One, traffic departing Palo Alto to the south climbing through 2000’" | | | | "Make left traffic, runway Three One, looking for traffic, 123AB" | #### Arriving on downwind: | ATC | You | | ---- | --- | | Expect to hear something like: "Citabria 3AB, cleared to land runway Three-One, #2, follow Cessna on 1-mile final" | | | | "Runway Three-One, cleared to land, traffic in sight, (or "looking for traffic" if you don’t yet have your traffic in sight) 3AB" | #### While flying the traffic pattern, if you don’t know your landing sequence: | ATC | You | | ---- | --- | | | "Sequence, Citabria 3AB" | | "3AB, extend downwind, following Cirrus on Four mile final over Moffet, I’ll call your base" In this case, stay on downwind until Tower asks you to turn base. | | #### After landing, taxi clearance back to parking, after switching to ground frequency (or sometimes on tower, if only one controller is working): | ATC | You | | --- | --- | | | "Palo Alto Ground, Citabria 123AB, on Zulu, taxi West Valley parking" | | "3AB, Palo Alto Ground, taxi to parking via Zulu, Yankee2, suggest Juliet" | | | | "Taxi Zulu, Yankee2, Juliet, 3AB" | --- Related to: [[Non-Tower Radio Communication Examples]] #radio-comm