Lesson 4 · 6 min
Building a transmission
The order of a call, and what must be read back.
Underlined terms below have a definition — click one to read it, or open the full glossary.
The order never changes
Every controller transmission starts with who it is for: the . Then the instruction. Then any conditions or extra information.
first means the right pilot is listening before the important part arrives.
TWR Golf Tango Mike, surface wind two six zero degrees eight knots, runway two seven, cleared to land
The pilot's first call
A pilot's initial call gives: who they are calling, who they are, what they are, where they are, and what they want.
A/C Barrowfield Tower, Golf Bravo Kilo Tango Mike, Cessna 172, 5 miles south-east, 1500 feet, request joining instructions
Read-back
Certain items must always be in full, because getting them wrong is dangerous: take-off and landing , , level and heading instructions, , , and any clearance to enter, land on, take off from, cross or a runway.
If the is wrong, the controller must correct it and get a correct read-back. Silence is not agreement.
TWR Golf Papa Whiskey, runway two seven, cleared for take-off
A/C Runway two seven, cleared for take-off, Golf Papa Whiskey
Try it
Which of these must always be read back in full?
What comes first in a controller's transmission?