Aviation Alphabet & Standard Phrases

ICAO Phonetic Alphabet

• The phonetic alphabet is used beyond the military by pilots, air traffic controllers, and airline customer service agents.
• The International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet is also know as NATO.
• A series of international agencies assigned 26 clear-code words (also known as phonetic words) acrophonically to the letters of the Roman alphabet.
• The language of aviation was created from a need for safety to avoid pilots and controllers mishearing each other.
• All words in the aviation alphabet are in English, familiar to all languages, and can be pronounced no matter the language spoken.
• Outside of North America, some pilots use the spellings Alfa and Juliett.
• "ph" is pronounced like "f", and the extra "t" is needed for Juliet because French speakers know that the single letter "t" is silent.
• The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted a standard phonetic alphabet for aviation use in March 1956, which helps to avoid confusion with similar sounds between consonants and numbers.
• The "Aviation Alphabet" has been adopted by organizations such as NATO, IMO, FAA, and ITU, among others
• In the 1920s, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) produced the first phonetic alphabet to be recognized internationally which featured names of cities across the globe.
• In 1941, the U.S. military adopted a joint army/navy phonetic alphabet, called the Able Baker Alphabet, across all of its military branches.
• A new version incorporating sounds common to English, French and Spanish was proposed by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA ) and was in effect November 1, 1951 for civil Aviation.

Standard Words and Phrases

• Acknowledge: Indicates the message has been received and understood.
• Affirm: Yes.
• Approved: Permission is granted for proposed action.
• Break: Indicates separation between parts of message where distinction is unclear.
• Break break: Used to indicate separation between messages transmitted to aircraft in a busy environment.
• Cancel: Annuls the previously transmitted clearance.
• Check: Asks to examine a system or procedure where no answer is normally expected.
• Cleared: Authorizes proceeding under specified conditions.
• Confirm: Asks if the message was received correctly.
• Contact: Establishes radio contact with someone.
• Correct: Indicates something is correct.
• Correction: Indicates an error was made in transmission, and provides the correct version.
• Disregard: Indicates the transmission should be considered as not sent.
• Expedite: Indicates the need to speed up.
• Hold/Hold Short: Keep in place, stay there/Keep at a distance or continue what you are doing.
• How do you read: Asks the readability of the transmission, using a scale of 1 to 5 (Unreadable, Readable now and then, Readable but with difficulty, Readable, Perfectly readable).
• I say again: Repeats for clarity or emphasis.
• Look out: Instructs to view over, survey, or inspect..
• Maintain: Continue in accordance with specified conditions.
• Mayday: Indicates aircraft and occupants are threatened by grave and imminent danger, requiring immediate assistance due to distress.
• Monitor: Listen out on a frequency.
• Negative: Indicates no, permission not granted, or incorrect.
• Pan pan: Indicates an urgent message concerning safety of aircraft or people, without requiring immediate assistance, usually urgency.
• Readback: Repeat all, or a specified part of this message back to me exactly as received.
• Recleared: Indicates that the original clearance has been changed.
• Report: Request to pass information.
• Request: Indicates a wish to know or obtain something.
• Roger: Indicates the last transmission has been received, but should not be used to answer a question that requires a readback or a direct affirmative/negative answer.
• Squawk: Used to instruct setting the transponder to a specific mode/code which includes
  • VFR: 1200
  • Hijack: 7500
  • Radio is broken: 7600
  • Emergency: 7700
• Standby: Indicates to wait, and someone will call you later.
• Unable: States the inability to comply with a request, instruction, or clearance.
• Verify: Asks to check and confirm information with the originator.
• Wilco: Indicates that instructions are understood and will be complied with.

Transmission of Numbers and Altitudes

• All numbers for altitude, cloud height, visibility, and runway visual range (RVR) containing whole hundreds or thousands are transmitted by pronouncing each digit followed by "hundred" or "thousand."
• Examples of Altitudes
  • 500: five hundred
  • 1200: one thousand two hundred
  • 6715: six seven one five
  • 10,000: one zero thousand
  • 13,000: one three thousand
• Cloud height is an example of transmission of numbers.
• Visibility is a measure of distance:
  • 2200: two thousand two hundred
  • 4300: four thousand three hundred
  • 200
  • 1500
  • 3000
• Flight levels examples:
  • FL180
  • FL200
• Examples of headings include:
  • 150°: on five zero
  • 080
  • 300
• Wind direction examples:
  • 020°: zero two zero
  • 100°
  • 210°
• Altimeter setting examples:
  • 1000: one thousand
  • 1027: one zero two seven

Call Signs

• Area Control Center
• Radar (in general) / Approach Control:
• Approach Control (Arrivals):
• Approach Control (Departures):
• Aerodrome Control:
• CONTROL
• RADAR
• APPROACH ARRIVAL DEPARTURE TOWER
• P1BBHOL

Standard Time Format

• Time telling was traditionally tied to the sun's position, but aviation now uses UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), formerly known as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).
• UTC in French is “temps universel coordonne", or TUC.
• "UTC" is a compromise between the two. is the time at 0 degrees East/West (the Greenwich Meridian).
• The caesium atomic clock was invented in 1955, providing more stable and convenient timekeeping than astronomical observations.
• In 1956, coordinated radio broadcasts by the U.S. National Observatory, the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and the UK National Physical Laboratory led to the informal term, "Coordinated Universal Time".
• Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) comes from Greenwich, London, England; in the late 19th century, Greenwich was the Prime Meridian used in 72% of the world's commerce’s sea-charts. As such, it became the standard for measuring time
• The Prime Meridian is located here, which divides the globe into two parts, north and south
• Greenwich Mean Time is the yearly average of the time each when the Sun Crosses the prime Meridian
• The Earth is divided into different time zones

Zulu Time/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)

• Zulu and UTC are interchangeable as Zulu comes from the US military, where global time zones get a letter codes and Zulu is UTC+0)
• Zulu Time and Coordinated Universal Time are the single time standard for global aviation
• Zulu Time format: 0000Z (HHMM)
  • 1200Z
  • 0800Z
  • 2300Z

Radio Communication Foundations and Technique

• Understanding is the key to pilot-controller communication so pilots must acknowledge each radio communication from ATC using the correct aircraft call sign.
• Important points of communication include
  • Keep Contacts Brief
  • Convey all information necessary for the controller
  • Maintain vigilance to avoid traffic conflicts, especially on active runways.
• Radio technique
  • Listen before transmitting to potentially get the information by monitoring the frequency
  • Think before using the transmitter so you can take the time to write it down if lengthy
  • Hold the microphone close to your lips and pause slightly after pressing the PPT button
  • Speak in a normal, conversational tone.
  • Check your volume, recheck your frequency, and make sure that your microphone is not stuck.
  • Ensure you remain within the performance range of your radio equipment.
• Keep in mind 4 principles of radio communication:
  • Be considerate - listen first on the frequency so you don't step on someone else.
  • Be clear - Pronounce your words carefully so there is no misunderstanding.
  • Be concise - Think about what you are going to say before you say it so it comes across clear.
  • Be brief - Briefly say what you want and they will ask you if they want your story!

The Basic Structure of a Radio Message

• 4Ws of Communication
  • Who are you calling? address them properly.
  • Who are you? Your aircraft identification?
  • Where are you? current location?
  • What do you want to do?
• I-P-I
  • Ident - Who are you calling and who are you?
  • Positive - Where are you?
  • Intention - What do you want to do?
• Initial Contact is the first radio call to different facilities or controllers and you should use the following format:
• Precautions in the use of call signs call sings should never be abbreviated because it can be confusing.
• Readback of radio communication is vital! Example
  • ATC: “RP-C 1032, continue approach, report final"
  • Readback: "continue approach, report final, RP-C 1032"

Examples of communications

• " tower" start up approved, Rpc 1972, request to taxi to run up area
• CC binalonan radio, rpc 1972, at ramp, goodmorning
• SU binalonan radio, rpc 1972, at ramp, requesting for engine start up
• T>RUA binalonan radio, rpc 1972, at ramp, request to taxi to run up area
• RUA>HP17 = binalonan radio rpc1972 at RUA request to taxi to HP runway 17
• HP17>LU/EA binalonan radio rpc1972 at HP runway 17 request to lineup RW 17
• RW>TO/ready for departure. binalonan radio rpc 1972, at RW 17 ready for departure
• AIRBORNE binalonan radio rpc 1972 airborne run17 for touch & go & full stop/ full stop & another procedure
• binalonan radio, rpc 1972, established initial downwind runway 17, for full stop rpc 1972, binalonan radio, report base runway 17, report base runway 17, rpc 1972
• binalonan radio, rpc 1972 established base runway 17, for full stop rpc 1972, binalonan radio, report final runway 17, report final runway 17, rpc 1972
• binalonan radio, rpc 1972 established final runway 17, for full stop rpc 1972, binalonan radio, wind calm, cleared to land, runway 17, cleared to land, runway 17, rpc 1972
• binalonan radio, rpc 1972, cleared of the active, request taxi back to ramp, and will be terminating flight plan rpc 1972, binalonan radio, taxi back to ramp, taxi back to ramp, rpc 1972
• binalonan radio, rpc 1972, at ramp, request to commence engine shutdown rpc 1972, binalonan radio, cleared for engine shutdown, goodmorning, cleared for engine shutdown, rpc 1972, good day
• BINALONAN VFR RADIO COMMUNICATION
• 500ftUW700ft
• UP 170° turn cw @500ft
• CW 260° turn dw @45° angle to the rw
• DW 350° turn final @45° angle to the rw / make landing procedure when aligned to threshold
• B 080° turn to final if u see the ru that u can have centerline
• F 170°
• Binalonan Airport Communication are to ensure safety
• Airport traffic pattern is designed to safely direct air traffic in and out of an airport.
• Each pattern is established by considering the local conditions, direction ,altitude,placement, and procedures for entering and exiting the pattern.
• The oattern has five legs:
  • upwind
  • crosswind
  • downwind (initial, mid, late)
  • base
  • final
• When approaching an airport for landing, the traffic pattern is normally at a 45°

Transmissions from Binalonan

• gm TA Rpc 1030 Departed from binalonan over ros 1700ft climbing 3000ft going SF vis DAM any traffic en route please acknowledge

Explore the origins and purpose of the aviation alphabet. Understand the variations in 'Alfa' and 'Juliett' used outside North America. Learn standard phrases for message clarity, including the word to revoke a previous transmission.