Aviation Communication

 

A. Dialogue

 

Instructor: Student: Instructor: Student: Instructor: Student: Instructor: Student: Instructor: Student: Instructor:

Let's look at how the air traffic control (ATC) system operates. Is this information applicable to countries other than the United States? Yes. You'll find that ATC operates in a similar manner throughout the world. As you must realize, standard communication prevents confusion. In this business a wrong altitude or heading could be disastrous. Is there an organization responsible for maintaining standards for communication? Well, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was formed in 1944 in order to establish a standard international system of communication. How many countries does the ICAO represent? Today the ICAO represents approximately 196 countries. It standardizes layout and organization of airports, aircraft certification and airworthiness guidelines, and the types of international personnel at airports. What kind of personnel do you mean? Personnel in areas such as customs, health, and immigration. Are there standards for pronunciation of numbers and letters? Yes, there are. Here are some exercises that will give you practice with numbers and letters. If you learn correctly from the beginning, you'll develop excellent communication skills.

 

 

B. Reading

 

Numbers are used in almost every radio call. Except for whole hundreds and thousands, pronounce each digit of a number separately. The number ten, for example, is pronounced one zero, rather than ten. The number 11,000 is pronounced one one thousand, not eleven thousand.

When a number has a decimal point in it, say the word decimal at the proper place. The number 121.1, for example, is pronounced one two one decimal one. Decimal is the ICAO standard. However, in the United States the word point is sometimes used.

To avoid misunderstandings, the pronunciation of some digits differs from that used in normal conversation. There could be confusion on the radio between the numbers five and nine; these are pronounced fife and niner. The numeral 0 is pronounced zero, the numeral three is tree, and the word thousand is tousand. All other numbers are pronounced in the usual fashion.

 

 

C. Number Practice

 

Read the following numbers aloud. Be sure to pronounce them as if you are making a radio call.

2 (two) 3 (tree) 7 (seven) 9 (niner) 5 (fife) 6 (six) 4 (four) 8 (eight)	8,000 12,000 118.1 109.9 111.1	(zero) (one two one) (six fife zero) (eight tousand) (one two tousand) (one one eight decimal one) (one zero niner decimal niner) (one one one decimal one)
14,500 (one four tousand fife hundred or one four fife zero zero)

 

***

114.7 109.5

115.9 1,187

14,000 22,000

 

 

D. Letters

 

Letters pronounced on the radio can be difficult to understand due to the similarity of the sound of many letters. To avoid confusion, the ICAO has adopted a system of words, one representing each letter of the alphabet. All letters should be pronounced in this manner. Abbreviations, such as VOR, ILS, and VFR, are the only exception.

 

Letter	Phonetic Alphabet
A	Alfa
B	Bravo
C	Charlie
D	Delta
E	Echo
F	Foxtrot
G	Golf
H	Hotel
I	India
J	Juliett
K	Kilo
L	Lima
M	Mike
N	November
O	Oscar
P	Papa
Q	Quebec
R	Romeo
S	Sierra
T	Tango
U	Uniform
V	Victor
W	Whiskey
X	X-ray
Y	Yankee
Z	Zulu

 

 

E. Letter Practice

 

Read the following letters aloud. Be sure to pronounce them as if you are making a radio call.

M P O S F I J

U H A T Z N D

R X K L G Q

Y E V B W C

 

 

F. Number and Letter Practice

Read the following numbers and letters aloud. Be sure to pronounce them as if you are making a radio call.

108.0 B229 N637 J3VDF AZ44DE

24,000 CGMH UN3K X5WY LIQ

PORS T22A ORK N102FA N176PM

29.92 118.1 123.0 QRM N3559VK

 

G. Terminology Practice

 

Air Traffic Control (ATC): a service provided to promote a safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic

Is it difficult for ATC to communicate with a large number of aircraft?

ATC is responsible for the safety of aircraft.

It is ATC's responsibility to provide safe air traffic separation.

altitude:the elevation above sea level

The aircraft is flying at an altitude of 4,000 feet.

What's our present altitude?

The minimum altitude for this flight is 7,500 feet.

heading: the horizontal direction in which an aircraft is pointed, expressed in angular distance from a reference point

Turn left to a heading of 150 degrees.

Will this heading take us south of the airport?

Fly this heading until the airport is in sight.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):an international organization that regulates aviation

Over 190 countries belong to the ICAO.

Do all nations belong to the ICAO?

International standards regulating air navigation are recommended by the ICAO.