VFR Radiotelephony

What you will learn

The VFR radio procedures as short videos: what you say and hear on every leg of a VFR flight, from the taxi call to a Mayday, and the rules behind each call.

Who this course is for

• Student pilots who will fly VFR and need the radio call for every leg of a flight
• Pilots preparing for a VFR radiotelephony exam
• Licensed pilots who want to sound sure on the radio again
• Flight-sim pilots who fly VFR with live controllers online

Course content

10 video lections · 30 videos · 1 h 1 min

1. 1

   Callsigns, readbacks and priority

   5 videos · 9 min

   Your callsign and the station's, what you must read back, the radio check, when to say unable and which message goes first.

   • Callsigns: yours and the station's Free

     Every call carries two names: the station you call and your own callsign. You learn the three types of aircraft callsign, when yours may be shortened, and what a station's callsign tells you about who answers.

     2:24

   • What you must read back

     A readback lets the controller check what you understood. You learn what the European rules say you must read back in full, how ATC catches a wrong readback, and how to use say again and correction.

     2:32

   • Radio check: readability 1 to 5

     A radio check asks the station how well it can hear you. You learn when to ask for one, how to make the call, and what readability 1 to 5 means.

     1:04

   • Unable

     Unable is the standard word for an instruction or clearance you cannot follow. You see when to say it, how it differs from negative, and how the crew of US Airways 1549 used it on the way to the Hudson.

     1:43

   • Message types and their priority

     When two messages compete for one frequency, a fixed order decides which goes first. You see the six ICAO message types from distress to flight regularity, and what to do when a Mayday comes in.

     1:44
2. 2

   Weather on the radio

   4 videos · 6 min

   The ATIS, the altimeter setting, CAVOK, VOLMET and special VFR.

   • ATIS

     ATIS is a recorded broadcast of an airport's weather and runway information. You learn how its letter works, what a Frankfurt ATIS contains, and how to report the letter on first contact.

     1:22

   • QNH and QFE

     QNH is the altimeter setting you use on almost every flight. You see how it makes the altimeter show altitude above mean sea level, how QFE differs, and what the altimeter reads on the ground.

     0:40

   • CAVOK

     CAVOK means ceiling and visibility OK, and replaces several groups in a METAR. You learn the four conditions that must all be true at once, and why it does not promise a clear sky.

     1:12

   • VOLMET, weather requests and special VFR

     When the weather turns, you need the facts early and a plan. You learn where to get the weather in flight, how to decide when it closes in, and how special VFR can still get you into Linz.

     2:39
3. 3

   Taxi at a controlled aerodrome

   2 videos · 5 min

   The first call, the taxi clearance and its limit, holding short and crossing a runway.

   • Your first call: taxi

     Your first call at a controlled aerodrome is usually the taxi call. You learn how to prepare it, what goes into it and in what order, what to read back, and why the holding point is as far as you may go.

     2:34

   • Hold short and runway crossings

     Hold short means stop before the runway and stay there. You see the lines, sign and stop bar at a holding point, how to read back hold short and cross, and how conditional instructions work.

     2:04
4. 4

   Departure from a controlled aerodrome

   2 videos · 4 min

   From "ready for departure" to leaving the control zone.

   • Line up and take-off

     From the holding point into the air takes three calls. You learn ready for departure, line up and wait, the conditional line-up and the take-off clearance, and why Tenerife made take-off a word for one clearance only.

     2:40

   • Leaving the control zone

     You are airborne, but still in the control zone. You learn how to fly the cleared route, what to report, how Tower releases you, and how to make a short first call on the next frequency.

     1:49
5. 5

   En route

   4 videos · 10 min

   Flight information service, position reports, the transponder, crossing controlled airspace and flight plans.

   • Flight information service and position reports

     Outside controlled airspace nobody controls your VFR flight, but the flight information service is listening. You learn what FIS gives you and what it does not, the first call to Wien Information, the position report and how to sign off.

     2:41

   • The transponder: squawk and ident

     Your transponder puts you on the controller's radar screen. You learn what modes A, C and S send, how squawk codes work, and what to do when ATC says squawk, ident, VFR or standby, or asks you to check your altimeter.

     2:22

   • Crossing controlled airspace

     Class C and D airspace needs a clearance, VFR or not. You learn how to ask for a crossing before the boundary, what remain outside means, why only the word cleared lets you in, and what to report when you leave.

     2:25

   • Opening and closing a flight plan by radio

     A VFR flight plan tells air traffic services where you are going and when you will arrive. You learn when to file one, how to open and close it by radio where there is no tower, and what happens if you forget.

     2:29
6. 6

   Arrival at a controlled aerodrome

   3 videos · 6 min

   The inbound call, joining the circuit, landing clearance, vacating and the go-around.

   • Inbound: the first call and joining

     Flying back into a controlled aerodrome takes three steps: the first call, the clearance to enter, and joining the circuit. You fly them into Linz, and learn how to answer traffic information.

     2:27

   • Circuit, landing and vacating

     You have joined the circuit. You follow the calls from downwind to leaving the runway: circuit reports, orbits and an extended downwind, the landing clearance, continue approach and vacating.

     2:21

   • Go-around

     A go-around means you abandon the approach, climb away and try again. You learn when to go around, the radio call, the Cessna 172 sequence, and the missed approach on instruments.

     1:29
7. 7

   Uncontrolled airfields

   2 videos · 5 min

   Radio station, AFIS or nobody at all: who answers, and how you announce yourself.

   • Radio, AFIS or nobody: who answers?

     At an uncontrolled airfield someone may answer your call, or nobody. You learn what a Radio station and AFIS may and may not say, what at own discretion means, and why the decision stays with you.

     2:38

   • Self-announce calls in the circuit

     At an uncontrolled field pilots sequence themselves by announcing where they are and what they do next. You learn how the call is built, the calls around the circuit, and how to space yourself by listening.

     2:29
8. 8

   Emergencies

   4 videos · 6 min

   Mayday, pan-pan, the emergency squawks, radio failure and light signals.

   • Mayday

     Mayday is the distress call for serious, imminent danger when you need help now. You learn how it differs from pan-pan, how the call is built, and what to do once it is out.

     1:22

   • Pan-pan

     Pan-pan is the urgency call: a serious problem, but no immediate help needed. You learn when to use it, how the call is built, and when to upgrade to Mayday.

     1:10

   • Squawk 7500, 7600 and 7700

     Three transponder codes flag trouble on the radar screen without a word on the radio. You learn what 7500, 7600 and 7700 mean, a memory aid for them, and two rules for using them.

     1:01

   • Radio failure and light signals

     The frequency goes quiet and nobody answers. You learn what to check first, how to transmit blind, the VFR procedure with squawk 7600, and how to read and answer the tower's light signals.

     2:54
9. 9

   Direction finding and special situations

   2 videos · 5 min

   QDM and QDR, helicopter calls and pilot reports.

   • QDM, QDR and direction finding

     When you are unsure where you are, one call to a direction-finding station tells you which way to fly to reach it. You learn QDM, QDR, QTE and QUJ, how to ask for a bearing, the bearing classes, and how to tell you passed overhead.

     1:58

   • Helicopter calls and pilot reports

     Helicopters need no runway, and pilot reports warn everyone behind you. You learn the helicopter words, a take-off from a FATO, which pilot reports are a must, and how to make a special air-report.

     2:37
10. 10

    Radio law in a nutshell

    2 videos · 5 min

    Who sets the rules, which licences and documents you need, and what you must never do on the air.

    • Who makes the radio rules

      Every call follows rules from four levels, from a UN agency down to your own country. You learn who decides what, the legal names for stations and services, and which messages may go on the air at all.

      2:10

    • Licences, documents and what is forbidden

      Before you press the button you need two licences, and some things are forbidden on every frequency. With Austria as the example, you learn who may talk on the aircraft radio, what breaches cost, and your duty when you hear a Mayday.

      2:22

11. Knowledge test at the end

    20 questions. Pass with 70 % to finish the course, or to skip videos you already know.