The main purpose of this document is not to teach people how to speak; we hope you know this already. We are also not trying to teach you how to fly. That is also a requirement. What we are trying to achieve here is to teach you how to COMMUNICATE using voice while flying, an altogether different skill.

When flying with voice, every time you key the microphone, you will be using up valuable "airtime". If every time you transmit each instruction takes, say 20 seconds. That could mean that you and your controller only get one command understood and acted upon every 50 seconds or so, by which time other aircraft could have missed a vital instruction  i.e. flown through an ILS localizer or missed a landing clearance. So the main purpose of the training is to learn how to COMMUNICATE with the minimum of fuss and delay, so that the “read-backs” can be passed to the controller without taking up too much of this valuable "airtime".

So what are the main basics of voice flying? Well there are many, but some of the most important lessons you can learn are these THINK BEOFRE TALKING this sounds obvious, but so many people do not do this, keying the microphone and stumbling and stuttering through an instruction which they have not prepared at all..

An example of R/T messages often heard from pilots online is

"Annnnd..ummmm Charlie Delta ummmm Yankee 662 ummm heading ummm 230 ummm flight level ummm 210. Correction That´s flight level ummm 200 sorry not flight level 210 , my mistake  Charlie Delta Yankee 662 Over, out"

This would take around 20 seconds to say !

Compare it with

"Iberia 845, heading 290, flight level 150, inbound Trosa"

This takes 5 seconds to say and is MUCH clearer to the controller. What´s the difference? Simple -The pilot KNEW what to say before starting to speak!

Hints and Tips

To give you a few pointers here is a list of Do´s and Don´ts of common things that people get wrong when they first try using voice.

DO;

• Wait your turn. The radio might be busy but that isn't a reason to cut into someone else's conversation with a controller. It just creates even more delays. Also listen out to make sure that the pilot before you reads back his clearance that the controller has given him before you make you call. Remember while you or a controller is transmitting nobydy else can get a message through!!
• Know what you intend to transmit beofre starting to talk.
• Be patient, just because the controller is not speaking on the radio does not mean he isn't doing any work. In fact much of the work of a controller is done "off-air" involving co-ordination with other fellow controllers, updating flight strips , looking up clearances or typing instructions all of which take time.
• Wait a few seconds after joining a frequency before you transmit so you don’t transmit in the middle of a conversation.
• Readback ALL clearances and instructions.
• If you don't understand an instruction then ask the controller to say the instruction again, or to explain what it means. Use a private message if you don't want to say it on the air!
• In order to avoid problems understanding your transmissions please make sure that you have correctly set up AVC using the auto microphone configure function. Also worth a note for both ATC and pilots, Vatsim is a global organisation and has many members to whom English will not be their first language so please spare a special thought for our foreign counterparts and speak clearly and slowly.
• If you are unable to comply with an instruction from ATC then tell them so that they can plan something else for you before it causes a problem with other aircraft in the vicinity.

DO NOT;

• Readback the winds or use the phrase "winds copied" in reply to a take off or landing clearance, it's not needed.
• Reply "standing by" to an instruction to standby. No reply is necessary at all.
• The use of the word "over" is not required.
• Use Roger as a reply to a question which needs a direct answer yes (AFFIRM) or no (NEGATIVE).
• Misunderstand the difference between Flight Levels and Altitudes.
  

Read Backs

It is very important to read back certain instructions that ATC give to you so that they know that you have understood what they have told you. It its not necessary to read back absolutely everything, the following list shows some important information that should be readback:

• Taxi instructions
• Level/climbing/descending instructions
• Heading instructions
• Speed instructions
• Airways or route clearances
• Approach clearances
• Runway-in-use
• Clearance to enter, land on, take-off on, backtrack, cross, or hold short of any active runway
• Transponder operating instructions
• Altimeter settings
• Frequency changes
• Type of radar service

So please note that when you are given your clearance on the ground do not just reply "Roger", read back the clearance fully so that ATC can spot if you have misheard or misinterpreted something they have said.

• eg. FL100 is spoken as "flight level one hundred" and FL120 is spoken as "flight level one two zero". Note the word hundred must not be used for headings.

Another phrase used with climbs/descents is "when ready". This places the responsibility on the pilot for deciding when to initiate his climb/descent. Eg, "BAW123 when ready descend FL80 to be level by BNN", here the controller has introduced another phrase "to be level by" as well. This means exactly what is says commence your descent when you want but you must have reached FL80 when you arrive at BNN, note at BNN not 50nm before please!

If on the other hand you do not understand what ATC is communicating to you, then it is equally important that this is properly communicated to ATC as well. if it is a case that you did not understand the instruction then ask ATC to repeat the instruction by using the words "Say Again" as part of your read back,. If it is a case of you not being able to follow the instruction given then use the words "Unable" as part of your read back followed by the reason why you are not able to comply.

 Initial Contact

Common Phraseology

The following list contains most common phrases to be used in voice by both pilots and controllers.