For US student pilots
Your first radio call as a student pilot
Talking to ATC is the part of learning to fly that has nothing to do with flying, and it is the part most students dread. The good news is that every first call has the same shape, the words are in the Pilot/Controller Glossary, and controllers give extra help to anyone who says “student pilot”.
Here is the shape of the call, how your identification works, and the readbacks the controller is listening for.
Initial contact
The first call to a facility, or to a new controller within it, has a fixed shape. [AIM 4-2-3 a 1]
- 1. Facility
- “Columbia Ground”, “Miami Center”…
- 2. Your full identification
- Type and registration, no “N”.
- 3. Position
- On the airport surface, always. In the air, position and altitude help the controller — include them if the frequency is not busy.
- 4. The request
- Or the type of message to follow, if it is long.
- 5. “Over”
- Only if required — rarely on VHF.
Columbia Ground, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, south ramp with Information Charlie, request taxi, VFR to Memphis.
Miami Center, Baron Five Six Three Hotel, request VFR traffic advisories.
Saying “Information (letter) received” on the first call saves the controller reading you the weather. Do not overload a busy controller: name, identification, “request flight following”, then details when asked. [AIM 4-2-3 a 3]
There is no “with you”, no “checking in”, and no “traffic in the area, please advise”. [AIM 4-2-1 c, 4-1-9 g 1]
Call signs
A civil pilot states the aircraft type, model or manufacturer, then the registration with the “N” dropped. With no type stated, the registration is spoken with “November”. [AIM 4-2-4 a 3]
Cessna One Seven Two Sierra Papa · Bonanza Six Five Five Golf · Aztec Two Four Six Four Alpha
- Never abbreviated on first contact
- Nor at any time when similar call signs are on frequency. ATC may abbreviate after communications are established — the prefix and the last three characters (“Cessna Two Sierra Papa”) — and only then may you. [AIM 4-2-4 a 1, 2]
- Student pilot
- Say “student pilot” after your call sign on initial contact with each facility and you will get extra help. “Dayton Tower, Fleetwing One Two Three Four, student pilot.” [AIM 4-2-4 c]
- If in doubt
- “Verify clearance for (complete call sign).” Never act on a clearance you are not sure was for you. [AIM 4-2-4 a 2]
- Air taxi without an FAA call sign
- Prefix the identification with “Tango”: “Tango Aztec Two Four Six Four Alpha”. [AIM 4-2-4 a 4]
Acknowledging & reading back
Acknowledge every call-up and clearance with your identification — at the start or the end — and one of the standard words. [AIM 4-2-3 c]
- Wilco
- Received, understood, will comply. [P/CG]
- Roger
- Received all of your last transmission. Never an answer to a yes/no question. [P/CG]
- Affirmative / Negative
- Yes / No. [P/CG]
- Unable
- Cannot comply with the instruction. Say what you can do instead. [P/CG]
- Say again
- Repeat — “say again all after (fix)”. [P/CG]
- Stand by
- A pause, not an approval or a denial. Call again if the wait is long. [P/CG]
What must be read back
- Runway assignments
- The runway, including left/right/center, in the first readback of a taxi, departure or landing clearance. [AIM 4-4-7 b 4]
- Hold-short instructions
- Word for word. ATC is required to obtain this readback. [AIM 4-3-18 a 9, 10]
- Any clearance to enter a runway
- Line up and wait, cross runway (number), cleared for takeoff. [AIM 4-3-18 a 9]
- Altitudes, vectors, altitude restrictions
- In the sequence given, with your identification. [AIM 4-4-7 b 2]
- Squawk codes and frequency changes
- Read back the code; acknowledge the frequency. [AIM 4-2-3 d]
- Not read back
- Wind, traffic information, weather — acknowledged, never required.
November Five Charlie Tango, roger, cleared to land runway nine left.
Runway three six left, taxi via Alpha, hold short of taxiway Charlie, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot.
Make the first call somewhere it doesn't matter
TowerTalk's Exercise A is the initial call, over push-to-talk, to an AI Ground or Tower at a real US airport, with feedback on what you said and what the AIM says.
Related
Study aid, written in our own words from the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (Change 3, 7/9/26) and the Pilot/Controller Glossary, with paragraph references so you can check each point. Last reviewed 9 September 2026; awaiting review by a US flight instructor. It does not reproduce those documents and is not a substitute for them — always defer to the AIM, the current FAA publications, your instructor and your examiner. TowerTalk is not approved or endorsed by the FAA.