LECTURE 2

General objectives of the ICAO

English language course
abilityto use relevant language related to
flight operations and procedures
accurate use of ICAO standard phraseology

for communication
development of aeronautical

communicative language skills

Contents

English
Communication
language

ICAO
phraseology
Contents of the current lecture:

• Communication elements
•The traffic circuit
• Standard phraseology
• Use of ICAO English-samples of communication
 GENERAL ENGLISH VS. ICAO PHRASEOLOGY

 Look at the following statements:

Clear to the runway.

Clear of the runway.
Clear the runway.

What is the difference in meaning?

Aircraft positions on the runway
THE TRAFFIC CIRCUIT
 Practical execise

 What are the Romanian equivalents of

 Downwind (leg)
 Base leg
 Final
 Upwind (leg)
 Crosswind
Aerodrome Traffic Circuit
 The specified path to be flown by aircraft
operating in the vicinity of an aerodrome (ICAO).
 Also referred to as an airport traffic pattern
 Basic concepts of ICAO
communication

 Set priorities:
Aviate,
Navigate,
but do NOT forget to
COMMUNICATE all the time!

Avoid misunderstanding!
 To aviate=to move through the air with or as if with outstretched wings, syn.
glide
 To navigate = to operate or control the course of a ship, syn. steer
 What’s wrong here?

 Pilot of N123: Tower, will you call me a fuel

truck ?
 ATC: N123, you’re a fuel truck.

!!! Can you explain what the language problem is?

Communications for a typical
airline flight
 ATIS: This is the automated weather broadcast.
Pilots tune in and listen to get the latest weather.

 "Oakland automated airport information sierra,

0115Z. Winds 280 at 10. Visibility 6 miles. Few
clouds at 6,000 feet. Temperature 15, dewpoint 10.
Altimeter 29.90. Landing and departing runway 29.
Taxiway sierra closed. Ground hold in effect for
aircraft departing Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San
Diego. All aircraft read back hold short
instructions. Caution: birds near airport. Advise on
initial contact you have information sierra."
Practical exercise

 What does the acronym ATIS stand for?

 What kind of information does an ATIS contain?

 What is ”sierra” in the message? What is its role

in the message?

 What is a dew point?

 What does ”read back” mean?

 COMMUNICATION

Communication pattern:
◉ Estabishing communication between pilot
and ATC
► contact and address

◉ Continuing communication
► exchange of messages (pilot<=>ATC)
i.e., request, instruction, advice

◉ Ending communication
► ICAO standard phraseology
Contact and Approach Communication

 Aircraft: Heathrow Approach Speedbird 461

Approach: Speedbird 461 go ahead.

▶ Aircraft: London Control Swissair 256 flight level

90 descending to flight level 70
Approach: Swissair 256 roger
Establishing communication...
 Name of the ground control unit
- always mention the location
(e.g. OTOPENI TOWER)

▶ Call sign of the airplane

- 5 letters (e.g. YRIMA)
- the name of the airline company/type of plane
followed by 3 digits
(e.g. TAROM 321/BOEING 415)
ESTABLISHING CONTACT –
ICAO alphabet
(call sign)

A ALPHA N NOVEMBER
B BRAVO O OSCAR
C CHARLIE P PAPA
D DELTA Q QUEBEC
E ECHO R ROMEO
F FOXTROT S SIERRA
G GOLF T TANGO
H HOTEL U UNIFORM
I INDIA V VICTOR
J JULIET W WHISKY
K KILO X X-RAY
L LIMA Y YANKEE
M MIKE Z ZULU
 THE ALPHABET

 AIRCRAFT CALL SIGNS, e.g. YR-BCD

 NAME OF BEACONS, e.g. STJ
 FOR THE LETTER BY LETTER REPETITION OF

CONFUSING WORDS

but.....
 THE USUAL ALPHABET

► Radio-navigation equipment:
NDB ILS GCA VOR
► Flight conditions and rules
VMC IMC VFR IFR
► Other abbreviations
FIR ETA ETD EAT

!!! Do you know what they stand for?

 NUMBERS
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0
100, 1,000
Rules to apply !
 All numbers – each digit separately
 Whole hundreds/thousands – say every digit before hundred/thousand, then
HUNDRED/THOUSAND
 Decimals – DECIMAL
e.g. 10 – one zero 5,000 – 5 {faifǝr} thousand
76 – seven six 11,000 – one one thousand
100 – one zero zero28,000 – two eight thousand
239 – two {tri:} {nainǝ}

38,143 - {tri :} eight one {fowǝ} {tri :}

119.1 – one one {nainǝr} decimal one

TRANSMISSION OF TIME
 Only the minutes of the hour
 The hour only included to avoid

any possibility of confusion

e.g.
0803 =zero three, or
zero eight zero three
1300 = one three zero zero
2057 = five seven, or
two zero five seven
Numbers

● Can you now read these numbers?

201; 16; 6; 320; 118.5; 70; 11,000; 0920;

● Do you know what they refer to in the

context of aviation communication?
Content-based Input (1)
16 – Runway number (from 01 to 36)
 6 knots – Wind speed/velocity
 320 degrees – Heading (‘cap compas’)
Content-based Input (2)
 118.5 – Radio frequency (MHz)
 70 – Flight level
 11,000 – Altitude (metres)
 0920 – Time (hours and minutes)
What can you notice about the
communication below?
ATC: Climb to one one zero zero; I say again one one
zero zero metres and contact approach control on
one one niner decimal one Megahertz.
or
ATC: Climb to one one zero zero metres and contact
approach control on one one niner decimal one;
read back altitude and frequency, over.

Pilot: Wilco, one one zero zero metres, one one niner
decimal one Megahertz.

ATC: That is correct. Out.

Checking correct transmission of
numbers
 Transmitter repeats all numbers
 Transmitter asks for the repetition of

numbers
 Receiver repeats all numbers

!!! ICAO Phraseology

► I say again
► Readback
► Wilco
Establishing communication
 Look at these exchanges What can you
notice? What is the rule for initial contact?

Acft: Heathrow Approach Speedbird 461.

Approach: Speedbird 461 go ahead.

Acft: Heathrow Approach Shuttle 7R flight level

90 descending to flight level 70.
Approach: Shuttle 7R roger.
Giving your callsign
 When the aircraft calls a ground station the pilot
always says:

 The callsign of the station the aircraft is calling

 The callsign of the aircraft
Examples of giving the callsign

 Gatwick Airport, Speedbird 209. Flight level

110. Heading 100. ETA Isle of Man 1005.

 London Control, United Air 955. FL 90.

Heading 230. ETA St. Abbs 1105.
ATSUs and their Callsigns
 Aerodrome Control= TOWER
 Approach Control = APPROACH
 Approach Control Radar Arrivals= ARRIVAL
 Approach Control Radar Departures=
DEPARTURE
 Area Control Centre = CONTROL
 Surface Movement Control = GROUND
 Radar Control Service = RADAR
 Flight Information Service= INFORMATION
 Air-Ground Service only = RADIO
Continuing communication
► exchange of messages (pilot<=>ATC)
i.e., request, instruction, advice

► Brevity and transfer of complete and correct information

► Expectations

► Intelligibility of the message

- enunciation
- speech rate
- slight pauses before and after
e.g. numerals
► Use of standard phraseologies
Standard Phraseology – Some common
examples (1)

 ACKNOWLEDGE—Let me know that you have received my message.

 AFFIRMATIVE—Yes.

 NEGATIVE—"No," or "permission not granted," or "that is not

correct."

 RADAR SERVICE TERMINATED—Used by ATC to inform a pilot that he

will no longer be provided any of the services that could be received
while in radar contact.

 REPORT—Used to instruct pilots to advise ATC of specified

information; e.g., "Report passing Hamilton VOR.“
Standard Phraseology – Some common
examples (2)
 CLEARED TO LAND—ATC authorization for an aircraft to land.

 EXPEDITE—Used by ATC when prompt compliance is required

to avoid the development of an imminent situation.

 FLY HEADING … (Degrees)—Informs the pilot of the heading

he should fly.

 GO AROUND—Instructions for a pilot to abandon his

approach to landing.

 HAVE NUMBERS—Used by pilots to inform ATC that they have

received runway, wind, and altimeter information only.
Standard Phraseology – Some common
examples (3)
 MAINTAIN—Concerning altitude/flight level, the term means to
remain at the altitude/flight level specified.
 MAKE SHORT APPROACH—Used by ATC to inform a pilot to alter his
traffic pattern so as to make a short final approach.
 MAYDAY—The international radio telephony distress signal. When
repeated three times, it indicates imminent and grave danger and
that immediate assistance is requested.
 SAY ALTITUDE – used by ATC to ascertain an aircraft's specific
altitude/flight level.
 UNABLE—Indicates inability to comply with a specific instruction,
request, or clearance.
 VERIFY—Request confirmation of information; e.g., "verify assigned
altitude."
Ending
communication …
 Standard phraseology
ACKNOWLEGDE = let me know you have received/understood
CONFIRM = have you/I correctly received this message?
OUT = transmission over/no reply expected
OVER = transmission over/ response expected
ROGER = your last transmission received
STANDBY = wait and I will call you later
WILCO = message understood, I will comply with it (‘will
comply’)
ICAO versus Plain English
 Standardized phraseology
e.g. Cleared visual approach Runway 13 Left
▶ Plain language in an operational context
e.g. Three passengers have been hurt and we’ll have to divert
to Ankara
e.g.There seems to be some metal debris near the threshold
of Runway 09 Left
e.g. We have ordered an ambulance to be standing by at the
gate
Sample of plain language illustrated

ATC: Midland Five November Zulu. Good

morning. Radar contact. Proceeding into Kerky.
Vectoring 02.
Pilot: Direct Kerky 02. Midland Five November
Zulu. Can we keep high speed?
ATC: For the time, yes.
Summary of main points
 Communicate in a professional and organized manner.
The standard format is:

Who you're calling, ⇛ ADDRESS

Who you are (callsign), ⇛ IDENTIFY
Where you are, ⇛ POSITION
What you want, ⇛ ACTUAL MESSAGE
End of message ⇛ COMPLETION

e.g. "Heathrowground, Cessna Golf Echo Golf

November Romeo 123, on west apron, with
information Tango, request visual approach. Over.”
 A laughter in the end …
 Tower: Have you got enough fuel or not?
Pilot: Yes.
Tower: Yes what?
Pilot: Yes, SIR!

 Tower: "Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6

miles away"
Delta 351: "Give us another hint! We all have
digital watches.”

 Tower: "Height and position?"

Pilot: "I am 1,80 m and I'm sitting. ”
CONCLUSIONS

 Language should ensure unambiguous pilot-

controller communication;
 Communication is oral, with no visual contact;
 ICAO English is an operationally relevant, specific
field-related language
 ICAO language employs a very specific set of
vocabulary, expressions and functions but does not
rule out plain English;
Homework

Teamwork!
● Report about a serious air incident which
resulted from bad communication, e.g. contact
and approach communication.
Suggest a solution.
● Can you find a standard phrase which could
cause confusion? Explain.
Thank you!