Student Pilot radio comms and Class C -- step-by-step in chronological order

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VoiceOfReason

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VoiceOfReason
I've looked here and elsewhere and cannot find what I'm after.

I'm familiar with the Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and did well on the written test. BUT--- I cannot find a simplistic and chronologically readable of who to call and when to get my plane in the air properly. for example:

- look up departure frequency
- dial in frequency and make the first radio call "Departure clearance, this is skyhalk 42994"
- (pause, wait for reply)
-'VFR, practice area north, 3000 ft, Skyhawk 42994"
- response from clearance 'VFR, at or below 3000, departure frequency 128.4, squawk 3722'
-
then you call the tower etc etc

Why can't I find a readable and in-order step by step on this ?

I'm now continuing my training in Class C (was at a rural airport previously with CTAF only) and I want to jus the able to read and learn the steps IN ORDER

Any leads on where to find this would help me massively !
 
I feel your pain. I did a flight a few weeks ago with a pilot who had little Class C experience. As a result, I’m working on one right now.

The best one I’ve found online so far is:


And yes, C and B are 99% identical. The 1% are the words, “cleared into the Class Bravo.”
 
At my home Class C

Record the ATIS broadcast (weather etc)

Contact Clearance Delivery : Lincoln Clearance Bugsmasher 1234
Bugsmasher 1234 Lincoln Clearance
Clearance Bugsmasher 34 is headed VFR to _______ with information _________
Bugsmasher 34, maintain VFR at below 3500, departure is 124.0, Squawk 0_____.
At or below 3500, departure is 124.0 and squawk is 0_______ Bugsmasher 34
Bugsmasher 34 readback correct, ready to taxi with information _______? OR Clearance will tell us to contact ground on 121.90 which gives us taxi instructions,
Ready to taxi with ________
Taxi to runway _________ via _____________

Taxi to the runway switch to tower call them up when ready at the hold short line.
Lincoln Tower Bugsmasher 1234 ready for departure at runway _______
Bugsmasher 34 turn _________ (right or left) to ________ (heading) cleared for takeoff runway ______.
Turn _________ to _________ cleared for takeoff runway ________ Bugsmasher 34
Then switch to departure when instructed by tower.
Omaha Departure Bugsmasher 1234 climbing though ________
Bugsmasher 34 Omaha Departure proceed on course or turn to __________ etc. May give an additional altitude restriction or give you whatever you want.

A lot of the time they won't use ground frequency and the same person may be running tower and clearance delivery frequencies simultaneously.

(Omaha runs approach and departure frequency for the Lincoln airport)



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Your CFI should be your source for this training. If he/she is not, you should find one who is. I am not a CFI, and particularly not your CFI.

Procedures may vary based on how busy the airport is, which can change based on time of day. Some of these positions may be consolidated into fewer individuals and/or fewer discrete frequencies.

- Generally at Class C airports, you contact Clearance Delivery first (after gathering ATIS). Request a VFR departure to wherever you're going. That tees you up in the tower to get sequenced to the runway. Clearance delivery may include instructions for immediately after takeoff ("fly runway heading...")
- Then you contact Ground Control (119.1?) for a taxi clearance to the runway. Read back then follow that clearance to the approach end of your assigned runway (sometimes an intersection, if appropriate, once again, check with your CFI).
- When you've done a runup if needed, and you're ready to depart, either at the hold short line, or "in sequence", you call the tower and tell them you are ready to depart. Tower will eventually give you takeoff clearance, perhaps with a "line up and wait" thrown in.
- After you takeoff, they will most likely hand you off to "Departure Control" -- part of the TRACON Terminal Radar Approach CONtrol facility (note this is not the facility you spoke to on the ground to obtain your 'departure' clearance).

Listen to liveatc.net, for your airport or another of similar size, and you'll begin to recognize a rhythm to the communications. For my part, if I'm bored I've used live atc and flight aware to track flights that family members have been traveling on.
 
DJTorrente said:
Procedures may vary based on how busy the airport is, which can change based on time of day. Some of these positions may be consolidated into fewer individuals and/or fewer discrete frequencies.
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Absolutely true. The problem with many of the ones I've seen is that they tend to be very airport-specific. The other, like your and @bnt83's samples, are nice for the outbound, but don't help the pilot training at a non-towered airport that much with what to expect on their inbound.
I'm always reminded of a video I once saw where a student pilot does a solo to a simple Class D. Tower instructs to "make right traffic" which gets the poor student completely discombobulated because the student's preflight planning clearly indicated the airport was left traffic.
The real flight I mentioned was videoed beginning to end. I'm trying to cover all the stuff that threw my trainee off without making it too specific to that flight.
 
Flight Insight has a pretty good VFR Communications course and includes scripts as part of the curriculum.
 
Incoming traffic

Record the ATIS broadcast (weather etc)

Contact Omaha Approach 124.0 20ish miles out.
Just simple "Omaha Approach Bugsmasher 1234"
Wait a bit especially if really busy.

Once they address you then info dump. Approach inbound for landing Lincoln with information ______ Bugsmasher 34

They give you squawk code, enter that. I have used IDENT maybe 5 times in 100 flights so they rarely use that.

I don't read back squawk I just wait till they see it. They respond Bugsmasher 34 radar contact ______ miles from Lincoln proceeded misfield or make straight in for runway _____ or Right or left downwind or left or right base for runway _____ a few different other instructions.

once your set up and close to the airport they hand off to tower.

Tower almost always gives taxi instructions to the ramp on tower frequency if not taxi clear of the runway stop and contact ground

Lincoln ground Bugsmasher 1234 on taxiway _________ short of taxiway ____________

Lincoln is one of the easiest class C there is IMHO. All piston traffic use RWY 17/35 and the GA ramp is right there to the east

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Buy a portable radio, park nearby the airport, & listen. There is an ebb & flow to how this works in real life depending on how busy the airspace is. So comms are always the same, but also different.
 
Many class C will tell you on CD just to call ground for VFR departures. You can never tell.
 
flyingron said:
Many class C will tell you on CD just to call ground for VFR departures. You can never tell.
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And some don't want you to. I think airports are doing a better job of putting that info in the ATIS these days.
 
rhkennerly said:
Buy a portable radio, park nearby the airport, & listen. There is an ebb & flow to how this works in real life depending on how busy the airspace is. So comms are always the same, but also different.
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This is what I did even though I learned at a class delta airport. I made up my own knee board paper in the order that I heard it on the radio. I learned a lot with that hand held radio.
 
One additional trick. Especially when departing VFR in mountainous terrain, you may want an initial heading that differs from your direct-to-destination heading. For example departing Asheville I prefer to fly down the valley for 10 miles to avoid flying over peaks. You can ask clearance and tower for an initial on course heading that you prefer. Also after departing on runway heading and being switched to departure I’ve been ignored a couple of times with rising terrain in front of me. Never hurts to prod departure and ask to turn on course if you think it’s necessary.
 
luvflyin said:
At all? Was Ground combined with Tower when you taxied?
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The entire GA side of the airport was a non-movement area. You called CD for departure instructions and then called Tower when ready to go at the hold short line.

It’s probably the same today but I’m using the past tense because it was long enough ago for changes. Looks the same in Google Earth.
 
I second the recommendation above for Say Again, Please. I also found Sporty's video (which I got on DVD but is now an app) VFR Communications to be very helpful, and I recall it being presented in the kind of chronological order you asked about here. But if you're strapped for time, here is all you really need to know for Class B, C, and D operations:

1. From engine start to flying off into the sunset, you will talk to clearance delivery (maybe, check the chart supplement), ground, tower, departure (maybe), and center (if you're getting flight following)

2. From "kids, we're almost there!" to the tiedown, you will talk to the same folks in reverse order: approach control (optional for Class D with approach control, mandatory for Class B and Class C), tower, ground (if tower tells you).

3. Your basic script is always: Whom (are you calling), who (are you), where (are you), what (do you want)? "Tower, N123B, 8 miles west, landing, information Echo." "Big City Approach, N123B, 25 miles south, landing Downtown Airport, information Foxtrot." "Ground, N123B at the city tie-downs, information Golf, VFR to the north, ready to taxi."

4. Use plain English. If you're not sure what they expect or you want to suggest something different, just do it. E.g. if you're west of an airport that tells you to enter a left base for runway 31, you might say "Tower, N123B, we are better set up for left downwind for runway 31, is that okay?" If you want to get traffic advisories while you're practicing maneuvers, just tell them what you're up to. "Departure, N123B will be maneuvering for a while. We'll let you know when we are inbound."

5. Don't overthink it. You're VFR. ATC's role in your flight is important, but limited.
 
Another vote for “Say Again, Please”. All the airspace entry comms you would want. From a late POA board member.
 
When departing from a controlled field vfr, if you want flight following be sure to mention it to clearance delivery if they don't ask. If you haven't requested flight following, dept control will just tell you to squawk 1200, radar service terminated once you're clear of their airspace.
 
midlifeflyer said:
I'm trying to think of a Class C where I have not been required to maintain 2-way radio communications while within the Class C airspace.

Not that it can't happen, but "maybe" seems more appropriate for some of the others.
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My post was general to B, C, and D. The D is where TRACON is a maybe.
 
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