New to Aviation. How do you Request permission to Takeoff/Land?

Natalie

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Natalie Ward
Hi, I'm very new to aviation. I've been wondering how to request permission to takeoff and land. Can anyone help me out?
 
At a non-toward airport you just take off and land. If you want you can make a radio call.

Add a towered airport you have to ask permission.

Non towered
Airplane one two three departing runway 17 Northwest departure

Towered
Airplane one two three holding short runway 17 VFR departure to the northwest

Then wait for Tower to say you are cleared for takeoff on runway 17
 
Get on the radio and tell the controller what you want to do, they will tell you what to do / correct you and you repeat it back. Then make sure you understand and follow the instruction, ask for clarification if you got confused and/or forgot. It happens! I’d hate to say one way is correct when everyone has their own version, never really heard two different people say the same thing.

I requested a touch and go the other day and on the go the controller called my tail number and said right turn on Bravo. I kind of shat my pants and said I thought this was touch and go, I’m on the go. He corrected and all was fine but I was like wah did I mess that up?
 
No matter the phraseology, what it all boils down to is who you are, where you are, what you want.
 
When I talk about flying my own plane to folks unfamiliar with aviating, 99% of the time they are absolutely aghast that most of the time I don't need anyone's permission to takeoff or land. They are even more surprised when I tell them I don't even need to talk to anyone when flying.

I then ask them if they need permission to drive their car to the next city. They say "no". They kinda get the concept after that, but not really.
 
No matter the phraseology, what it all boils down to is who you are, where you are, what you want.
Would add to this who you are talking to. It is true that at an uncontrolled field (no tower or tower closed) you do not have you announce your intentions, but in my opinion if you have the ability to do so it is preferable and certain safer. See and avoid is much easier if you know where to look. I have been on short final at least a few times when a plane rolled up to the runway and were going to take off. When they announced their intentions I was able to react faster, either by telling them again I was on short final or doing a go around. Has happen when I was in the pattern as well. It is a big open space there but it is amazing how crowded it can get.
 
When I talk about flying my own plane to folks unfamiliar with aviating, 99% of the time they are absolutely aghast that most of the time I don't need anyone's permission to takeoff or land. They are even more surprised when I tell them I don't even need to talk to anyone when flying.

I then ask them if they need permission to drive their car to the next city. They say "no". They kinda get the concept after that, but not really.
Their only experience is typically large commercial airports with lines of airliners in sequence coming and going. Hard to visualize something simpler and self-directed.
 
Welcome to PoA, may your stay be long and enjoyable.
Welcome to the world of aviation! (Like hotel California, you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave.)

As to your question, there are few places to go for self-study, if you wish.
Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/faa-h-8083-25c.pdf
Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/aim_basic_dtd_4-20-23.pdf

The rest of FAA aviation publications (all free to download) are at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation

The members above have answered the asked question, but the above publications will go a bit deeper and address many other areas of interest.

Again, welcome!
 
The author, Bob Gardner, was a POA regular until his passing a couple of years ago. He is missed.

 
The author, Bob Gardner, was a POA regular until his passing a couple of years ago. He is missed.

I'm so sorry to hear.
 
At a non-toward airport you just take off and land. If you want you can make a radio call.
Add a towered airport you have to ask permission.
...
Given that the OP is so new to aviation and we don't even know if she is taking lessons, maybe just curious, I think this is the best answer.

I'll add that at a non-towered airport, you look all ways (not just "both ways" like you would before crossing the street, but "all ways" - up in the sky and all around) before taking off. It's basic see and avoid similar to driving. Non-towered airports have relatively slower airplanes, and are less busy, and everyone knows the rules, so it works fine.

If and when an airport grows to the point where it gets busy, more airplanes, bigger faster airplanes, longer runways, it gets a control tower to help coordinate things.

At a towered airport, you usually call ground control first to get permission to taxi to the runway. Then you change to the tower frequency, tell them you're ready to go and they will tell you when you are cleared to take off.
 
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