Communications Flashcards
Emergency frequencies
- Aeronautical emergency frequency
- Military emergency frequency
- Emergency locators
- International distress frequencies
Aeronautical: 121.5 MHz (VHF)
Military: 243 MHz (VHF)
Emergency locators: 406 MHz (UHF)
International distress: 500 kHz (MF)
International distress: 2182 kHz (MF)
[2182 selectable on HF bands]
[Emergency locators on 121.5 MHz too]
What you say if you don’t have 8.33kHz spacing radio
“Negative eight point three three”
Aeronautical Mobile Service
Communications between air and ground, or air and air.
Aeronautical Fixed Service
Communications between ground and ground stations.
Message priority
Distress
Urgency
Direction finding
Flight safety
Meteorological
Flight regularity
What type of message is a special AIRREP?
Flight safety, NOT meteorological
Mayday message components
MAYDAY - [MAYDAY - MAYDAY]
Station being called
Identification
Nature of distress condition
Intentions
Position
Altitude
Heading
Actions in response to mayday
- Acknowledge message
- Take control of communications, or transfer responsibility (letting aircraft know of the transfer)
- Ensure information passed to ATS unit concerned and aircraft operating agency
- Warn other stations to prevent new traffic on station
[Urgency same except last one]
Message to impose silence during mayday
“STOP TRANSMITTING” & “MAYDAY”
Message to end distress condition
“DISTRESS TRAFFIC ENDED”
From the station controlling communications
“CANCEL DISTRESS” from aircraft
Main distress vs urgency difference
Distress: require immediate assistance
Urgency: don’t!
Who can communicate on a discrete frequency after emergency?
ATC and officer of the firefighters
Alternative use of “PAN PAN”
Medical transports
“PAN PAN” medical transport message contents
“PAN PAN MEDICAL”
- Identification
- Position
- Number and type of transports
- Intended route
- Estimated time en route, departure & arrival
- Other info
Call type if passenger is sick and you require diversion
DISTRESS
Q codes
QDM: Magnetic TO
QTE: True FROM
QDR: Magnetic FROM
QUJ: True TO
Direction finding accuracy codes
A: +/- 2 degrees
B: 5 degrees
C: 10 degrees [most common]
D: >10 degrees [may not be given]
VDF fixing
- where available
- accuracy codes
Only on 121.5MHz as multiple stations required [general direction finding can be from station in contact]
A: within 5nm
B: 20nm
C: 50nm
D: >50nm
Flight safety messages
Basically covers almost all messages between ATC and aircraft
Also includes meteorological messages which are of immediate concern to an aircraft in flight or about to depart. So those messages higher priority than other meteorological messages.
Speed of speech
Not greater than 100 wpm
Time check
- what you ask for
- what you get
Request “time check” and ATC will tell you zulu time to the half minute (“and a half”)
Aeronautical station call signs
- Aerodrome control
- Surface movement control
- Clearance delivery
- Precision approach radar
- Direction finding station
- Apron control/management
TOWER: Aerodrome control
GROUND: Surface movement control
DELIVERY: Clearance delivery
PRECISION: Precision approach radar
HOMER: Direction finding station
APRON: Apron control/management
Callsigns & abbreviations
Cessna G-BNKS => Cessna KS or Cessna NKS
Speedbird 123 => Not abbreviated
[Only Reg, Operator + code, Operator + Reg can be used as callsigns. In “Cessna G-BNKS” only G-BNKS is the call sign]
[EXCLUDE country code in Operator + Reg]
Large aircraft callsign changes
Include “HEAVY” or “SUPER” on first contact, after the callsign
Repeat part of a message
“SAY AGAIN ALL AFTER” or
“SAY AGAIN ALL BEFORE”
Level/altitude instructions in exams
Use the word “TO” in exam, not in real life!
eg “CLIMB TO FLIGHT LEVEL 240”
Flight level numbers
Digits separately
EXCEPT whole hundreds (eg FL100)
EXPEDITE
Initiate immediately.
For a climb/descend instruction, do so at maximum safe rate.
Position report elements (AIREP) (3, 3)
- Aircraft Identification
- Position
- Time (minutes usually)
Last 3 can be omitted ONLY WITH A regional air navigation agreement - Level
- Next position and time
- Ensuing significant point
[+ Meteorological report]
Radio check full message
- Station being called
- Aircraft callsign
- “RADIO CHECK”
- Frequency being used
Test signals
Message from ground station to test radio.
Must be series of numbers, end with station identification.
No more than 10 seconds.
Use words “Radio check”
AIREP SPECIALS
- (Mod)/Sev turb
- (Mod)/Sev icing
- Sev mountain wave
- TS (OBSC, IMBD, WSPD, SQ)
- Heavy dust/sand storm
- Volcanic ash cloud or eruption
SELCAL checking
“REQUEST SELCAL CHECK”
“SELCAL OK”
or “NEGATIVE SELCAL, TRY AGAIN”
Response on getting SELCAL message
“[Callsign] go ahead”
Words that are omitted (if no confusion will be caused)
SURFACE - relating to wind
DEGREES - relating to heading
VISIBILITY, CLOUD & HEIGHT
HECTOPASCALS
“Report flight conditions”
Means indicate whether you are in IMC or VMC
ATC instructed abandoned takeoff
Repeat twice - callsign & “stop immediately”.
Reply “stopping” & callsign.
3 circuit joins that may be given
Overhead
Downwind
Straight in
Final calls
Less than 4NM: “FINAL”
Around 8NM: “LONG FINAL” [straight in]
Low approach
Practice landing without touchdown.
Can request, may be given “not below” clearance.
VHF voice Frequency band
118-136.95 MHz
HF Frequency band
1850 to 22000 KHz
Heading communications by radar control - true or magnetic?
Magnetic
Radar services
Radar control - Controller responsible for separation
Advisory service - Pilot responsible for separation and terrain avoidance, controller may pass information on traffic
Surveillance Radar Approach (SAR)
Usually military only.
Talk you down to 2nm (1 mile interval communications) or <2nm (0.5 mile intervals).
Required to respond, until told not to (usually 4nm away), after which no breaks more than 5 seconds.
Can be terminated when pilot reports “runway in sight”.
Precision Radar Approach (PAR)
Similar to SAR but information on altitudes relative to glideslope also given.
If it becomes clear pilot is making a missed approach can switch to giving missed approach instructions.
Actions if communications lost
- VMC
Stay in VMC
Land at nearest aerodrome, looking out for visual signals
Report to ATC ASAP
Actions if communications lost
- IMC no radar or surveillance
Maintain last assigned speed & level (or MSA if higher) for 20 mins following failure to communication, then continue with filed flight plan.
[“Unless otherwise prescribed in air navigation agreement”]
Actions if communications lost
- IMC with radar CONTROL or SURVEILLANCE
Maintain last assigned speed & level (or MSA if higher) for 7 mins following LATEST of 7600, reaching last assigned level or failure to make compulsory position report. Then rejoin filed flight plan.
Actions if communications lost
- IMC with radar VECTORS
Squawk 7600 and re-join flight plan in most direct method available.
[This INCLUDES departing flights, look out for “RADAR VECTORS”]
Actions if communications lost
- IMC approach, regardless of radar
Follow flight plan to the destination and hold at the navaid.
Commence approach at the last advised Estimated Approach Time (EAT), or flight plan ETA if no EAT.
Complete instrument approach.
Try to land within 30 mins of EAT or flight plan ETA (whichever is later).
ATIS
AUTOMATIC terminal information SERVICE
When must ATIS include cloud cover?
When clouds below 5,000ft or the highest MSA (whichever is greater).
Time abbreviations
- HS
- HX
- SR
- SS
- HJ
- HN
HS: Hours of Scheduled service
HX: No specific working hours#
SR: Sunrise
SS: Sunset
HJ: Sunrise to sunset
HN: Sunset to sunrise
VOLMET contents
Includes METARs and SPECIs (trend forecasts when available) so anything in those can appear in VOLMET (e.g. QNH)
Readability scale
1 - unreadable
2 - readable NOW AND THEN
3 - readable WITH DIFFICULTY
4 - readable
5 - PERFECTLY readable
Does traffic info need to be read back?
No
What to read back from:
“G-BNKS contact Donlon control on 129.1”
“129.1 G-BNKS”
JUST the frequency!
CPDLC failure messages
System failure:
“[ALL STATIONS] CPDLC FAILURE (instructions)”
“[ALL STATIONS] STOP SENDING CPDLC REQUESTS [until advised] [reason]”
“[ALL STATIONS] RESUME NORMAL CPDLC OPERATIONS”
Single message failure:
“CPDLC MESSAGE FAILURE (further info)”
“DISREGARD CPDLC (message type) MESSAGE BREAK (correct clearance)”
Pilot messages relating to traffic information
LOOKING OUT
TRAFFIC IN SIGHT
NEGATIVE CONTACT [request vectors]
Message to ATC in case of TCAS RA
- informing of warning
- back to normal
- can’t follow clearance due TCAS
“TCAS RA”
“CLEAR OF CONFLICT” & “RETURNING to FLxxx” [not RESUMING]
“UNABLE, TCAS RA” (not negative)
Message if don’t have necessary RNAV equipment for a clearance
“NEGATIVE […] DUE RNAV TYPE”
When should words be spelt out phonetically?
When there is a risk of confusion or there is doubt (about spelling?)
Order of information provided about holding instruction
Fix
Level
Inbound track
Right or left turns
Time of leg
[FLIRT]
Wind direction in METAR
TRUE
Standard air report frequency required
No data link: No requirement
Data link:
- Every 30 seconds in climb
- Every 15 minutes in cruise
Impact on attenuation of:
- Air density
- Temperature
- Wavelength
- Frequency
High air density increases attenuation.
High temperature decreases attenuation.
High wavelength decreases attenuation.
High frequency increases attenuation.
Air-to-air communication
- Purpose
- Frequency
For pilots to exchange operational information in remote areas
123.450 MHz
Navaid identifier length
2 to 4 letters
Abbreviations that can’t be used
Q codes
TTT
SOS
XXX
PAN
Vectoring instructions if already in a turn
“STOP TURN HEADING…”
Alternative instruction to “ORBIT”
“THREE SIXTY TURN [LEFT/RIGHT]”
Blind transmission requirements
“Transmitting blind due to receiver failure”
Message
Repeat message
Time of next intended transmission
Discrete frequency
Separate radio frequency for a single pilot-controller communication.
If you get a distress or urgency message on it you should acknowledge it and act as a coordinator.
One way vs two way communication designation
Ground-Air communication - 2 way
Ground-TO-Air communication - 1 way
Message when resetting transponder mode and code (following ATC request)
“resetting [mode] [code]”
eg “resetting charlie 5203”
Simplex vs duplex comms
Refers to simultaneous communication.
So VHF radio is simplex as one station talks at a time, telephone is duplex.
ATC request what transponder you’ve got
ADVISE transponder capability
Message to request vectors to establish on localiser at 8nm
“Request 8nm final”
ATC messages for changing call signs
“Change your call sign to X”
“Revert to flight plan call sign”
Requirement to change frequency
MUST notify existing ground station
EVEN in an emergency or if they instructed you
What to ask for from ATC after startup
DEPARTURE information (NOT aerodrome info)
Word “report” in exam question
If asked what you would say when asked to REPORT, the response will START with callsign. You’re not choosing a response to the ATC message but what you would say several minutes later at the reporting point.
Transponder setting if intercepted
7700 mode A
(mode C messes up TCAS)
Call sign abbreviation with 2 digit country code e.g. YA-ABC
Y-BC
Who can initiate CPDLC logon?
Pilots or ATC
