Communications for pilots

How ACARS and other air-ground datalinks carry messages between aircraft, airlines and ATS, from service providers and the communications management unit to VHF and HF data link and datalink departure clearances such as PDC and DCL.

How aircraft broadcast (ADS-B) or report by contract (ADS-C) their own GNSS-derived position, the 1090ES and UAT data links, ADS-B In services such as TIS-B and FIS-B, integrity parameters, the US and EU mandates, and space-based ADS-B.

Radio exchanges on and around the aerodrome, from start-up, pushback and taxi to holding short and crossing runways, line-up, takeoff and landing clearances, and tower warnings such as wake turbulence and microburst alerts.

The framework behind every radio call, from ICAO Annex 10 and the ITU to the aeronautical mobile and fixed services, aeronautical and aircraft stations, AFTN, the CNS/ATM concept and radio operator licensing.

The ATC units a flight talks to from gate to gate (clearance delivery, apron, ground, tower, approach and area/center), what each controls, and how procedural control and flight progress strips work.

The aircraft's internal communication systems, from audio control panels and the flight, service and cabin interphones to crew and ground calls, the passenger address and PRAM, microphones and push-to-talk, hot mike and acoustic feedback, and on-board mobile telephony.

Standard radiotelephony for the IFR phases after takeoff: departure, en-route, radar vectoring, level and speed instructions, holding and approach clearances.

What an ATC clearance authorizes, the elements of an IFR clearance, clearance limits, conditional, amended and cruise clearances, void times and release, expected altitudes, approach clearances and canceling IFR.

The ICAO abbreviations and defined terms pilots meet in radiotelephony, charts, NOTAM and weather reports, grouped by subject with what each means.

How pilots communicate where no control tower operates, from the CTAF, UNICOM and MULTICOM to European AFIS and air/ground stations, self-announce broadcasts, air-to-air frequencies, beacons and pilot-controlled lighting.

How CPDLC replaces routine voice exchanges with text messages, the FANS 1/A and ATN implementations, logging on through AFN, the European data link mandate, US Data Comm and when to revert to voice.

The MAYDAY, PAN PAN and SECURITE signals and message formats, relaying distress messages, imposing and canceling radio silence, the emergency frequencies, emergency descent broadcasts and interception communications.

Emergency locator transmitters and other distress beacons, the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system and the roles of 406 and 121.5 MHz, SAR and maritime frequencies, and the visual and pyrotechnic distress signals used to attract rescuers.

How pilots obtain information by radio, from flight information service, ATIS, D-ATIS and VOLMET to US flight service stations, the former Flight Watch service and remote communications outlets.

When and how pilots report position to ATC, compulsory and on-request reporting points, the report format, revised estimates and the other reports pilots make unprompted, including equipment malfunction and ride reports.

The ATS surveillance services controllers provide, from radar identification, vectoring, orbits and flight following to traffic information, avoiding action and TCAS reports, the ground-based safety nets STCA and MSAW, and SRA, PAR and no-gyro radar approaches.

What to do when two-way radio contact is lost, from recognizing the failure and dealing with a stuck microphone to transmitting blind, the ICAO, SERA and FAA procedures including 7601, the 20-minute rule and AVEF, and the tower's light signals.

How aircraft and ground stations are identified on the radio, from the three types of aircraft call sign and telephony designators to the rules for abbreviating and changing call signs, ATS unit suffixes and ICAO location indicators.

The standard words and phrases of aviation radiotelephony and their exact meanings, from ROGER, WILCO, AFFIRM and UNABLE to corrections, cleared versus approved and the discretion terms, the readback and hearback requirements, and the ICAO, EU, UK and FAA manuals that define them.

How to make clear radio transmissions, from microphone technique, the ICAO spelling alphabet and the transmission of numbers, frequencies and time to initial calls, radio checks and the readability scale, general calls, listening watch and the order of priority of messages.

How SSR interrogates aircraft transponders, the Mode A, C and S replies and altitude encoding, Mode S addressing and surveillance levels, the garbling and FRUIT problems that Mode S addresses, and squawk codes and phraseology.

The ICAO spelling alphabet and the way numbers, frequencies, headings, levels and times are spoken in radiotelephony, with the common exceptions and the FAA differences.

The discrete and special-purpose SSR codes (7500, 7600, 7700, 7000, 1200, 2000), how codes are assigned and changed, the ident and special position identification function, and the standard transponder phraseology used by ATC.

A complete VFR flight in Europe told through its radio calls: departure information, taxi, takeoff, leaving the zone, flight information service, joining and landing.

The aircraft's voice radios, from VHF transceivers, active and standby frequencies, 25 and 8.33 kHz channel spacing and squelch to HF single sideband and frequency choice, the HF antenna coupler, SELCAL and satellite communications.