Talking to ATC makes some pilots nervous — especially if they trained at an uncontrolled airport — but it’s actually pretty simple as long as you take a second to think before you push the PTT button, and compose your message in advance using the simple, Tarzan-like pattern “you, me, where, what”:
- who you (ATC) are
- who I am
- where I am
- what I want
Just repeat to yourself “you, me, where, what”; “you, me, where, what”; “you, me, where, what”.
Examples
Consider this call for takeoff clearance:
Ottawa tower, Bravo Juliet Oscar short runway two two, ready for takeoff
Let’s break that down to “you, me, where, what”:
[you] Ottawa tower
[me] Bravo Juliet Oscar
[where] holding short runway two two
[what] ready for takeoff
It’s short, complete, and professional-sounding (but try to resist the temptation to deepen your voice and talk in a slow southern drawl). Here’s another one:
Boston Centre, Cherokee Canadian Charlie Foxtrot Bravo Juliet Oscar 5 miles north of the Massena VOR, request flight following
That breaks down to exactly the same pattern:
[you] Boston Center
[me] Cherokee Canadian Charlie Foxtrot Bravo Juliet Oscar (full form for the U.S.)
[where] 5 miles north of the Massena VOR
[what] request flight following
(If the frequency were busy, as it usually is with Boston Center, I’d break that down into two calls: an initial one with just the “you” and “me”, and a second with all the information when they called back and said “Bravo Juliet Oscar, go ahead your request”.)
Uncontrolled calls
Sound familiar? In fact, it’s exactly the same pattern you use in uncontrolled airspace:
Rockcliffe traffic, Cherokee Bravo Juliet Oscar five miles south at two thousand, crossing midfield to join the right downwind two seven
[you] Rockcliffe traffic
[me] Cherokee Bravo Juliet Oscar
[where] five miles south at two thousand
[what] crossing midfield to join the right downwind two seven
For uncontrolled airports, though, it’s often considered good manners to add an extra “you” at the end, because many airports may share the same frequency. A “you, me, where, what, you” pattern looks like this:
Rockcliffe traffic, Cherokee Bravo Juliet Oscar five miles south at two thousand, crossing midfield to join the right downwind two seven, Rockcliffe
Variations
If you’re just checking in with a new ATC unit after a handoff, the what is “checking in”, and you can usually leave that implied:
Toronto Centre, Bravo Juliet Oscar at six thousand
Here’s how it fits the pattern:
[you] Toronto Centre
[me] Bravo Juliet Oscar
[where] at six thousand (feet — to confirm that your encoder is working properly)
[what] (implied: “checking in”)
Alternatively, if an ATC unit already has you in visual or radar contact, you can leave out the where and just say the what:
Moncton Centre, Bravo Juliet Oscar request direct Fredericton VOR
[you] Moncton Centre
[me] Bravo Juliet Oscar
[where] (implied: “where you see me on radar”)
[what] request direct Fredericton VOR
Finally, standard IFR practice after a handoff to a new ATC unit is to add the what (“with you”) before the altitude, changing the order slightly:
Halifax terminal, Bravo Juliet Oscar with you at three thousand
[you] Halifax terminal
[me] Bravo Juliet Oscar
[what] with you
[where] at three thousand [feet]
That’s just because IFR pilots think they’re special.
Land and Hold Short 
Good way to lay it out – very KISS.
For consistency, I’d even suggest that the last IFR “exception” isn’t an exception at all. The /what/ is either implied or can easily be stated in the same order as your other examples. I.e. “Halifax terminal, Bravo Juliet Oscar, at three thousand, checking in.” Or “Halifax terminal, Bravo Juliet Oscar, leaving three thousand for six thousand, (“with you” implied).” or often: “Halifax terminal, Bravo Juliet Oscar, (location understood from radar and previous contact), requesting direct Montreal.”
Anyway – just to say that it’s a great way to present this often intimidating topic.
Lima-Alpha-Hotel-Sierra, This is Papa-Foxtrot-Lima at the September 6th post. Reading your posting was very informative and helpful for this newb! Request more frequent postings. Over.
IM NEW TO THE AIRPORT,WITH A MAINTENANCE POSITION, WILL BE GETTING TESTED SOON ON COMMUNICATING WITH ATC, HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO REMEMBER ALL HE TELLS ME, THEN REPEAT IT, KNOW THE AIRPORT AS WELL,LEARNING AT NITE 3 RD SHIFT TO MAKE IT HARDER. ANY SUGGESTIONS, I NEED HELP,JOB DEPENDS ON IT
Grant and Michael: thanks for the comments. I agree with Grant that the IFR check-in can still fit the pattern, and I will try to do my best to post more for Michael. In the meantime, here are some past postings that might be interesting:
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/2005/05/19/analog-flying/
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/2004/12/23/leaning/
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/2005/04/04/power-pitch-stall/
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/2006/12/18/winter-flying-around-the-great-lakes/
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/2006/05/27/crosswind-landings/
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/2006/04/19/separation-not-the-quebec-kind/
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/2006/02/12/v-speeds/
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/2005/12/18/partial-panel-and-fixed-gear/
HEY DAVE IM STILL HAVING A HARD TIME REPLYING TO ATC, THEY EITHER RUN IT DOWN TO FAST, OR I CANT MAKE IT OUT, ILL BE TESTING SOON, STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE FIELD, AND THE REPLY TO TOWER
I like to avoid words like “at”, “for” or “with you”, but always give current altitude and target altitude if climbing or descending. For instance, “Vancouver Centre, TUM level 11000” or “Vancouver Departure, TUM 1800 climbing 3000.” Recently in SFO class B there was “Oakland Centre, CGTUM 8500 descending pilot’s discretion” – I was previously cleared into class B with descent at pilot’s discretion on the way to Napa from Santa Monica.
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HELLO, IM A NEW AIRPORT MAINTENANCE WORKER, TRYING TO LEARN THE ATC, REPLYING SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST THING TO DO, THEY SPEAK SO FAST, I ALREADY HAVE A SHORTHAND TO USE AS I WRITE IT DOWN, STILL TAKING A BIT. I NEED HELP, JOB ON THE LINE