Contrary to popular pilot fiction (usually generated by frustrated student pilots), an ATC clearance is not some mysterious pronouncement sent down from above. It's normally an authorization to follow a common routing out of (or into) controlled airspace if you're VFR, or the route you've already filed in your flight plan if you're IFR. If you're new to the airport, you can save yourself a lot of heartache by asking a few questions at the local FBO or flight school to determine what you can expect for departure instructions. Or, you can listen up on ground control for a few minutes--or at larger, busier airports, listen on the clearance delivery frequency--to get the hang of how to depart the area.
But first, let's talk about copying something similar to a clearance: the automatic terminal information service (ATIS) broadcast. The good news is that almost every towered airport now has some kind of recorded weather and wind information, so you can get some practice copying this type of information.
Remember that most of what you hear is filler--explanatory words you need not write down, such as wind, sky condition, temperature, dew point, and altimeter. You only need to copy the data provided, and fortunately it always comes in the same order. Best of all, you can listen to it as many times as necessary to get all the information correct. Years ago I designed a preprinted sticky note that allows you to fill in the blanks, just as you hear the information spoken. There's also room to copy your ATC clearance so you'll have both sets of instructions together, on the same piece of paper. Then, you can stick it on your panel where you can see it. (If you'd like a sample of these ATIS notes, just e-mail me.
Copy the ATIS information first, before you request your ATC clearance, so the clearance will make more sense. If your clearance still doesn't make sense, maybe the ATIS has changed (perhaps there's a new runway in use?) so check to see if the code letter appended to each ATIS broadcast has changed.
When you request your departure clearance, advise the controller of three things: who you are (Cessna 7383T), where you're going (VFR to San Jose), and what your request is--that you have "Romeo" or whatever ATIS is current, and that you are "Ready to copy." (If you're arriving and are requesting clearance into controlled airspace, or are on the ground at an airport with multiple general aviation facilities, also tell the controller your location.)
Copying tips
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When you call for your clearance, be sure you are ready to copy. You can also ask the controller to put your clearance on request ("Clearance, Cessna Seven-Six-Five-Two-Juliet's IFR to Rialto. Please put our clearance on request and we'll call you back when we're ready to copy."). This allows you to delay the readback--you'll need to repeat the significant elements of the clearance to the controller, so that he or she will know you understand it--until it's convenient for you. Should you get an over-eager controller who starts reading you your clearance without confirming that you're "ready to copy," just as you're taxing into a crowded area, don't jam on the brakes. Just tell him or her that you weren't quite ready and ask the controller to repeat it.
Being ready to copy is the first key to digesting the information that they give you. That means having the airplane stopped with the brakes set. Next, be sure you have a place to write down the information where you can conveniently refer to it throughout the flight. I usually write mine on my flight plan or flight log, or on a self-stick note, so I can keep track of any changes that may occur later in the flight. If there are any special instructions pertaining to a specific part of the flight, I can note them next to the appropriate fix for future reference.
Be sure you have a pencil in hand--and that it's the hand you normally write with, rather than just the one that happens to be free at the moment. This seems like a simple enough instruction, but you'd be amazed at the number of right-handed students who hold the microphone in their right hand while trying to copy their clearance with their left! Now that's really hard work...no wonder copying clearances got such a bad name!
The second key to copying clearances is knowing that controllers think you can copy your clearance at the same rate you talk. If you ask for your clearance in "airline captain-ese" (that's about 300 words per minute), you can expect to receive it at the same speed. The moral here is to talk slowly if you're inexperienced. Trying to sound like an old pro by talking fast will only get you a high-speed, hard-to-understand and difficult-to-copy set of instructions. So, when you're new, talk slowly and they'll talk slowly to you, allowing you time to copy their words.
You can also ask the controller, in plain old English, to please speak slowly. "Clearance delivery, Cessna Two-Seven-Three-Seven-Golf is ready to copy. Please speak slowly." You're letting him know in advance that if he doesn't give you a little breathing room, he'll just have to read it all over again. You're very likely to get the courtesy of an easy-to-understand delivery that you can copy with ease.
The actual copying of the clearance is easy once you realize that most of what they read to you is "boilerplate" or standard phraseology which doesn't need to be written down. It acts like a filler--just like those ATIS words we mentioned earlier. You only need to copy the "meat," which will require relatively little writing once you've prepared a simple template.
Start by listing the following letters in a column on the left side of your notepad: C, VIA, AD, M, DC, and SQ. The C stands for your clearance limit, which is out of the controlled airspace if you're VFR, and hopefully your destination airport if you're IFR. When I hear "cleared to" I write down only the three-letter ID for the place I'm going or O/CC (for Out of Class C). If it's not where you wanted to go, then circle it so you can come back later and query ATC for more information.
The next line contains the word VIA which will be your route of flight. For VFR it's hopefully the known "how to get out of here" route commonly used at your airport, or it may be a heading; if IFR, it's hopefully the same route you filed. Become familiar with the three-letter identifiers of the VORs along your route of flight, so you can write the navaid names quickly when you hear them.
Your next entry was AD, which stands for After Departure. Most clearances contain some instructions for departing the airport, such as turn left (TL) or fly runway heading (RH), and this information needs to be noted on its own separate line. Sometimes you'll find the AD and VIA instructions come to you in reverse order--you get the after-departure instructions before your VIA routing. No problem, just skip down to the appropriate line and fill in the data.
The M stands for Maintain and refers to your altitude. When they say "Climb and maintain 2,000 feet," the only thing I write on my pad is "2,000" next to that letter M. If there's a crossing altitude or altitude I've been told to expect, I'll note that here as well.
The last two lines are easy ones: DC is the radio frequency for Departure Control and SQ for is your transponder code. Just fill in the numbers they give you when you hear them--just numbers, nothing more. So you might see something like: DC: 121.4 SQ: 2637 OK, let's try one and see how little you actually write down: "November Two-Six-Three-Six-Whiskey, cleared VFR northbound. After departure turn right to a heading of 330. Climb and maintain 2,000. Departure Control will be 118.8, squawk 0337."
Have it your wayThere are any number of shorthand methods that you can use to record your clearance information. Most pilots adopt one early in their training--for the instrument rating, if not during their primary training--and many will personalize or customize it over the years.Below are some other options you may wish to consider. Pick the one you like best; modify it if you like; and then use it consistently. Developing this habit as a student pilot will prove helpful--not just in your day-to-day flying, but also in training for any additional pilot certificates or ratings. | ||||
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| In an informal survey of about 20 pilots, CRAFT was reported as most popular, followed by CRADS. The pilot who uses CARDS said his flight instructor was a big fan of the University of Louisville's Cardinals, but you might find the variation of CRADS easier to remember. --Mike Collins |
C VFR
Via n
AD TR 330
M 2000
DC 118.8
SQ 0337
At some point, VFR departures usually are told to "turn on course" or "resume own navigation," so keep track of your position and be ready to proceed on course.
An instrument clearance could be a little longer: "ATC clears November Two-Six-Three-Six-Whiskey to the Oakland Airport Victor 334 Sunol Victor 301 Oakland. After departure maintain runway heading for vectors to Victor 334. Climb and maintain 2,000, expect 6,000 after five minutes. Departure Control will be 118.8, squawk 3651."
This clearance has more than 50 words in it, yet I wrote down only 14 (fewer if you don't count single letters). What did I write? It looks like this (remember I started with C, via, AD, M, DC, SQ):
C OAK
Via V334 Sunol V301 OAK
AD RH v V334
M 2,000 x 6,000/:05
DC 118.8
SQ 3651
Once you get proficient with copying clearances, you won't even need the template data. You'll just write something like "OAK V334 Sunol V301 RH V 2,000 x 60/:05 118.8 3651" and have no trouble reading it back or understanding what it means. Remember, you've researched and filed this route, so the information is something you're familiar with.
Understanding a clearance can sometimes be problematic. I like to copy the clearance first, try to decipher it, and then, if parts of it don't make sense, query the controller for clarification. Sometimes, however, if it's a long clearance to a far-away place, I'll just wait until I get closer to the source. Years ago, during an airline flight from New York to Denver, I got a nice controller trying to recognize and read all the VORs to me rather than just spell out the IDs. He did fine until he got to reading names in Colorado where his routing became very confusing. He inadvertently mixed up CHE (Hayden, Colorado) for CYS (Cheyenne, Wyoming). They're located in the same neck of the woods, but the airway in my clearance didn't go to Cheyenne. I figured he had erred and swapped the two IDs (since CHE looks like it should be Cheyenne's moniker), and rather than get into a long-winded discussion of "Didn't you really mean CHE rather than CYS?" I just waited until I was over Nebraska and then asked for a clarification from a much more savvy Denver Center controller.
If you're going to get an IFR clearance that's substantially different from what you've filed, ATC will often warn you that a full readback will be required. That's a good signal to listen carefully as your original plan has been changed. And then again, sometimes you'll get a set of mumbo-jumbo instructions, as I did recently on a trip from Monterey to Santa Barbara, California. I filed a simple route via Victor airways and two VORs for the one-hour flight, but to my surprise, when I said "Ready to copy," I got an earful of lat/long coordinates that went on for two or three minutes. I'd filed my aircraft type as a "slant A," meaning I had just plain-vanilla VORs on board for my nav equipment and expected a clearance to match. So, I waited patiently for the controller to finish, read back the parts I knew applied to me and said politely, "Seven-Five-Kilo-Golf's slant Alpha and we filed direct Big Sur, V27 to Gaviota, direct Santa Barbara." Several minutes later I received a new clearance that was very close to my original request.
If any part of your clearance seems mysterious or strange, ask for a clarification, be it a wrong route or an incomprehensible VOR or intersection. Plan ahead so you'll have the information you need when you need it. If you need it now, by all means ask now. After departure is not the time to wonder if that was a left or right turn to join the airway. If it can wait, perhaps you'll find someone who's more familiar with what you need when you get to that area.
Your copying skills will quickly improve with practice. Whether you're sitting at home in your armchair, or at the airport coffee shop or FBO, try listening to ground or clearance delivery on a handheld receiver and copy some clearances as they're issued to other pilots. The more you write, the easier it will become. Soon you'll be reading it back like a seasoned pro. It's a no-cost way to learn a lot about writing--and readbacks.
Karen Kahn is a captain for a major U.S. airline and author of Flight Guide for Success--Tips and Tactics for the Aspiring Airline Pilot. Type-rated in the Boeing 757/767, MD-80, and Lockheed JetStar, she is an FAA aviation safety counselor who holds ATP and Gold Seal flight instructor certificates. Kahn is rated in gliders, seaplanes, and helicopters. Visit her Web site.
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Links to additional resources about the topics discussed in this article are available at AOPA Flight Training Online.
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