Clean up your coms

The words we say and how we say them change with social contexts. But the goal of communication, especially in a technical environment like aviation, is exchanging information. While there’s usually room for some self-expression, when talking to ATC and other pilots, sticking to the recommended phrase book and using proper diction is best. If you’re on a path to the airlines or business aviation, where standard callouts are required, the law of primacy applies—adopting good habits early is easier than correcting bad communications grammar later. Creative radio work also doesn’t impress controllers when you check in. Using concise, clear, standard phraseology, like a firm handshake, tells each controller that you’re ready to join the flow, especially in busy airspace.

Of course, no set of standards covers every situation. When necessary, speaking plain English is the best way to resolve questions or clarify intentions. But, based on the guidance in Aeronautical Information Manual Chapter 4, Section 2 Radio Communications Phraseology and Techniques; Advisory Circular 90-66 Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations; and related sources, here are suggestions for cleaning up your communications with ATC, especially under IFR.

Include your aircraft type to distinguish your aircraft from others that may have similar callsigns. Although your aircraft type identifier is part of an IFR flight plan and will appear on a controller’s flight progress strip and your data block on the ATC display, if you’re asking for a popup clearance or need to fill in a blank for a controller down the road, providing the official ICAO type ID for your aircraft (for example, C172 or BE36; but C82S for a turbocharged Skylane) can avoid a round of “20 questions.”

When transmitting your call sign, don’t swap letters for numbers. “Two-Oh-Four Seven Romeo” isn’t the same as “Two Zero Four Seven Romeo.” Controllers are scrupulous about such distinctions; we should be too, especially on busy frequencies where similar call signs may be in use.

When you contact a new ATC facility or sector, include your altitude, and remember that altitudes don’t have decimals. AIM 4-2-9 Altitudes and Flight Levels explains that below 18,000 feet you should “state the separate digits of the thousands plus the hundreds if appropriate.” If you’re level at 12,000, say, “One-two thousand.” When climbing or descending, include the nearest 100 feet; for example, “Two thousand three hundred, climbing four thousand,” not “Two point three for four.” The same pattern applies in the flight levels. For example, at FL190, say, “Flight level one niner zero”; at 27,300 feet msl climbing to FL310, say, “Flight level two seven three, climbing flight level three one zero.”

It’s especially important to state your altitude on initial contact with ATC after takeoff or following a handoff between controllers. As the AIM notes, “Exact altitude or flight level reports on initial contact provide ATC with information that is required prior to using automatically reported altitude information for separation purposes. This will significantly reduce altitude verification requests.”

You’ll earn style points with ATC when climbing via a standard instrument departure if, instead of stating just the top altitude, you follow the script in AIM 5-2-9. For example, when flying the CBAIN ONE departure at Boeing Field (BFI), say, “Seattle Departure, Cessna One-Two-Three-Four-Alfa, one thousand two hundred climbing via the CBAIN ONE.” That “climbing via” tells the controller that you understand and will meet the intermediate altitude restrictions until reaching the charted top altitude. Similar guidelines apply when descending via a STAR.

Perhaps I’m susceptible to frequency bias (pun intended)—the phenomenon that after noticing something, you think it’s appearing more often—but I increasingly hear pilots of all experience levels adding “for” to readbacks, as when ATC says, “Cessna Three-Four-Alfa, turn left heading two seven zero” and the pilot responds, “Two seven zero for Three-Four-Alfa.” That preposition, natural in normal conversation, adds what could be confused with a number to a callsign or altitude. Instead, reply with only the essentials, such as heading, altitude, or speed: “Left heading two seven zero, Cessna Three-Four-Alfa.”

When you request a specific approach, stating your request with both an initial fix or vectors and the planned outcome—such as the published missed and hold or a low approach and clearance to next airport—helps the controller plan and reduces back-and-forth on the radio.

When you cancel IFR inbound to a nontowered airport, ATC typically responds with “IFR cancellation received, squawk VFR, change to advisory frequency approved.” Repeating that entire mantra isn’t necessary. The controller will see your transponder code change when you press the “VFR” button in the panel. Just acknowledge the frequency change: “Switching to advisory, Cessna Three-Four-Alfa.” But as noted in “Cancel With Care” (June 2025 AOPA Pilot), don’t cancel IFR until you’re sure you can comply with all the rules.

When flying approaches at nontowered airports, providing too much information on the common traffic advisory frequency can also cause confusion. (See “Say What?” January 2026 AOPA Pilot.) Transmitting an approach title or the names of fixes doesn’t help VFR pilots in the pattern. Instead, state your position relative to the airport—for example, “Six mile final, Runway 27, low approach.” If you’re on a checkride and need to continue to minimums or circle, use plain English to ask other aircraft to accommodate you. You don’t have priority over VFR traffic in the pattern, but others will usually understand and try to help.

Bruce Williams is a CFII who specializes in IFR training and instruction in aircraft with advanced avionics. He owns a Beechcraft Bonanza A36.

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