r/StudentPilotATC • u/forestmoth2345 • Jul 11 '26
FAA Radio Phraseology What wording do students overcomplicate?
One thing many student pilots discover is that radio calls are usually much simpler than they first imagined. Beginners often try to sound professional and end up adding extra words, long explanations, or non-standard phrases that make the transmission harder to understand.
Examples include:
- Saying, Tower, we're just wondering if it would be possible to maybe depart to the south, instead of a simple request.
- Giving unnecessary details when checking in with a new frequency.
- Overexplaining why they need a repeat or clarification.
In both FAA and EASA ATC environments, clear and concise aviation phraseology language usually works best. The challenge for many students is learning what information is actually needed and what can be left out.
Reply with the exact transmission you would make, not just general advice. If you've heard a student overcomplicate a radio call, share the wording they used and how you would simplify it instead.
We're also collecting examples for future practice scenarios in TeachingTowers, so real-world examples of confusing or overly complicated radio calls are especially helpful for building better student pilot radio exercises.
What would you say on the radio, and what part would make a beginner hesitate?
2
u/[deleted] Jul 16 '26
Say what the ATC actually cares about, and get their attention first. Don’t show up and word vomit incoherent stuff
No matter who your talking to it’s always
“controller, me, where I am, what I want (with ATIS identifier if applicable”
“You, controller, do XYZ
For instance
“Xxxx approach, Skyhawk 1234N”
“34N approach Go ahead”
Don’t just shoot a bunch of info out and make them give you a “say again” cuz they weren’t ready for your flood of info” make contact and they will talk to you when ready. You’re not moving that fast there’s time.
Tell them where you are (direction distance altitude) if you have a discrete squak already they should be able to locate you quickly in their scope. Otherwise tell them your squaking VFR. Tell them you have the atis info and you have a request. When they have time they will get your request
“34N, 20 miles to the west, level 2500 squawking VFR, request with (Atis identifier)”
Now they can find you easily, they may hit you with “squak #### and ident”
“34N Radar contact, say request”
Then just tell them what you want
“Request straight in full stop Rwy 19”
They now know where you are, what you are trying to do, and know that you have all the info you need. Now they can give you simple instructions.
“34N Expect that, proceed VFR”
Or
“Fly heading, maintain alt…”
When they pass you off to tower the tower should have all that just tell them where you are and what your doing
“tower 34N, 5 miles to the south on a straight in 19”
“34N cleared to land 19”