Contents
- 01Radio basicsHow a call is built, and the four kinds of transmission
- 02What needs a readbackRequired, optional and information-only messages
- 03Taxi readbacksExactly what you can leave out
- 04Traffic advisoriesOptional replies, and when traffic becomes an instruction
- 05IFR flightClearance to parking, phase by phase
- 06VFR flightDeparture, flight following, airspace and the pattern
- 07Untowered airportsSelf-announcing on CTAF
- 08Other callsSay again, corrections, Special VFR and emergencies
- 09If ATC is silentEight checks before you repeat yourself
- 10Quick referenceThe whole guide on one card
One controller, one frequency, one purpose per call.
Talk to the controller SkyMate has assigned you, on the active COM1 frequency. Listening to another frequency on COM2 does not move you to that controller.
Use the runway, procedure, altitude, squawk and frequency you were actually given for this flight, and take your airport information from SkyMate’s own ATIS. Every value in this guide is an example. Replace it with yours.
How a first call is built
In the air, “where you are” becomes your position or the altitude you are passing.
After a clearance or instruction, read it back first. Make your next request in a separate transmission.
Say heading, runway, squawk, knots or flight level so each number is unmistakable, and end with your callsign.
Runway sides matter: two seven left is not two seven right. Spell taxiways phonetically, so A9C is Alpha Nine Charlie.
Decimal or point
Controller wording follows the airport’s region. British examples in this guide say one two four decimal seven. If your controller says “point”, read the frequency back the way it was given, with all its digits.
Readback, report, request: three different things
SkyMate treats these as separate actions. Most confusion on frequency comes from mixing them up.
You repeat an instruction ATC has just given you.
“Climb to altitude five thousand feet, SkyMate four four seven.”
You state something that is happening, or has actually happened.
“Passing three thousand feet, climbing to altitude five thousand feet, SkyMate four four seven.”
You ask for a new clearance, service or change.
“Request climb to altitude seven thousand feet, SkyMate four four seven.”
You acknowledge a report ATC wants later. You still have to make that report when the time comes.
“Will report left downwind, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta.”
Silence usually means you got it right
After a correct readback, SkyMate normally says nothing more. You will not hear “readback correct” each time. The exception is the IFR departure clearance, where a correct readback is confirmed and followed by the handoff to Ground. Corrections and new instructions are always spoken.
Read back instructions. Information is yours to keep.
Every ATC message on a controlled frequency falls into one of three groups.
Anything that tells you where to go, what to fly or who to call next.
Answer if you like. Staying quiet does not hold anything up.
Radar identification, wind, weather and ATIS details.
| ATC gives you | What to do | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Read backSkyMate waits for these. | ||
| IFR departure clearance | Read back the destination, the SID or route, initial altitude, departure frequency and squawk, plus any restriction. | “Cleared to [destination] via the [SID] departure, climb to altitude six thousand feet, departure one two four decimal seven, squawk four six three one, [callsign].” |
| Push and start approval | Acknowledge it. Include a direction or restriction if one was given. | “Push and start approved, [callsign].” |
| Taxi clearance | Read back every taxiway ATC spoke, in order. The rest of the sentence is optional. See section 03. | “Taxi via Alpha, Bravo, Bravo Two, [callsign].” |
| Hold position | Acknowledge, and stop or stay stopped. | “Holding position, [callsign].” |
| Hold short at a runway crossing | When this arrives as its own instruction during taxi, read back the crossing runway. | “Hold short runway one eight, [callsign].” |
| Cross the runway, or resume taxi | Acknowledge the new instruction before you move. | “Cross runway one eight, continue taxi, [callsign].” |
| Line up and wait | Read it back, then wait for a separate take-off clearance. | “Line up and wait runway two seven, [callsign].” |
| Take-off clearance | Read back the clearance. | “Runway two seven, cleared for take-off, [callsign].” |
| Altitude, heading or speed | Read back each value you were assigned. | “Left heading two five zero, descend to altitude three thousand feet, [callsign].” |
| Direct-to, route or procedure | Acknowledge the fix, route or procedure. | “Direct [fix], [callsign].” |
| Expected approach or runway | Acknowledge it. This is not an approach or landing clearance. | “Expect ILS runway two seven, [callsign].” |
| Approach clearance | Read back the clearance and any restriction. One shortcut applies, see vectors and approach. | “Cleared ILS approach runway two seven, [callsign].” |
| Continue approach (IFR, from Tower) | Acknowledge it, with any speed instruction attached. | “Continue approach, minimum approach speed, [callsign].” |
| Landing or touch-and-go clearance | Read back the operation you were actually cleared for. | “Runway two seven, cleared to land, [callsign].” |
| Frequency change | Read back the new frequency, then tune it and check in with the next controller. | “Departure one two four decimal seven, [callsign].” |
| VFR service, or a Class B or C entry decision | Read back the squawk and the entry terms or restriction you were given. | “Squawk four six three one, remain outside Charlie, [callsign].” |
| Frequency change approved, service ended | Acknowledge the release and carry out any squawk instruction. | “Frequency change approved, flight following cancelled, [callsign].” |
| Reply optionalNothing waits on your answer. | ||
| Traffic advisory in the air | Reply if you want to, and only say what is true. See section 04. | “Traffic in sight”, “Negative contact” or “Looking for traffic”, with your callsign. |
| Sequence information on an IFR arrival | A short acknowledgment is enough. Any clearance in the same message still needs its readback. | “Number two, [callsign].” |
| No readbackListen, use it, carry on. | ||
| “Radar contact” or “identified”, with nothing else | No readback. A brief acknowledgment is fine but not needed. | Stay quiet, or just your callsign. |
| Wind, weather or ATIS information on its own | No readback. Use the information. | Give the ATIS letter on your next first call to a controller. |
Optional reply, mandatory compliance
A traffic explanation often arrives with a real instruction: hold, a speed, an altitude, a pattern position or a runway. Acknowledge and follow the instruction even if you do not repeat the traffic description.
Shortcuts SkyMate accepts
Where there is no number to check, a short acknowledgment is enough. These are the short forms the app accepts.
| Instruction | Short form accepted |
|---|---|
| Taxi clearance | “Taxi via Alpha, Bravo, Bravo Two, [callsign].” Taxiways only, all of them, in order. |
| Pushback, hold, resume | “Pushback approved”, “Holding position”, “Resume taxi”, each with your callsign. |
| Runway crossing release | “Resume taxi, [callsign].” The runway number can be left out. |
| Take-off and landing | “Cleared for take-off, [callsign]” and “Cleared to land, [callsign].” Including the runway is clearer. |
| Final intercept and approach clearance | “Heading two five two, [callsign].” The assigned heading alone. |
If you say a value, it must be right
Leaving something out is allowed in the cases above. Saying it wrong is not. A wrong runway, heading, altitude, speed, frequency or squawk is always corrected.
“Roger” is not a readback
A bare “roger” does not stand in for a numeric clearance or a taxi route. Read back the values.
Every taxiway, in order. The rest is optional.
The same rules apply to IFR and VFR, on the way out and on the way to parking.
- Full readback“Runway two seven, taxi via Alpha, Bravo, Bravo Two, hold short runway two seven, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta.”
- Short readback“Taxi via Alpha, Bravo, Bravo Two, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta.”Accepted. The complete taxiway sequence is all SkyMate needs.
- Not accepted“Taxi runway two seven, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta.”No route.
- Not accepted“Taxi via Alpha, Bravo, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta.”Bravo Two is missing.
- Not accepted“Taxi via Bravo, Alpha, Bravo Two, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta.”Wrong order.
Read back the taxiways ATC actually said. You do not need to add a taxiway that only appears on the airport map.
What you can leave out
- The runway and the holding point wording.
- The “hold short” clause at the end of the clearance.
- Any “cross runway” or “backtrack” clause inside the route.
Taxiways on both sides of a crossing are still part of the route. If you do include a runway or holding point, it has to be the right one.
Leaving the words out changes nothing on the ground
The crossing and hold-short instructions still govern your movement. A shortened readback never gives you permission to enter a runway, backtrack, line up or take off.
A later hold or crossing is its own exchange
If Ground stops you at a runway during the taxi, that is a new instruction with its own readback. Read back the runway you are holding short of, even when your departure runway is a different one.
A stop for traffic on a taxiway is simpler. Acknowledge with “Holding position, [callsign]”, and acknowledge the release with “Resume taxi, [callsign]”. There is no runway number to read back.
In the real world
SkyMate is more forgiving here than a real controller. Real-world procedure expects runway hold-short and crossing instructions to be read back in full. See the UK CAA’s CAP 413 Radiotelephony Manual and, for US airports, the FAA AIM, section 4-3-18.
You can answer a traffic call, or let it go.
For an ordinary traffic advisory in the air, IFR or VFR, a reply is optional. You never need to repeat the bearing, distance, altitude or aircraft type.
An unanswered advisory does not create a pending readback and does not hold up your next clearance or handoff. If you do reply, say what is true.
| Your situation | Say |
|---|---|
| You can see the aircraft | “Traffic in sight, SkyMate four four seven.” |
| You cannot see it | “Negative contact, SkyMate four four seven.” |
| You are looking, and not claiming to see it | “Looking for traffic, SkyMate four four seven.” |
| You would rather not reply | Nothing. Carry on. |
“Roger” or “looking” is not a sighting report. After “traffic in sight” the controller may say nothing more. After “negative contact” you may get updated traffic information.
Traffic information, or an instruction because of traffic?
The first is optional. The second is an instruction like any other, whatever reason comes with it.
| ATC says | What it is, and what you do |
|---|---|
| “Traffic, twelve o’clock, three miles.” | Information A reply is optional. |
| “Number two.” | Information On an IFR arrival a short acknowledgment is optional. |
| “Hold position, opposing traffic.” | Instruction Acknowledge and hold. |
| “Maintain one seven zero knots.” | Instruction Read back the speed. |
| “Number two, follow the Cessna, report base.” | Instruction Acknowledge the pattern instructions, then make the base report when you get there. |
| “Continue approach, minimum approach speed.” | Instruction Acknowledge both parts. It is not a landing clearance. |
If a “number two” message also gives you a hold, an altitude, a route or a speed, read those back.
From clearance to parking, phase by phase.
What to request and report on an IFR flight, in the order you will need it.
Clearance
DeliveryListen to SkyMate’s ATIS if the airport has one, then ask for your clearance and read it back as issued. A good order is destination, SID or route, initial altitude, departure frequency, squawk. There is no need to start with “okay”.
Ground
Push, start and taxiAsk for push and start if you need it, and for taxi when you are ready. Read back the taxiway sequence as described in section 03.
Tower
DepartureAcknowledge the handoff to Tower, change frequency, and report when you are at the holding point and ready.
Only “cleared for take-off” lets you go
Being ready, reaching the holding point, a taxi clearance and “line up and wait” are not take-off clearances. Read back any hold or line-up instruction and wait.
Departure and en route
Departure · CentreEvery handoff has two steps. First read the new frequency back to the controller you are leaving. Then, on the new COM1 frequency, check in with the altitude you are passing and the level you are cleared to.
When you level off:
“Centre, SkyMate four four seven, maintaining flight level two four zero.”
Requests you can make
| You want | Say |
|---|---|
| A higher or lower level | “SkyMate four four seven, request climb flight level two eight zero.” |
| To start down | “SkyMate four four seven, ready for descent.” |
| A different speed | “SkyMate four four seven, request speed two five zero knots.” |
| A shortcut | “SkyMate four four seven, request direct [fix].” |
| The approach | “Approach, SkyMate four four seven, request approach.” |
- A request is not permission. Wait for the controller’s answer before you change altitude, speed or route. What you get depends on the phase of flight, your route and the data SkyMate has for the area.
- You can report your altitude or progress when it is useful or when asked. You do not need to keep reporting to move the flight along.
- If an altitude, heading or speed readback is still outstanding, give that first. Otherwise your next call may be taken for something else.
Arrival
Centre · ApproachSTAR arrivals and holding
Read back the arrival or procedure, each altitude change and any hold, with the holding details ATC actually gives you.
“Maintain flight level eight zero, hold at [fix], SkyMate four four seven.”
- Stay in the hold until you get an explicit onward instruction. A sequence number on its own is not a release.
- Read back the descent, direct-to, approach or handoff that follows in the normal way.
- Do not report that you are established in the hold just because you have acknowledged it. Position reports describe where you actually are.
Vectors and approach
When a vector comes with a new altitude, read back both. If you leave one out, SkyMate asks for the missing value.
The final intercept and approach clearance is the one compound instruction with a shortcut. SkyMate accepts the assigned heading on its own.
- Full readback“Heading two five two, cleared to intercept, cleared ILS approach runway two seven, SkyMate four four seven.”The clearest form.
- Short readback“Heading two five two, SkyMate four four seven.”Accepted for this clearance only.
- Other compound vectors still need every value.
- A wrong heading or runway is corrected, short form or not.
- Acknowledging the clearance does not mean you are established on final.
Landing and parking
Tower · GroundEstablished, final and Tower
Report established only when you are.
| Where you are | Say |
|---|---|
| Established on the approach | “SkyMate four four seven, established ILS runway two seven.” |
| Handed to Tower before you are established | “Tower, SkyMate four four seven, [distance] miles, intercepting the ILS runway two seven.” |
| On final | “Tower, SkyMate four four seven, [distance] mile final runway two seven.” |
Three different messages. Only one lets you land.
An approach clearance authorises the approach. “Continue approach” keeps you coming. “Cleared to land” is a separate instruction from Tower, and it is the only one that authorises the landing. Read each one back when you receive it.
Going around
If you decide to go around, say so clearly: “SkyMate four four seven, going around.” Follow the instructions that come back and read back each new heading, altitude or handoff. If ATC tells you to go around, acknowledge and do it.
After landing
| When | Say |
|---|---|
| The whole aircraft is clear of the runway | “SkyMate four four seven, runway two seven vacated.” |
| On Ground, after the handoff | “Ground, SkyMate four four seven, runway two seven vacated at [exit], request taxi to parking.” |
| Parked on your stand | “SkyMate four four seven, parked at stand [stand], shutting down.” |
Read back the taxi route to parking exactly as you would on the way out.
No route clearance. You ask for what you need.
A VFR flight starts with Ground, and everything after that is a service you request or a position you report.
Departing a controlled airport
| You are | Say |
|---|---|
| Leaving the area | “Ground, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, at [parking], request taxi for VFR departure, information Alpha.” |
| Staying in the circuit | “Ground, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, request taxi for closed traffic, information Alpha.” “Closed traffic” is SkyMate’s term for circuits. |
| At the holding point | “Tower, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, holding short runway two seven, ready for departure.” Say so again here if you want closed traffic. |
| Handed to Departure after take-off | “Departure, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, passing [altitude], VFR.” |
- Read back the taxi route and any squawk Ground gives you. At some Class B and C airports Ground assigns a squawk and Tower hands you to Departure once you are airborne.
- Read back the take-off clearance and any pattern instruction.
- Choosing a VFR altitude is your job. Comply with any specific restriction ATC gives you.
Flight following
Flight following is optional. You can fly VFR without it. To ask for it, call the Approach, Departure or Centre frequency for your area.
Say the code and set the code
SkyMate checks two things before “radar contact”: your readback, and the code actually set in the simulator with the transponder in ON or ALT. Reading the squawk back without setting it is not enough.
Giving your destination
When the controller asks where you are going, give the four-letter airport code phonetically, ideally as a reply on its own.
“Negative” on its own rejects the destination without supplying a new one. A place you might go later is not a confirmed destination.
Entering or crossing controlled airspace
Flight following and permission to enter a particular airspace are separate things. Ask for the one you want.
| You want | Say |
|---|---|
| To cross Class B | “Approach, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, [position], [altitude], request Bravo transition.” |
| To land inside Class B | “Approach, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, request Bravo entry for landing at [airport].” |
| To cross or land inside Class C | “Approach, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, request Charlie entry for landing at [airport].” |
| To cross Class D | “Tower, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, [position], [altitude], request Delta transition.” |
Class B needs an explicit clearance. Class C and D work on two-way contact and transition wording. Read back the terms you are actually given:
- Told to wait“Squawk four six three one, remain outside Charlie, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta.”
- Transition“Charlie transition approved, maintain VFR, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta.”
- Bravo cleared“Cleared into Bravo, maintain VFR, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta.”
- “Remain outside” stands until the controller changes it. A squawk, a service or sharing the controller’s frequency does not cancel it, and repeating your request does not create a clearance.
- If you read back only part of a service or entry message, SkyMate keeps what you got right and asks for the rest. Acknowledge the restriction but skip the squawk, and you will be asked for the code.
- These services depend on the airspace and controller data SkyMate has for the area.
Cancelling flight following
If you are told to squawk VFR, set the code you were given. Do not assume one VFR code applies everywhere. Use the same acknowledgment when SkyMate ends the service automatically after you leave the controlled airspace.
Arriving at a towered airport
With flight following, follow the handoff to the destination Tower. Without it, tune Tower yourself and make a first call with your real position and altitude. Say so if you want touch-and-goes.
“Tower, Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, ten miles north-west, [altitude], inbound for full stop, information Alpha.”
Follow the runway and pattern side you are given. When Tower asks for a report, there are two transmissions: the promise now, and the report when you get there.
| Where you actually are | Report |
|---|---|
| Downwind, landing | “Tower, [callsign], left downwind runway two seven, full stop.” |
| Downwind, wanting a touch-and-go | “Tower, [callsign], left downwind runway two seven, request touch and go.” |
| Base | “Tower, [callsign], left base runway two seven.” |
| Final | “Tower, [callsign], final runway two seven, full stop.” |
| Going around | “[callsign], going around.” |
The reports drive the landing
SkyMate’s VFR landing workflow depends on your actual base and final reports. “Will report base” does not count as the base report and does not make you eligible for a landing clearance.
- Read back sequencing and pattern instructions, and the clearance for the operation you were given: full stop, touch-and-go, or the option.
- A downwind report, a sequence number or “continue” is not a landing clearance.
- After a touch-and-go, fly the assigned circuit and report again. Say “full stop” when you change your mind.
Vacated and parked
Once clear of the runway: “Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, runway two seven vacated.” Follow any handoff to Ground, request taxi to parking and read back the route. At parking: “Golf Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, parked, shutting down.”
The shutdown call describes what you are doing. SkyMate also looks at the actual state of the aircraft in the simulator before it completes the flight.
On CTAF, nobody answers. That is correct.
At an untowered airport SkyMate is not a controller. You announce what you are doing to other traffic, and no one clears you or asks for a readback.
This applies to IFR flights too. AI traffic may still make its own announcements on the frequency.
| When you are | Announce |
|---|---|
| Taxiing | “[Airport] traffic, [callsign], taxiing to runway two seven.” |
| Holding short | “[Airport] traffic, [callsign], holding short runway two seven.” |
| Entering the runway | “[Airport] traffic, [callsign], entering runway two seven.” |
| Departing | “[Airport] traffic, [callsign], departing runway two seven, west departure.” |
| Inbound | “[Airport] traffic, [callsign], ten miles east, inbound for full stop.” |
| Downwind | “[Airport] traffic, [callsign], left downwind runway two seven, full stop.” |
| Base or final | “[Airport] traffic, [callsign], left base runway two seven.” |
| Clear of the runway | “[Airport] traffic, [callsign], clear of runway two seven, taxiing to parking.” |
- Announce each action when it happens. “Ready for departure” only says you are ready. It is not the same as “entering runway” or “departing”.
- Do not wait for a clearance. None is coming.
- Silence does not mean the runway is clear. Look, and listen for other traffic.
How SkyMate decides
SkyMate uses its airport and frequency data to recognise an untowered field. It does not know real-world tower opening hours. The silence on CTAF is deliberate, though the app may not recognise every way of phrasing a position call.
Say again, corrections and emergencies.
| You need | Say |
|---|---|
| The last message repeated | “[Controller], [callsign], say again.” |
| A radio check | “[Controller], [callsign], radio check.” |
| The wind | “Tower, [callsign], wind check.” No readback of the answer. |
| The weather | “[Controller], [callsign], request weather.” You get the weather the simulator is using. |
| To fix your own readback | “Correction, heading two five zero, [callsign].” Use the assigned value once ATC has corrected you. |
| Special VFR | “Tower, [callsign], request Special VFR departure.” A request, not an automatic approval. |
| To declare an emergency | “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, [callsign], [problem], [position], [altitude], [intentions].” |
| To declare urgency | “Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan, [callsign], [problem], [intentions].” |
| To end an emergency | “[callsign], cancel emergency, situation resolved.” |
An emergency needs two things in SkyMate
To start an emergency, SkyMate needs a spoken Mayday or Pan-Pan declaration and the transponder actually set to 7500, 7600 or 7700 in the simulator. Saying the code without setting it does not count, and setting it without the declaration does not count either. For a general emergency, use 7700.
This is how the app activates its emergency handling. It is not real-world emergency guidance.
Special VFR is limited
SkyMate checks that you are in known controlled surface airspace and refuses when the known visibility is below one statute mile. It does not assess every cloud-clearance or day and night condition, so treat it as a simulator feature.
Eight things to check before you call again.
- The channelIs the assigned controller on COM1 active? Standby and COM2 do not count.
- Whether silence is expectedCorrect readbacks, “traffic in sight”, radar-contact acknowledgments and CTAF calls often get no reply.
- The pending exchangeRead back the outstanding clearance, or check in with the new controller, before asking for something else.
- Your valuesRepeat them clearly with their labels: heading, squawk, runway. Include the runway side and full taxiway names.
- The whole taxi routeA missing or reordered taxiway keeps the readback pending even when the runway is right.
- Speech and instrumentsFor VFR services, read back the code and entry terms, set the code, and put the transponder in ON or ALT.
- Where you are nowIn the pattern, “left base” and “will report left base” mean different things. Report your present position.
- Say againIf you missed a transmission, ask. Do not guess a clearance or borrow values from this guide.
Examples, not passwords
The phrases in this guide show wording SkyMate supports. Recognition still depends on your microphone, the transcription and the installed models. If a clear phrase is misheard, say it again as a shorter transmission with one purpose.
The whole guide on one card.
- Read back
- Clearances, taxiway routes, assigned numbers, handoff frequencies and restrictions.
- Taxi
- Every taxiway spoken, in order. The rest of the sentence is optional.
- Traffic advisory
- Reply optional, IFR and VFR. Never claim “in sight” unless it is.
- Hold short at a crossing
- Read back the crossing runway, not your departure runway.
- Silence after a readback
- Normal. It usually means the readback was correct.
- “Will report”
- A promise now. Make the real report when you get there.
- “Radar contact”
- No readback, unless another instruction comes with it.
- Approach clearance, continue approach
- Neither is a landing clearance. Wait for “cleared to land”.
- Handoff
- Read back the frequency, tune it, then check in.
- CTAF
- Announce actions and positions. Expect no reply.
- Say a value, get it right
- Omissions are sometimes allowed. Wrong values are always corrected.
- Emergency
- Mayday or Pan-Pan spoken, and 7700 set on the transponder.