Gate 41Talking to air traffic control
Who are the pilots talking to?
Pilots speak to different controllers at different stages: clearance delivery (route), ground (taxi), tower (runway), departure and approach (nearby airspace), and en-route centres (the long middle). Each hands the aircraft to the next on a new frequency.
Phraseology is standardised and pilots read back instructions so errors are caught. It sounds stiff because it is meant to be unambiguous.
A little deeper
On long routes some communication is by data link text messages (CPDLC). 121.5 MHz is the international emergency frequency.
Controllers keep aircraft separated by minimum distances, such as 1,000 feet vertically or several nautical miles horizontally, depending on airspace and radar coverage.
See it in Gate 41, in the cockpit
Related questions
- Why does taxiing take so long?
- Why does a tug push the aircraft backward?
- Why do pilots read checklists out loud?
People involved
- Ruth KowalskiAir traffic controller
- Captain Imani OkaforCaptain (pilot in command)