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Checkride radio communications

Sound ready for the checkride before the examiner hears you

There is no separate radio test in the US: your radio work is assessed as part of the private pilot checkride, by the examiner in the right seat and by every controller you talk to. TowerTalk's radio check is a full VFR flight with every call graded against the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, so you know what a designated pilot examiner would have noticed while there is still time to fix it.

Take the radio checkFree radio check

A whole flight, graded

ATIS, Ground, Tower, departure, flight following, the arrival and the pattern, from the ramp to the tie-down. Every transmission scored, with the AIM paragraph.

The report an examiner would write

What was correct, what was missing, what was non-standard, and which exercise fixes it. Not a pass mark from a script.

Fix the weak areas

The report links to the exercise for each weak area: readbacks, flight following, the pattern, non-standard situations, whichever it was.

Retake as often as you like

Different airports, different weather, the same standard. One free attempt with a free account; unlimited on a plan.

How it works

  1. 1

    Choose the flight

    Departure and destination from real US airports.

  2. 2

    Fly it on the radio

    Every call on push-to-talk, the controller answering.

  3. 3

    Read the report

    Each call graded with its AIM paragraph.

  4. 4

    Drill the gaps

    Straight to the exercise that fixes each one.

Frequently asked

Is this the actual FAA checkride?

No. It is a practice tool modeled on the radio work an examiner listens for during a private pilot checkride. Only a designated pilot examiner can conduct a checkride, and TowerTalk is not FAA approved.

What does the grader listen for?

The right facility, a complete identification, the required readbacks with the runway, standard words from the Pilot/Controller Glossary, brevity, and how you handle traffic calls, frequency changes and the unexpected.

How long does it take?

About the length of a short VFR flight: twenty to thirty minutes, depending on how much the controller has to say to you.

Is it free?

One radio check is free with a free account. Plans include unlimited attempts, all sixty graded exercises and the scenarios.

Find out what the examiner would notice

Free to start. One full flight, every call graded, and a list of what to fix.

Take the radio check

Related: Private pilot radio calls · Radio exercises · Your first radio call as a student pilot · Rusty pilot radio refresher