The phonetic alphabet

Phonetic alphabet

Use it for your identification on initial contact, for single letters (taxiways, runway left/right), and to spell anything hard to hear. [AIM 4-2-7]

Numbers

Each digit

Most numbers are spoken digit by digit: 10 is “one zero”. Say “niner” for 9, “tree” for 3, “fife” for 5. [AIM 4-2-8 d, 4-2-7]

Hundreds & thousands

Round hundreds and thousands up to 9,900 are spoken as such: 500 “five hundred”; 4,500 “four thousand five hundred”. Above 9,900, separate the thousands digits: 10,000 “one zero thousand”. [AIM 4-2-8 a, b]

Altitudes

Below 18,000 feet: the separate digits of the thousands plus the hundreds — 12,500 is “one two thousand five hundred”. At and above 18,000: “flight level one niner zero”. [AIM 4-2-9]

Frequencies

Each digit, with the decimal spoken “point”: 122.1 is “one two two point one”. (ICAO says “decimal”; the FAA honours it from aircraft required to use ICAO procedures.) [AIM 4-2-8 e]

Headings & winds

Three digits, magnetic: heading 100 is “heading one zero zero”; wind 220 is “wind two two zero”. [AIM 4-2-10]

Speeds

Digits then “knots”: “two five zero knots”. [AIM 4-2-11]

Altimeter

“Altimeter” then the four digits: 29.92 is “altimeter two niner niner two”. Never QNH, never hectopascals.

Time

UTC, four digits: 0920 is “zero niner two zero”; “Zulu” may be said. Minutes only where no confusion is likely. [AIM 4-2-12]