Exercise A · for US student pilots
Initial contact
The first call to a facility: who you are calling, who you are, where you are, what you want.
Worked here at Palo Alto (KPAO). In the app the same prompts use your own home airport and call sign.
Prompt 1 of 5
You are on the ramp at Palo Alto with ATIS Information Alpha. Call Palo Alto Ground for a radio check and taxi for a VFR departure.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-2-3: facility, full aircraft identification (type plus registration, no 'N'), your position on the airport, the ATIS letter, then the request. 'Request radio check' is fine to add. Do not say 'with you'.Prompt 2 of 5
Airborne and clear of the Class D, call NorCal Approach on 121.3 and request VFR flight following to Hayward Executive.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-1-18: call sign, aircraft type, position, altitude, destination and 'request VFR flight following'. Keep the first call short if the frequency is busy: facility, identification and 'request flight following' — then details when asked.Prompt 3 of 5
You are at the transient ramp at Palo Alto without the ATIS. Call Palo Alto Ground to taxi to the runway.
What the AIM says: State your position on the airport (AIM 4-3-18 a 1). Without the ATIS, say so or ask for the numbers — Ground will give the runway, wind and altimeter. Full call sign, no abbreviation on first contact.Prompt 4 of 5
You are receiving flight following from NorCal Approach and are about to leave the area. Tell them you no longer need the service.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-2-3 c and 4-1-15 b 2: advise the facility before changing frequency, e.g. 'request to terminate flight following' or 'cancel flight following'. Expect 'radar service terminated, squawk VFR, frequency change approved' — then squawk 1200.Prompt 5 of 5
Visibility has dropped to two miles at Palo Alto, below basic VFR. You want to land there. Call Palo Alto Tower and request a Special VFR clearance.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-4-6: state your position and intentions in enough detail to fit into the traffic; the clearance will not carry an altitude. 'Request Special VFR clearance into the Class D for landing'.
What this exercise is graded against
| Call or readback | Graded against |
|---|---|
| Initial call to Ground for taxi: facility, full identification, position on the airport, ATIS letter, request | AIM 4-2-3 a 1; 4-3-18 a 1, d 1 |
| Requesting VFR flight following | AIM 4-1-18 a 3 |
| Terminating flight following before a frequency change | AIM 4-2-3 c; 4-1-15 b 2 |
| Requesting a Special VFR clearance | AIM 4-4-6 a, b, c |
| No 'with you'; full identification on first contact | AIM 4-2-1 c; 4-2-4 a 2, a 3 |
Now say them to a controller
Push-to-talk, at your airport, with today’s altimeter. The AI controller answers and the grader tells you what the AIM says about each call.
Prompts and notes are written in our own words from the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (Change 3, 7/9/26) and the Pilot/Controller Glossary, with paragraph references. Frequencies are from the FAA NASR data and are for training only. Study aid; not approved or endorsed by the FAA. Always defer to the AIM, current FAA publications, your instructor and your examiner.