Exercise C · for US student pilots
Reports
Position and traffic reports, to a tower, an approach control and on the CTAF.
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 a Cessna 152 over San Carlos at 3,500 feet, VFR from Palo Alto to Hayward Executive, with the current ATIS. Make your initial call to NorCal Approach requesting flight following.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-1-18 a 3: position, altitude, call sign, type, destination, request traffic information / flight following. Altitude 'three thousand five hundred'. One transmission if the frequency is quiet.Prompt 2 of 5
Palo Alto Tower asked you to report midfield downwind for runway 13. You are there now. Make the report.
What the AIM says: Just the report asked for: call sign, 'midfield downwind, runway 13'. Nothing to read back.Prompt 3 of 5
You are 10 miles south of Half Moon Bay at 2,500 feet, inbound to land. Self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-1-9 g: 'Half Moon Bay traffic' first, type and identification, position and distance, altitude, intentions (landing, which runway if known), 'Half Moon Bay' again at the end. Runways by number, never 'the active'.Prompt 4 of 5
NorCal Approach calls: "N172SP, traffic, two o'clock, four miles, northbound, a Cherokee at three thousand." You see it. Respond.
What the AIM says: P/CG: 'traffic in sight' with your call sign. If you could not see it: 'negative contact'. Never 'roger' alone, and 'looking' is not a P/CG term.Prompt 5 of 5
You are 15 miles west of Palo Alto at 2,500 feet with ATIS Information Bravo, inbound to land. Make your initial call to Palo Alto Tower.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-3-2 a: initial callup about 15 miles out. Facility, full call sign and type, position, altitude, 'with Information Bravo', request (landing, full stop).
What this exercise is graded against
| Call or readback | Graded against |
|---|---|
| Initial call to Approach for traffic advisories | AIM 4-1-18 a 3 |
| Position report as instructed by the tower, using pattern leg names | AIM 4-3-2 c; JO 7110.65 3-10-1 a |
| Self-announce inbound on the CTAF, airport name first and last | AIM 4-1-9 c 1, TBL 4-1-1; 4-1-9 g 8 |
| Answering a traffic advisory | P/CG: TRAFFIC IN SIGHT; NEGATIVE CONTACT |
| Initial call to the tower about 15 miles out | AIM 4-3-2 a; 4-2-3 a 1 |
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.