Exercise J · for US student pilots
Arrival at a towered airport
From the 15-mile call to 'contact Ground'.
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 15 miles north of Palo Alto at 3,000 feet with ATIS Information Delta. Call Palo Alto Tower inbound for landing.
What the AIM says: Facility, full call sign and type, position, altitude, 'with Information Delta', request landing (AIM 4-2-3, 4-3-2).Prompt 2 of 5
Palo Alto Tower says: "N172SP, Palo Alto Tower, enter left downwind runway 13, report midfield downwind." Read it back.
What the AIM says: Read back the pattern entry and runway and the report instruction, with your call sign.Prompt 3 of 5
Palo Alto Tower says: "N172SP, extend downwind, I'll call your base." Respond.
What the AIM says: Acknowledge with your call sign — 'extend downwind, N172SP' or 'wilco'. Do not turn base until told.Prompt 4 of 5
Palo Alto Tower says: "N172SP, number two following a Cessna on base, runway 13, cleared to land." Read it back.
What the AIM says: Runway and 'cleared to land' with your call sign; acknowledge the sequence ('number two') and say 'traffic in sight' if you have the Cessna.Prompt 5 of 5
After landing, Palo Alto Tower says: "N172SP, exit at Charlie, contact Ground point seven." Respond.
What the AIM says: Read back the exit and the frequency with your call sign — 'exit Charlie, Ground point seven' (the tower has given the last two digits; the full frequency is 121.7). Do not change to Ground until told (AIM 4-3-14 c).
What this exercise is graded against
| Call or readback | Graded against |
|---|---|
| Inbound call to the tower: position, altitude, ATIS letter, request | AIM 4-3-2 a; 4-2-3 a 1; 3-2-5 b 3 |
| Pattern entry, runway and report instruction read back | JO 7110.65 3-10-1 a; AIM 4-4-7 b |
| Sequencing instructions ('extend downwind', 'number two, follow…') acknowledged | JO 7110.65 3-8-1; P/CG: WILCO; TRAFFIC IN SIGHT |
| Landing clearance read back with the runway | AIM 4-4-7 b |
| After landing: exit as instructed, change to Ground only when told | AIM 4-3-21 c; 4-3-14 c |
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.