For US student pilots · How grading works

What TowerTalk grades against

Your calls are assessed against the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual and the Pilot/Controller Glossary, strictly and as an examiner would: phraseology, completeness, the order of the message, the mandatory readbacks and whether you called the right facility. The marking criteria for each task are the notes shown on the task card, and each one is drawn from the paragraphs listed here.

Only your transmissions are judged. What the controller said is context, never counted against you.
Before anything is marked missing, the grader must find it genuinely absent from your words and quote what you actually said.
Your call sign is accepted in any correct spoken form: hyphenated, run together, or in full phonetics. Only a real abbreviation before the controller has abbreviated is a fault.
Information items such as wind, traffic and a readability report are acknowledged, not read back, and are never marked as missing readbacks. Runway assignments, hold-short instructions, altitudes, headings, frequencies and squawk codes are read back, and a wrong or missing one is a fault.
Every improvement must be a distinct, genuine fault with its own correction. A call that met the standard gets an empty list, not invented faults.

What you get back. You get a verdict (pass, minor issues or needs work), a score out of 100, what you did right, each fault with its correction, the phraseology areas the task exercised marked correct or not with a note, and one model answer for the task.

One call to Ground

The free radio check

Call or readback	Graded against
Initial contact format: facility, full identification, position, request	AIM 4-2-3 a 1
Identification as type plus registration, no 'N'; never abbreviated on first contact	AIM 4-2-4 a 2, a 3
Position on the airport stated when calling for taxi	AIM 4-3-18 a 1, d 1
'With Information (letter)'; no 'with you'	AIM 4-1-13; 4-2-1 c

Take the free radio check →

70 prompts

The 14 exercises

AInitial contact

5 prompts

The first call to a facility: who you are calling, who you are, where you are, what you want.

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

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise A →

BReadbacks

5 prompts

Read back what must be read back: runways, hold-short lines, altitudes, headings, squawks.

Call or readback	Graded against
Taxi readback: runway assignment and hold-short instruction	AIM 4-3-18 a 9
'Line up and wait' read back with the runway; not a takeoff clearance	P/CG: LINE UP AND WAIT; AIM 4-3-18 a 9 (c)
Takeoff and landing clearances read back with the runway	AIM 4-4-7 b; JO 7110.65 3-9-10 a
Squawk, altitude and heading read back in the order given	AIM 4-4-7 b; 4-1-20
Wind is information, acknowledged rather than read back	JO 7110.65 3-10-1

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise B →

CReports

5 prompts

Position and traffic reports, to a tower, an approach control and on the CTAF.

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

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise C →

DEmergencies

5 prompts

PAN-PAN and MAYDAY in the AIM format, radio failure, and getting help when lost.

Call or readback	Graded against
Urgency call: PAN-PAN three times and the message order	AIM 6-3-1 c; 6-3-2 a 3
Distress call: MAYDAY three times, fuel in minutes, people on board, 7700	AIM 6-3-1 c; 6-3-2 a 2, a 3; P/CG: FUEL REMAINING
Receiver failure inbound to a towered airport, requesting light signals	AIM 4-2-13 a 1
Unsure of position: requesting radar assistance, PAN-PAN if urgent	AIM 4-1-17; 6-3-1 c
Relaying another aircraft's MAYDAY	AIM 6-3-1 gunverified

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise D →

EServices and airspace

5 prompts

Flight following, Class B, C and D airspace, and ending a radar service.

Call or readback	Graded against
Requesting VFR flight following	AIM 4-1-18 a 3
Class C: two-way communication established before entry	AIM 3-2-4 c 3
Class B: an explicit clearance before entry	AIM 3-2-3 b, e; JO 7110.65 7-9-2 a
'Radar service terminated, squawk VFR': acknowledge and set 1200	AIM 4-1-15 b 2; 4-1-20
Requesting a weather deviation under flight following (vectors advisory)	AIM 4-1-17

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise E →

FThe traffic pattern

5 prompts

Departure, downwind, base and final — self-announced on the CTAF, and with a tower.

Call or readback	Graded against
CTAF self-announce: before taxiing onto the runway, departing the pattern	AIM 4-1-9 c 1, TBL 4-1-1; 4-1-9 g 8
CTAF self-announce: entering downwind, base, final, clear of the runway	AIM 4-1-9 c 1, TBL 4-1-1; 4-1-9 g 8
'Cleared for the option' read back with the runway	P/CG: CLEARED FOR THE OPTION; AIM 4-3-23; 4-4-7 b
Go-around: a short acknowledgement, then fly it	P/CG: GO AROUND

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise F →

GConditional and non-standard

5 prompts

Hold-short landing clearances, 'unable', abbreviated frequency changes and a diversion.

Call or readback	Graded against
Land-and-hold-short: runway, 'cleared to land' and the hold-short read back; 'unable' if not acceptable	AIM 4-3-18 a 9; P/CG: UNABLE
LAHSO clearance form and the required hold-short readback	JO 7110.65 3-10-5 bunverified
Special VFR clearance read back with the altitude restriction	AIM 4-4-6; 4-4-7 b
Changing to the same controller's other frequency: abbreviated callup, 'point'	AIM 4-2-3 d 2; 4-2-8 e
Declining an instruction with 'unable' and what you can do	P/CG: UNABLE
Advising a diversion: where, why, heading, altitude, fuel in minutes if a factor	AIM 4-2-3 a 1; P/CG: FUEL REMAINING

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise G →

HRadar services

5 prompts

What a radar facility says to a VFR aircraft, and what you say back.

Call or readback	Graded against
Squawk read back; ident only when asked	AIM 4-1-20 d; P/CG: SQUAWK
'Radar contact' acknowledged; altimeter read back digit by digit	AIM 4-2-8 d; P/CG: RADAR CONTACT
Answering a traffic advisory you cannot see	P/CG: NEGATIVE CONTACT
Headings read back; vectors to VFR aircraft are advisory	AIM 4-4-7 b; 4-1-17
Frequency change: acknowledge the facility and frequency, then change	AIM 4-2-3 d, e

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise H →

IControlled airspace

5 prompts

Class D, C and B: what is required to enter, and how to ask.

Call or readback	Graded against
Class D transit: two-way communication with the tower before entry	AIM 3-2-5 b 3; 4-3-2 a
A reply without your call sign does not establish communication	AIM 3-2-5 b 3, notes 1 and 2
Transponder failure inside the Mode C veil: report it plainly, request instructions	AIM 3-2-3 b 6; 4-1-20
Class B clearance read back with altitude and heading in order	AIM 4-4-7 b; JO 7110.65 7-9-2 a
Leaving the Class D: no permission needed outside the surface area	AIM 4-3-2 a

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise I →

JArrival at a towered airport

5 prompts

From the 15-mile call to 'contact Ground'.

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

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise J →

KNon-towered airports

5 prompts

CTAF and UNICOM: self-announce, ask for the numbers, straight-in and clearing the runway.

Call or readback	Graded against
Inbound self-announce on the CTAF, airport name first and last	AIM 4-1-9 c 1, TBL 4-1-1; 4-1-9 g 8
Calling a UNICOM for wind and runway information	AIM 4-1-9 h
Announcing a straight-in and giving way to the pattern	AIM 4-1-9 g 4; 4-3-3 note 1
Clear of the runway	AIM 4-1-9 c 1, TBL 4-1-1
Never 'any traffic in the area, please advise'	AIM 4-1-9 g 1

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise K →

LNumbers, altimeter and time

5 prompts

How the FAA says numbers: altitudes, frequencies, headings, the altimeter and the clock.

Call or readback	Graded against
Altimeter setting: the word then four digits	AIM 4-2-8 d
Altitudes below 18,000 feet: thousands digit by digit plus hundreds	AIM 4-2-9 a
Frequencies: digits with 'point'	AIM 4-2-8 e
Headings as three digits; speed as digits plus 'knots'	AIM 4-2-10; 4-2-11
Time: four digits UTC, 'Zulu'	AIM 4-2-12

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise L →

MIFR clearances

5 prompts

Asking for a clearance, copying it, and reading back the parts that actually have to come back.

Call or readback	Graded against
Initial call to clearance delivery: call sign, position on the field, IFR, and where to	AIM 5-2-6 h 2
What must be read back from a clearance, and what need not be	AIM 4-4-7 b; JO 7110.65 4-3-2 NOTE
Charted altitudes are not read back unless spoken	AIM 4-4-7 b 3
Requesting a full route clearance after amending the plan	AIM 5-2-6 h 3
What "cleared as filed" does and does not cover	AIM 5-2-6 f; P/CG: CLEARED AS FILED
First call after a climb-via departure	AIM 5-2-9 h
Clearance void time and hold for release	AIM 5-2-7 a 1, a 2
The order a clearance is issued in	JO 7110.65 4-2-1

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise M →

NHolds, approaches and the missed

5 prompts

The arrival half: holding instructions, the approach clearance, and what you say when it does not work out.

Call or readback	Graded against
What a holding clearance contains	JO 7110.65 4-6-4; 4-6-1 b, c
Required holding reports: reaching and leaving	AIM 5-3-8 f; 5-3-3 a 1 (f), (g)
The approach clearance and its "maintain until established" element	JO 7110.65 4-8-1 a, b 2
Why "straight-in" is said, and restated	JO 7110.65 4-8-1 e
The approach clearance authorizes the published missed approach	JO 7110.65 4-8-9 a
Telling ATC of a missed approach, with the reason, then requesting an action	AIM 5-5-5 a 2, a 6; 5-4-21 a, f
Canceling IFR in flight, and what stops when you do	AIM 5-1-15; JO 7110.65 4-2-10

Read the prompts →·Practice Exercise N →

Guided flights

The 10 scenarios

Engine failure after takeoff

The engine quits in the climb-out. Fly it, then get a distress call out.

Call or readback	Graded against
MAYDAY in the climb-out: three times, the essentials, fly first	AIM 6-3-1 c; 6-3-2 a 3

Forced landing

Engine failure at altitude — pick a field and get the call out.

Call or readback	Graded against
Distress call in full: fuel in minutes, people on board	AIM 6-3-2 a 3; P/CG: FUEL REMAINING
Squawk 7700 if the facility cannot be reached	AIM 6-3-2 a 2

Standard traffic pattern

Fly a normal pattern at a towered airport, making the right call at each position.

Call or readback	Graded against
Initial call to the tower with the ATIS letter	AIM 4-2-3 a 1; 4-3-2 a
Pattern entry and report instruction read back	JO 7110.65 3-10-1 a; AIM 4-4-7 b
Landing clearance read back with the runway	AIM 4-4-7 b
Exit and change to Ground when told	AIM 4-3-14 c; 4-3-21 c

Class C transit

Establish two-way communication, get a squawk, cross the Class C and be cut loose.

Call or readback	Graded against
Class C: two-way communication before entry	AIM 3-2-4 c 3
Squawk read back, ident when asked, altitude stated	AIM 4-1-20 d; 4-2-9 a
Altimeter read back digit by digit	AIM 4-2-8 d
'Radar service terminated, squawk VFR' acknowledged; 1200 set	AIM 4-1-15 b 2; 4-1-20

Class B clearance

Request a clearance through Class B airspace, read it back exactly, and stay VFR.

Call or readback	Graded against
Class B: no entry until 'cleared into the Bravo'	AIM 3-2-3 b, e; JO 7110.65 7-9-2 a
Clearance, altitude and heading read back in order	AIM 4-4-7 b
Answering a traffic advisory	P/CG: TRAFFIC IN SIGHT
Leaving the Bravo, 'resume own navigation', squawk VFR	JO 7110.65 7-9-2 d; P/CG: RESUME OWN NAVIGATION

Class D entry and landing

Call the tower 15 miles out, take a pattern entry, read back the landing clearance.

Call or readback	Graded against
Class D: initial call about 15 miles out; communication before entry	AIM 3-2-5 b 3; 4-3-2 a
Pattern entry and report instruction read back	JO 7110.65 3-10-1 a; AIM 4-4-7 b
Landing clearance read back; wind acknowledged only	AIM 4-4-7 b

Vectors to the airport

Hazy and unsure of the way in: ask the radar facility for a heading, and fly it.

Call or readback	Graded against
Requesting a vector; suggested headings are advisory	AIM 4-1-17
Heading read back	AIM 4-4-7 b

Unsure of position

The ground doesn't match the chart. Say so early, pass what you know, follow the vectors.

Call or readback	Graded against
Requesting radar assistance when unsure of position	AIM 4-1-17
Squawk and heading read back, ident when asked	AIM 4-1-20 d; 4-4-7 b
PAN-PAN if it becomes urgent	AIM 6-3-1 c

Diversion

Your destination has closed. Tell the facility, take the handoff, and call the new airport inbound.

Call or readback	Graded against
Advising a diversion and requesting continued flight following	AIM 4-2-3 a 1
Frequency change acknowledged with 'point'	AIM 4-2-3 d, e; 4-2-8 e
Initial call to the new facility	AIM 4-2-3 a 1; 4-1-18 a 3

Radio failure

No reply to your calls. Squawk 7600, transmit in the blind, and bring it in on light signals.

Call or readback	Graded against
Receiver failure: remain outside the Class D, transmit in the blind, request light signals	AIM 4-2-13 a 1
Squawk 7600	AIM 4-1-20
Light signal meanings and acknowledging them	AIM 4-3-13, TBL 4-3-1; 4-2-13 a 2

Fly a scenario →

Honesty note

Cited, not yet checked

These paragraphs are cited by a task’s notes but have not yet been read against the source text in this build. They are marked on the tables above and will be verified or corrected.

AIM 6-3-1 g — Exercise D: Relaying another aircraft's MAYDAY
JO 7110.65 3-10-5 b — Exercise G: LAHSO clearance form and the required hold-short readback

Written from the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (Change 3, 7/9/26), the Pilot/Controller Glossary and Order JO 7110.65. The standard-words definitions the grader uses are on the phraseology cheat sheet. TowerTalk is a training aid and is not approved or endorsed by the FAA; the AIM, your instructor and your examiner are the authorities.