For US student pilots
Checkride oral prep: the radio questions you should be able to answer
The oral part of the private pilot checkride covers communications alongside everything else, and the radio questions have one thing going for them: every answer is written down. Here are twenty a student should be able to answer without hesitating, each with the paragraph the answer comes from. We make no claim about what any particular examiner asks; this is the AIM, in question form.
The questions
1. What do you need before entering Class B airspace?
An ATC clearance that says so: 'cleared through', 'cleared to enter' or 'cleared into the Bravo'. A squawk or 'radar contact' is not a clearance.
[AIM 3-2-3 b, e; JO 7110.65 7-9-2]
2. What do you need before entering Class C or Class D airspace?
Two-way radio communication established with the controlling facility: a reply that uses your call sign. 'Aircraft calling, standby' does not establish it; '(call sign), standby' does.
[AIM 3-2-4 c 3; 3-2-5 b 3]
3. What must a student pilot say on initial contact, and why?
'Student pilot', so controllers can give extra assistance and consideration.
[AIM 4-2-4 c]
4. What are the parts of an initial call?
The facility, your full aircraft identification, your position (always when on the airport), and the request or the type of message to follow.
[AIM 4-2-3 a 1]
5. When may you abbreviate your call sign?
Only after ATC has abbreviated it, and only if there are no similar call signs on frequency. Never on initial contact.
[AIM 4-2-4 a 2, a 3]
6. What must be read back from a taxi instruction?
The runway assignment, any clearance to enter a specific runway, and any instruction to hold short of a runway or to line up and wait, with your call sign.
[AIM 4-3-18 a 9]
7. What must the first readback of a landing or takeoff clearance include?
The runway, with left, right or center where applicable, and your identification.
[AIM 4-4-7 b]
8. Does 'line up and wait' authorize takeoff?
No. It authorizes taxiing onto the runway to line up and wait for a takeoff clearance.
[P/CG LINE UP AND WAIT]
9. What does 'cleared for the option' allow?
A touch-and-go, low approach, missed approach, stop-and-go or full stop landing, at the pilot's discretion. Tell ATC of any delay on the runway.
[P/CG CLEARED FOR THE OPTION; AIM 4-3-23]
10. What is the difference between 'roger', 'wilco' and 'affirmative'?
'Roger' means I received your transmission and nothing more; it is not a yes. 'Wilco' means received, understood and will comply. 'Affirmative' means yes.
[P/CG ROGER, WILCO, AFFIRMATIVE]
11. How do you answer a traffic advisory?
'Traffic in sight' if you see it; 'negative contact' if you do not. Not 'roger' and not 'looking'.
[P/CG TRAFFIC IN SIGHT, NEGATIVE CONTACT]
12. What are the squawk codes for VFR, hijack, radio failure and emergency?
1200, 7500, 7600, 7700. Ident only when asked, and avoid passing through the emergency codes when changing.
[AIM 4-1-20]
13. What does a steady green light mean in the air, and on the ground?
In the air, cleared to land. On the ground, cleared for takeoff.
[AIM 4-3-13, TBL 4-3-1]
14. What does a flashing red light mean in the air?
Airport unsafe, do not land. On the ground it means taxi clear of the runway in use.
[AIM 4-3-13, TBL 4-3-1]
15. How do you acknowledge a light signal?
By day, rock the wings in flight or move the ailerons or rudder on the ground; at night, blink the landing or navigation lights.
[AIM 4-2-13 a 2; 4-3-13 e]
16. Your receiver fails inbound to a towered airport. What do you do?
Remain outside or above the Class D until you know the traffic flow, then advise the tower of your type, position, altitude and intention to land and request light signals; at three to five miles report your position and join the pattern.
[AIM 4-2-13 a 1]
17. You lose two-way radio in VFR conditions. What does the regulation require?
Continue the flight under VFR and land as soon as practicable, which does not mean as soon as possible.
[AIM 6-4-1 c 2 (14 CFR 91.185)]
18. What are the visibility and cloud requirements for Special VFR in an airplane?
Remain clear of clouds; at least one statute mile flight visibility; at least one statute mile ground visibility to take off or land.
[AIM 4-4-6 a]
19. What is the phrase that must never be used on a CTAF?
'Any traffic in the area, please advise.' It is not a recognised self-announce phrase.
[AIM 4-1-9 g 1]
20. What is the order of a distress message, and how is fuel stated?
MAYDAY three times, facility, identification, nature of the emergency, weather, intentions, position and heading, altitude, fuel remaining in minutes, people on board. Fuel is stated in minutes, not gallons.
[AIM 6-3-2 a 3; P/CG FUEL REMAINING]
Then prove it on the radio
The oral tests whether you know it; the flight tests whether you can say it with a controller talking back and the airplane to fly. TowerTalk’s checkride-style radio check is a full VFR flight with every call graded against these same paragraphs, and a report of what an examiner would have noticed.
Acknowledging & reading back
Acknowledge every call-up and clearance with your identification — at the start or the end — and one of the standard words. [AIM 4-2-3 c]
- Wilco
- Received, understood, will comply. [P/CG]
- Roger
- Received all of your last transmission. Never an answer to a yes/no question. [P/CG]
- Affirmative / Negative
- Yes / No. [P/CG]
- Unable
- Cannot comply with the instruction. Say what you can do instead. [P/CG]
- Say again
- Repeat — “say again all after (fix)”. [P/CG]
- Stand by
- A pause, not an approval or a denial. Call again if the wait is long. [P/CG]
What must be read back
- Runway assignments
- The runway, including left/right/center, in the first readback of a taxi, departure or landing clearance. [AIM 4-4-7 b 4]
- Hold-short instructions
- Word for word. ATC is required to obtain this readback. [AIM 4-3-18 a 9, 10]
- Any clearance to enter a runway
- Line up and wait, cross runway (number), cleared for takeoff. [AIM 4-3-18 a 9]
- Altitudes, vectors, altitude restrictions
- In the sequence given, with your identification. [AIM 4-4-7 b 2]
- Squawk codes and frequency changes
- Read back the code; acknowledge the frequency. [AIM 4-2-3 d]
- Not read back
- Wind, traffic information, weather — acknowledged, never required.
November Five Charlie Tango, roger, cleared to land runway nine left.
Runway three six left, taxi via Alpha, hold short of taxiway Charlie, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot.
Transponder & squawk codes
- 1200
- VFR, unless ATC assigns a code. Altitude reporting on. [AIM 4-1-20 5 (a)]
- 7500
- Hijack. Never select it by accident — when changing codes, avoid passing through 7500, 7600 or 7700. [AIM 4-1-20 e]
- 7600
- Radio communications failure.
- 7700
- Emergency. Squawk it if you cannot immediately reach a facility. [AIM 6-3-2 a 2]
- Squawk (code)
- Set the code with altitude reporting. “Ident” — press the ident button, only when asked. “Squawk standby” — standby. “Squawk VFR” — 1200. [AIM 4-1-20 f]
Light signals
The tower controls aircraft without a working radio by light gun. In daylight acknowledge by rocking the wings (in flight) or moving the ailerons or rudder (on the ground); at night by flashing the landing or navigation lights. [AIM 4-3-13, TBL 4-3-1]
- Steady green
- In flight: cleared to land. On the ground: cleared for takeoff.
- Flashing green
- In flight: return for landing (a steady green will follow). On the ground: cleared to taxi.
- Steady red
- In flight: give way to other aircraft and continue circling. On the ground: stop.
- Flashing red
- In flight: airport unsafe, do not land. On the ground: taxi clear of the runway in use.
- Flashing white
- On the ground: return to your starting point on the airport.
- Alternating red and green
- Exercise extreme caution.
Take the checkride-style radio check
A full VFR flight from the ramp to the tie-down, every call graded with the AIM paragraph, and the exercises that fix what you missed.
Related
Study aid, written in our own words from the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (Change 3, 7/9/26) and the Pilot/Controller Glossary, with paragraph references so you can check each point. Last reviewed 10 September 2026; awaiting review by a US flight instructor. It does not reproduce those documents and is not a substitute for them — always defer to the AIM, the current FAA publications, your instructor and your examiner. TowerTalk is not approved or endorsed by the FAA.