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These guides are not recommanded officaily. But recommanded for enjoying realistic FLIGHTLINE. At least We think so. You can learn about basis of communication between pilot and traffic controller, and also basic knowledge about flight procedures.

:warning: These guides was simplified. Therefore, maybe there’re somethings actually wrong or We’ve made as mistakes.
Do not trust these guides at all. For accurate information or knowledge about real-world flight, please google or study yourself.

Guide - ATC Communication Channels

Basically, There’re big FIVE channel that pilots communicate with ATC when the plane is near to the airport. Let us show them to you: Delivery, Ground, Tower, Approach, Departure.

I’ll show what you can do in those channel one by one.

Delivery

Delivery(or DEL for short), simply saying, is the channel where you can submit your flight plan to controller and get a permission that you can fly with your own flight plan. In real-world, The procedures of communicating with Delivery are too complex, so we can’t equip those procedures into our game exactly. We made those procedure simple, which we’ll explain them right now.

But before that, let us introduce one basic knowledge to you - IFR flight, and VFR flight.

IFR Flight / VFR Flight

IFR is stands for ‘Instrument Flight Rules’ and VFR is stands for ‘Visual Flight Rules’. IFR flight uses plane’s instrument equipment for flying, while VFR flight does not. In VFR flight, Pilot does not look at the instrument equipment, but flies while grasping the position with the main topographical features observed by the eyes. It is strongly recommanded to use IFR espeacially for passenger flights.

For more information. google IFR / VFR.

You may follow the instructions below to communicate and get a permission with your flight plan. In following examples, We’ll use WJA 336 as plane’s callsign. And we’ll assume that controller is on JSLL Delivery.

1. Radio Check: Do Radio Check with this words
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Delivery. good-day WJA 336 radio check.”
   • JSLL DEL: “WJA 336. good-day loud and clear.” … The Controller says how’s the radio sound from plane.
   • WJA 336: “Loud and clear also. WJA 336.” … The pilot says how’s the radio sound from DEL.
2. IFR Clearance: Offer information about your destination, planned route, cruise attlitude, expected departure runway.
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Delivery. WJA 336 requesting IFR Clearance to JTPH via SACO1 JAMBA POBLO OSCAR2 departure, Flight level 10,000 feet runway 04 departure.” … those waypoint, SAC01, JAMBA, POBLO, OSCAR2 doesn’t really exist in FLIGHTLINE right now. just use any words that hears like waypoint name.
   • JSLL DEL: “Stand by WJA 336.” … That means WJA 336 should wait.
   • WJA 336: “Standing by. WJA 336.” … When you got any command from atc controller, it is good choise to readback it. Reading back commands means you’re saying that you understood those commands.
   • JSLL DEL: “WJA 336. JSLL Delivery. cleared for IFR Clearance to JTPH via SACO1 JAMBA POBLO OSCAR2 departure, Flight level 10,000 feet runway 04 departure. readback.” … The Delivery gave you a permission. When they call for readback, readback what they said.
   • WJA 336: “Cleared for IFR Clearance to JTPH via SACO1 JAMBA POBLO OSCAR2 departure, Flight level 10,000 feet runway 04 departure. WJA 336.”
   • JSLL DEL: “WJA 336. Readback is correct. Contact JSLL Ground at 422.8.” … The Delivery said contact ground.
   • WJA 336: “Contact Ground. WJA 336.” … Always. Readback is important.

Ground

Ground(or GND for short), simply saying, is the channel where handles all of movements of aircrafts on land in the airport. After you finished your work with Delivery, the next stap is requesting pushback and start-up(engine start-up), and requesting taxi.

You may follow the instructions below to communicate. In following examples, We’ll hold WJA 336 as plane’s callsign. And we’ll assume that controller is on JSLL Ground.

For departures

1. Requesting pushback and start-up
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Ground. good-day WJA 336 checking in, we’re ready for pushback and start-up on Gate 15.” … It is important that notify where you’re parked at to controller.
   • JSLL Ground: “WJA 336. Gate 15 pushback and start-up approved. facing south. Report when ready to taxi.” … Facing ‘south’ means that you should pushback your plane and make sure the head of plane face to the south. It is important to avoid messing up any other aeroplane’s taxing.
   • WJA 336: “Gate 15 pushback and start=up approved. facing south. Report when ready to taxi.”
2. Requesting taxi
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Ground. WJA 336 ready to taxi.”
   • JSLL Ground: “WJA 336. Taxi to runway 04 via alpha bravo foxtrot six. readback.” … That means you should taxi by taxiway A, B, F6. You may refer to the Airport Charts(AD Charts) to where’re they.
   • WJA 336: “Taxi to runway 04 via alpha bravo foxtrot six. WJA 336.” … Always. Readback is important.
   • JSLL Ground: “WJA 336. Readback is correct.”

While taxing, something could be happend on taxiway. If something happened, The controller might say “hold position” like following example.

1. Hold Position
   • JSLL Ground: “WJA 336. Hold Position.” … It means you should stop there right now.
   • WJA 336: “Hold position. WJA 336.”
   • JSLL Ground: “WJA 336. Continue taxi.” … It means you can resume your taxi.
   • WJA 336: “Continue taxi, WJA 336.”

When you’re getting close to your departure airport, or you need to cross runway while taxing, the controller will hand-off you to tower to manage your take-off, like following example.

1. *Hand-off
   • JSLL Ground: “WJA 336. Contact JSLL Tower at 411.2.” … It means you should contact JSLL Tower.
   • WJA 336: “Contact JSLL Tower. WJA 336.” … Never forget readback.

For arrivals

When you vacuated runway and contacted ground, you still need to taxi to gate.

1. Requesting taxi to gate
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Ground. WJA 336 vacuated runway 04 on Foxtrot one, requesting taxi to gate.” … You should say what taxiway that you’re on. And, you can specify what gate you’ll gonna take.
   • JSLL Ground: “WJA 336. Taxi to gate 11 via bravo echo chalie delta two alpha.”
   • WJA 336: “Taxi to gate 11 via bravo echo chalie delta two alpha.”

During taxi, You would need to cross runway or hold position for some reasons. In that situation, refer ‘For Departures’ on ‘Ground’. After you arrived on your assigned gate, you need to let ground know about that.

1. Signing-off
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Ground. WJA 336 arrived at Gate 11 as assigned, signing off.”
   • JSLL Ground: “WJA 336, Roger. Good-day.”

Tower

Tower(or TWR for short) is most important channel just like as you know already. Tower handles aircrafts which gonna take-off or land. You can request take-off clearance or landing clearance to Tower. In following example, We’ll hold WJA 336 as plane’s callsign. And we’ll assume that controller is on JSLL Tower.

For departures

1. Signing In - Departure
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Tower. WJA 336 taxing to runway 04 checking in.” … This notifies that you’re on tower frequency to controller.
   • JSLL Tower: “WJA 336. Hold short runway 04.” … Hold short means stop your aircraft in front of hold position(=stop line). To seek where’re hold positions on airport, refer to charts.
   • WJA 336: “Hold short runway 04.”

If you’re about to cross runway, the ground must handed-off you to Tower. Then you can sign in and request cross runway like this:

1. Crossing runway
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Tower. WJA 336 holding short on stop line. requesting cross runway 22.” … When you see an stop line(=hold poisition) while on taxing, no matter where you’re at, you need to stop in front of it. That’s basic rule.
   • JSLL Tower: “WJA 336. Cross runway 22.”
   • WJA 336: “Cross runway 22. WJA 336.”

If you crossed runway successfuly and you need to still going on taxi, Tower will hand-off you again to Ground like this:

• JSLL Tower: “WJA 336. Contact JSLL Ground at 422.8.”
• WJA 336: “Contact Ground. WJA 336.”

When you’re on stop line in front of your departure runway, you can request to take-off permission like this:

1. Requesting take-off
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Tower. WJA 336 holding short on foxtrot six runway 04, request to take-off.” … It would be great if you tell controller where’re you holding short exactly. Many of runways have more than two exits, which makes that task important to avoid any collision.
   • JSLL Tower: “WJA 336. runway 04. Line up and wait.” … Line up and wait allows you enter to runway and align yourself but not yet for take-off.
   • WJA 336: “Runway 04 line up and wait. WJA 336.”
   • JSLL Tower: “WJA 336 cleared for takeoff, runway 04.” … That’s exact clearance for take-off.
   • WJA 336: “Cleared for take-off, runway 04. WJA 336.”

When you’re on airborne, you need to report to tower in IFR Flights.

1. Airborne report and hand-off
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Tower. WJA 336 airborne.” … It would be great timing to report when you’re passing about 2,000 feets.
   • JSLL Tower: “WJA 336. Contact JSLL Departure at 423.7. Good-day.” … It is tradition that saying good-bye to each other when flight takes-off.
   • WJA 336: “Contact Departure, WJA 336. Good-day.” … Do not forget to saying good-bye to tower.

For arrivals

When you’ve been handed-off from Approach to Tower, You need to check in - let tower knows that you’re with him.

1.Signing in - Arrival

• WJA 336: “JSLL Tower. WJA 336 with you approaching runway 04 20 kilometers away.” … It is important to let tower knows how much you’re far from the airport. It helps contoller to clean up traffics for your safety landing.
• JSLL Tower: “Continue approach WJA 336, report when on final runway 04.” … Report on final means let controller knows when you’re close to the airport, for example when less than 10.0 kilometers left.
• WJA 336: “Continue approach, report when on final runway 04.” … Do not forget readback.

When you’re on final, you may let him know and request to landing.

1. Requesting landing
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Tower. WJA 336 on final runway 04, request to land.”
   • JSLL Tower: “WJA 336. cleared to land runway 04.”
   • WJA 336: “Cleared to land runway 04, WJA 336.”

After landing, you need to vacuate runway as quick as possible to avoid on runway-accidents. If you vaucated runway succesfully, You need to report that. then, Tower will hand-off you to Ground.

1. Vacuated runway report and hand-off
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Tower, WJA 336 vaucated runway 04 at foxtrot one.” … It is important let tower know where did you exactly exit runway.
   • JSLL Tower: “WJA 336. Contact JSLL Ground at 422.8.”
   • WJA 336: “Contact Ground. WJA 336.”

Departure

Departure(or DEP for short) is channel where handles take-offed and now on climbing aircrafts to transition altitude. But first of all, let us show one basic knowledge to you - The Transition Altitude.

QNH, QFE, QNE

But before that, you need to know three- little things: QNH, QNE, QFE. You can find more details in this webpage: Altimeter Pressure Settings - Skybrary

QNH

QNH is the pressure set on the subscale of the altimeter so that the instrument indicates its height above sea level. The altimeter will read runway elevation when the aircraft is on the runway. Airfield QNH is obtained by correcting a measured QFE to sea level using ISA regardless of the temperature structure of the atmosphere. As your altimeter is calibrated using ISA, it will indicate altitude correctly at the airfield reference point. At other altitudes, the indicated altitude is likely to be in error, depending on the temperature of the atmosphere.

QFE

QFE is the isobaric surface pressure at the reference point. At other altitudes the altimeter will give an indication of the height above that reference point. With the aerodrome QFE set in the subscale, your altimeter will read zero on the highest point on the runway and at other altitudes will read the height above the airfield elevation. For precision approach runways or for instrument runways when the threshold is 7 ft or more below aerodrome elevation, the QFE may be based on the threshold elevation. With the runway threshold QFE set in the subscale, your altimeter will read zero on the runway threshold.

QNE

QNE is different to the other altimetry Q codes in that it is an altitude not a pressure (although it is commonly incorrectly described as such). With Standard Pressure (1013.2 mb) set, an aircraft altimeter indicates Pressure Altitude (Flight Level), and is used by all aircraft operating above the transition altitude to provide a common datum for vertical measurement. The Standard Pressure is equivalent to the air pressure at mean sea level(MSL) in the International Standard Atmosphere(ISA).

Transition Altitude

The transition altitude (TA) is the altitude above sea level at which aircraft change from the use of local barometer derived altitudes to the use of flight levels. When operating at or below the TA, aircraft altimeters are usually set to show the altitude above sea level. If departure aircraft going above TA, then pilot must set local barometer to QNE. And if arrival aircraft going under TA, then pilot should set local barometer to QNH generally. Normalry in United States, Official Transition Altitude is 18,000 feet(FL180).

You may follow the instructions below to communicate. In following examples, We’ll hold WJA 336 as plane’s callsign. And we’ll assume that controller is on JTPH Departure.

After you took-off, you should contact to departure.

1. Signing-on
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Departure, WJA 336 with you climbing 4,000 feet heading 040 departed runway 04.” … Let Departure know about your heading, departure runway, target climb altitude.
   • JSLL Departure: “WJA 336. rader contact. Climb and maintain Flight level 60, Turn right heading 120.” … It means that controller just captured your rader signal on his rader, and request to climb and maintain flight level 60(= 6,000 feet) and turn right for flying to heading 120.
   • WJA 336: “Climb and maintain Flight level 60, Turn right heading 120. WJA 336.” … Always. Read-back.

The controller might can request you change your altitude, speed or heading to manage his traffic and let you have a safe airborne flight without any danger of inccident.

After you’ve reached Trasmission Altitude(TA), You can tell departure that you’re switching to Control. We think that this is not quite important when playing on FLIGHTLINE, but if you want - want for more realistic communication - then you can make it.

The following example is the one for switching to control.

1. Signing-off
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Departure, WJA 336 Switching to JSLL Control. Good-day.”
   • JSLL Departure: “Roger. Good-day.”

Approach

Approach(or APP for short) is channel where handles approaching aircrafts and guides them to make a correct approach to runway. If you’re on descend to approach your destination airport, first of all you need to contact your destination airport’s APP service.

You may follow the instructions below to communicate. In following examples, We’ll hold WJA 336 as plane’s callsign. And we’ll assume that controller is on JSLL Approach.

1. Signing-on
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Approach, WJA 336 with you descending to flight level 60 heading 220.” … It is important saying your target descend altitude and heading to approach controller for letting him know and control his traffic more efficient. In real-world, usually pilot says like “heading to OSCAR2”, using Waypoint names but FLIGHTLINE’s waypoint feature didn’t finished yet so you need to say just you heading instead of waypoint names.
   • JSLL Approach: “WJA 336, rader contact. Fly heading 210 descend and maintain Flight level 50, reduce speed 210.”
   • WJA 336: “Fly heading 210 descend and maintain Flight level 50, reduce speed to 210. WJA 336.”

When you’re closed to the airport(When distance less than about 20 kilometers might be great timing), you need to get ILS approach clearance to approach your target runway.

1. On-Approach & Hand-off
   • WJA 336: “JSLL Approach, WJA 336 is about 20 kilometers away, requesting for ILS approach clearance.” … Saying how much you’re far from the airport would help controller responds faster to your request, because they don’t need to check your position in their rader.
   • JSLL Approach: “WJA 336. Cleared for ILS Approach runway 04. Contact JSLL Tower at 411.2.”
   • WJA 336: “Cleared for ILS Approach runway 04. Contact Tower. WJA 336.”

These are all for our recommanded procedure for communicating ATC controller more realistic. Thank you for reading.

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