Aviation Radio Phraseology for Drone Pilots
How pilots say altitudes, headings, speeds and times on the radio, why radio headings are magnetic while METAR winds are true, and how to convert Zulu time.
A Part 107 pilot rarely talks on an aviation radio, but listening is a real skill. Monitoring a CTAF near a small airport tells you where the traffic is, and the test checks that you can decode what you hear. The rules for how numbers are spoken come from the FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual, chapter 4.
How are numbers and altitudes spoken?
| What | How it is said | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude below 18,000 ft MSL | Thousands digit by digit, plus hundreds | 12,500: "one two thousand five hundred" |
| Altitude at or above 18,000 ft | "Flight level" plus digits | FL190: "flight level one niner zero" |
| Round hundreds and thousands up to 9,900 | As words | 4,500: "four thousand five hundred" |
| Other numbers | Each digit separately | 10: "one zero" |
| The digit 9 | "Niner" | 29.92: "two niner niner two" |
The phonetic alphabet covers the letters: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie and so on. The NATO alphabet tool lists all 26 with audio.
Are radio headings true or magnetic?
The AIM says the three digits of a bearing, course, heading or wind direction on the radio should always be magnetic, and the word "true" is added when it applies. A tower's wind is magnetic too. That is the opposite of the written METAR, where wind direction is from true north, as the FAA's sample question on KJFK's 18004KT shows.
| Source | Direction reference |
|---|---|
| Wind in a METAR or TAF | True |
| Wind or heading spoken by a tower or on ATIS | Magnetic |
| Runway numbers | Magnetic |
True vs magnetic
the written report is true, the spoken one is magnetic
How are speed and time said?
Speed is spoken digit by digit followed by "knots": 250 is "two five zero knots". Time is in UTC, which may be called "Zulu", and local time has to be labeled as local. The AIM gives the conversion from standard time to UTC:
| Time zone (standard) | Add to get UTC |
|---|---|
| Eastern | 5 hours |
| Central | 6 hours |
| Mountain | 7 hours |
| Pacific | 8 hours |
| Alaska | 9 hours |
| Hawaii | 10 hours |
During daylight saving time, subtract one hour from these figures. So 1800Z in summer is 2:00 p.m. Eastern and 11:00 a.m. Pacific.
How do manned pilots identify themselves?
The AIM says civil pilots state the aircraft type or manufacturer followed by the registration, dropping the "N" when they do: "Bonanza six five five golf". Air taxi operators without their own call signs add "Tango" in front. On a CTAF, a typical self-announcement gives the airport, the call sign, the position in the pattern and the intentions, which the traffic pattern post shows how to place on a map.
Part 107 does not require a radio. Listening to the CTAF on a receiver is still one of the best ways to build a traffic picture near a non-towered airport.
What the exam asks about phraseology
The ACS lists ATIS, call signs, the phonetic alphabet and phraseology for altitudes, directions, speed and time as UA.V.A.K5 through UA.V.A.K8. Expect a spoken altitude to convert, a time to change between Zulu and local, and the true-versus-magnetic distinction. CTAF and UNICOM are covered in the airport operations post, and the written METAR in the METAR guide.
Written winds are true, spoken winds are magnetic, and every time is Zulu unless someone says local.
Every radio and airport abbreviation is in the Part 107 acronyms list.
Hear every letter and digit the way pilots say them.
Practice the phonetic alphabetFree diagnostic
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