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ATC Radio Calls Practice Drill: 20 VFR Calls to Say Out Loud (Free)

Free ATC radio drill for student pilots: 20 common VFR calls (ground, tower, flight following, CTAF) with example wording based on the FAA AIM, plus how to practice.

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The fastest way to get comfortable on the radio is reps: saying the real calls out loud until they come out without thinking. This drill gives you 20 common VFR calls, from the ramp to the CTAF, with the call you would make for each one. Read the situation, cover the right column, say your call out loud, then check it.

Everything here follows the FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Chapter 4, Section 2 on radio communications, and the examples for non-towered airports in AIM 4-1-9. Airports, frequencies and call signs below are made up. Your CFI and your local airports' habits come first: some fields want slightly different wording, and that's fine.

The formula behind every first call

AIM 4-2-3 gives the order for an initial call: who you are calling, who you are, where you are, what you want. On the ground, say where you are on the airport. In the air, give position and altitude, plus the ATIS letter if the field has one. A few more rules from AIM 4-2:

Student pilots: say "student pilot" on your first call to each facility (AIM 4-2-4). Controllers will give you extra room.
Call signs: say the full call sign on first contact. Once the controller shortens it (for example "Skyhawk Three Four Five"), you can use the short form too.
Numbers: say digits one at a time ("one two two point eight"). Altitudes below 18,000 feet are thousands plus hundreds ("four thousand five hundred"). Nine is "niner".
Readbacks: end with your call sign. Always read back the runway assignment, any clearance onto a runway, and every hold-short instruction (AIM 4-3-18).
Listen first: wait for a gap before keying the mic, and think through what you will say (AIM 4-2-2).

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Departing a towered airport (calls 1 to 5)

#	Situation (what you hear)	Your call (say it out loud)
1	You have listened to the ATIS: "Springfield information Bravo..."	"Springfield Ground, Skyhawk One Two Three Four Five, student pilot, west ramp, with Bravo, VFR departure to the north."
2	Ground: "Skyhawk Three Four Five, Runway Three Six, taxi via Alpha, hold short of Runway Two Seven."	"Runway Three Six, taxi via Alpha, hold short Runway Two Seven, Skyhawk Three Four Five."
3	Run-up done, you are at the hold-short line of Runway Three Six, now on Tower frequency.	"Springfield Tower, Skyhawk One Two Three Four Five, holding short Runway Three Six, ready for departure, northbound."
4	Tower: "Skyhawk Three Four Five, Runway Three Six, cleared for takeoff."	"Cleared for takeoff Runway Three Six, Skyhawk Three Four Five."
5	Tower, as you leave the area: "Skyhawk Three Four Five, frequency change approved."	"Frequency change approved, Skyhawk Three Four Five."

Flight following en route (calls 6 to 10)

Flight following is optional for VFR flights, but it is great radio practice. Make the first call short, then give details when the controller says "go ahead".

#	Situation (what you hear)	Your call (say it out loud)
6	You want flight following. First call to approach, keep it short.	"Springfield Approach, Skyhawk One Two Three Four Five, request VFR traffic advisories."
7	Approach: "Skyhawk One Two Three Four Five, Springfield Approach, go ahead."	"Skyhawk One Two Three Four Five, Cessna One Seventy-Two, ten miles north of Springfield, four thousand five hundred, request flight following to Riverside at four thousand five hundred."
8	Approach: "Skyhawk Three Four Five, squawk four three one two."	"Squawk four three one two, Skyhawk Three Four Five."
9	Approach: "Skyhawk Three Four Five, traffic twelve o'clock, five miles, opposite direction, altitude indicates three thousand five hundred."	Not in sight yet: "Looking, Skyhawk Three Four Five." Once you see it: "Traffic in sight, Skyhawk Three Four Five."
10	Approach: "Skyhawk Three Four Five, radar service terminated, squawk VFR, frequency change approved."	"Squawk VFR, frequency change approved, Skyhawk Three Four Five."

Arriving at a towered airport (calls 11 to 14)

#	Situation (what you hear)	Your call (say it out loud)
11	Inbound, 10 miles south, you have Riverside ATIS information Charlie.	"Riverside Tower, Skyhawk One Two Three Four Five, student pilot, ten miles south, three thousand five hundred, with Charlie, inbound for landing."
12	Tower: "Skyhawk Three Four Five, enter right downwind Runway Three Six, report midfield."	"Right downwind Runway Three Six, will report midfield, Skyhawk Three Four Five."
13	Tower: "Skyhawk Three Four Five, Runway Three Six, cleared to land."	"Cleared to land Runway Three Six, Skyhawk Three Four Five."
14	After landing, Tower: "Skyhawk Three Four Five, turn left at Charlie, contact Ground point niner."	"Left at Charlie, Ground point niner, Skyhawk Three Four Five." Then on Ground: "Riverside Ground, Skyhawk Three Four Five, clear of Runway Three Six at Charlie, taxi to the ramp."

Non-towered airport on the CTAF (calls 15 to 18)

No one answers on a CTAF. You are telling other pilots where you are. AIM 4-1-9 has you say the airport name at the start and at the end of each call, and use the runway number instead of "the active".

#	Situation (what you hear)	Your call (say it out loud)
15	Ten miles out from a non-towered field (Centerville), on the CTAF.	"Centerville traffic, Skyhawk One Two Three Four Five, ten miles south, three thousand five hundred, inbound for landing, will enter left downwind Runway One Seven, Centerville."
16	Turning base.	"Centerville traffic, Skyhawk Three Four Five, left base Runway One Seven, full stop, Centerville."
17	Off the runway.	"Centerville traffic, Skyhawk Three Four Five, clear of Runway One Seven, Centerville."
18	Departing: taxiing out, then rolling.	"Centerville traffic, Skyhawk One Two Three Four Five, taxiing to Runway One Seven, Centerville." Then: "Centerville traffic, Skyhawk Three Four Five, departing Runway One Seven, departing the pattern to the north, Centerville."

When it goes wrong (calls 19 and 20)

#	Situation (what you hear)	Your call (say it out loud)
19	You missed part of an instruction.	"Springfield Ground, Skyhawk Three Four Five, say again."
20	ATC gives you something you can't do safely (for example, a heading into a cloud while you are VFR).	"Unable, Skyhawk Three Four Five," then say what you can do.

"Say again", "unable" and "verify" are all in the FAA's Pilot/Controller Glossary. Asking is always better than guessing.

How to run the drill

Pick one section that matches your next lesson.
Swap in your real airport, runway, taxiways and tail number, so you rehearse the calls you will actually make.
Say each call out loud at radio pace, holding a pretend push-to-talk button. Do it three times clean before moving on.
Do the readbacks from memory: have a friend (or an app) read the controller lines and answer without looking.
Listen to real traffic at your airport and notice where local habits differ from this sheet. Ask your CFI which to use.

Practice it with an AI controller

Once the calls feel natural, an AI controller can throw instructions at you that you haven't seen and grade your readbacks. Apps with a free way to start:

ReadBack AI: free plan with 2 sessions a day; iPhone and Android.
ATCpal: 22 lessons free in the browser.
TowerTalk: free radio check, assessment and phraseology course on the web.
WilcoAI: one free Daily Challenge a day on iPhone and iPad.
Comms: 3 free scenarios on iPhone and Android.

Every free tier compared: free AI ATC practice apps. How AI trainers grade you: how to practice ATC radio calls with AI. All radio trainers: ATC and radio practice.

This drill is a study aid, not a substitute for instruction or for the AIM. In the airplane, follow ATC's instructions and your CFI's guidance, and when you are unsure, ask the controller to say again.

Frequently asked questions

What should a student pilot say on the first radio call?

Use the AIM 4-2-3 order: the facility you are calling, your full call sign, "student pilot", where you are, and what you want. For example: "Springfield Ground, Skyhawk One Two Three Four Five, student pilot, west ramp, with Bravo, VFR departure to the north."

Do I have to read back every ATC instruction?

Acknowledge every call with your call sign. The AIM (4-3-18) says to always read back the runway assignment, any clearance to enter a runway, and every hold-short instruction. Reading back headings, altitudes, squawk codes and frequencies is standard practice too.

Should I say "student pilot" on the radio?

Yes. AIM 4-2-4 recommends saying "student pilot" on the first call to each facility (clearance delivery, ground, tower, approach, departure and flight service) so controllers can give you extra help.

What do I say at a non-towered airport?

Self-announce on the CTAF: airport name plus "traffic", your call sign, position, altitude and intentions, then the airport name again. Use the runway number, not "the active" (AIM 4-1-9).

How can I practice radio calls at home?

Say this drill's calls out loud with your own airport and tail number, listen to live ATC for your field, and then use an AI controller app to answer instructions you haven't seen. Several have free tiers, such as ReadBack AI, ATCpal, TowerTalk, WilcoAI and Comms.