Here are a few words that are used in air traffic control
Phrase |
Meaning |
| ACKNOWLEDGE | “Let me know that you have received and understood this message.” |
| AFFIRM | “Yes.” |
| APPROVED | “Permission for proposed action granted” |
| BREAK | “I hereby indicate the separation between portions of the message.” (To be used where there is no clear distinction between the text and other portions of the message.) |
| BREAK BREAK | “I hereby indicate the separation between messages transmitted to different aircraft in a very busy environment.” |
| CANCEL | “Annul the previously transmitted clearance.” |
| CHECK | “Examine a system or procedure.” (Not to be used in any other context. No answer is normally expected.) |
| CLEARED | “Authorized to proceed under the conditions specified.” |
| CONFIRM | “I request verification of: (clearance, instruction, action, information).” |
| CONTACT | “Establish communications with…” |
| CORRECT | “True” or “Accurate”. |
| CORRECTION | “An error has been made in this transmission (or message indicated). The correct version is…” |
| DISREGARD | “Ignore.” |
| GO AHEAD | “Proceed with your message.” Note.- Not used whenever the possibility exists of misconstruing “GO AHEAD” as an authoization for an aircraft to proceed. The phrase “GO AHEAD” may be omitted and, in its place, a response made by using the calling aeronautical stations’s call sign followed by the answering aeronautical stations’s call sign. |
| HOW DO YOU READ | “What is the readability of my transmission?” |
| I SAY AGAIN | “I repeat for clarity or emphasis.” |
| MAINTAIN | “Continue in accordance with the condition(s) specified” or in its literal sense, e.g. “Maintain VFR”. |
| MONITOR | “Listen out on (frequency).” |
| NEGATIVE | “No” or “Permission not granted” or “That is not correct” or “Not capable”. |
| OVER | “My transmission is ended, and I expect a response from you.” Note.— Not normally used in VHF communications. |
| OUT | “This exchange of transmissions is ended and no response expected.” Note.— Not normally used in VHF communications. |
| READ BACK | “Repeat all, or the specified part, of this message back to me exactly as received.” |
| RECLEARED | “A change has been made to your last clearance and this new clearance supersedes your previous clearance or part thereof.” |
| REPORT | “Pass me the following information…” |
| REQUEST | “I should like to know…” or “I wish to obtain…” |
| ROGER | “I have received all of your last transmission.” Note.— Under no circumstances to be used in reply to a question requiring “READ BACK” or a direct answer in the affirmative (AFFIRM) or negative (NEGATIVE). |
| SAY AGAIN | “Repeat all, or the following part, of your last transmission.” |
| SPEAK SLOWER | “Reduce your rate of speech.” |
| STANDBY | “Wait and I will call you.” Note.— The caller would normally re-establish contact if the delay is lengthy. STANDBY is not an approval or denial. |
| UNABLE | “I cannot comply with your request, instruction, or clearance.” Note.— UNABLE is normally followed by a reason. |
| WILCO | “I understand your message and will comply with it.” (Abbreviation for “will comply”.) |
| WORDS TWICE | a) As a request: “Communication is difficult. Please send every word, or group of words, twice.” b) As information: “Since communication is difficult, every word, or group of words, in this message will be sent twice.” |