Phraseology — Page 97, Lesson 83

I want to walk you through the phraseology used during the approach phase of flight — specifically the standard radio calls that controllers and pilots use when positioning for a landing. This is professional, precise language that leaves no room for misunderstanding. Let's start with the situation where a pilot wants to be placed at a specific distance from the runway threshold. The pilot would say: REQUEST (distance) FINAL. So for example, "Request 10-mile final." That tells the controller exactly where you want to join the approach. The controller then clears you for the approach with: CLEARED FOR (type) APPROACH RUNWAY (number). So "Cleared for ILS approach Runway 27." The type of approach — ILS, MLS, VOR, NDB — and the runway number are both mandatory. Now, once you're on that approach, the controller may give you instructions and information. Here are the key phrases you need to know. REPORT ESTABLISHED [ON MLS APPROACH TRACK] or [ON ILS (LOCALIZER) or (GLIDE PATH)] — this means the controller wants you to call when your aircraft is locked onto the guidance signal. For MLS it's the approach track; for ILS it's either the localizer or the glide path, or both. If you're closing in from the side, the controller might say: CLOSING FROM LEFT (or RIGHT) [REPORT ESTABLISHED] — that tells you which side you're approaching the localizer from, and again, they want you to report when you're established. For a vector onto the approach: TURN LEFT (or RIGHT) HEADING (three digits) [TO INTERCEPT] or [REPORT ESTABLISHED] — the controller gives you a three-digit heading to turn to, and either tells you it's to intercept the localizer, or asks you to report when established. There are two phrases that warn you about crossing a radio aid: THIS TURN WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH (aid) (reason) and TAKING YOU THROUGH (aid) (reason). For example, "This turn will take you through the localizer, to intercept the glide path from above." The controller tells you which aid you'll cross and why. For altitude management: MAINTAIN (altitude) UNTIL GLIDE PATH INTERCEPTION — you hold that altitude until you capture the glide path from below. And: REPORT ESTABLISHED ON GLIDE PATH; INTERCEPT (radio aid) [REPORT ESTABLISHED] — you call when you're on the glide path, and the controller may also tell you to intercept another aid and report that too. Now, let's move to a more complex situation — manoeuvre during independent and dependent parallel approaches. This is when two runways are side by side and aircraft are approaching simultaneously. The clearance is: CLEARED FOR ILS (or MLS) APPROACH RUNWAY (number) LEFT (or RIGHT) — note that LEFT or RIGHT is mandatory here because there are two parallel runways. If an aircraft drifts across the localizer of the adjacent runway, the controller issues an immediate avoidance instruction: YOU HAVE CROSSED THE LOCALIZER (or MLS FINAL APPROACH TRACK). TURN LEFT (or RIGHT) IMMEDIATELY AND RETURN TO THE LOCALIZER (or MLS FINAL APPROACH TRACK). This is urgent — you've crossed into the protected zone of the other approach, and you must turn back immediately. For avoidance action when an aircraft is observed penetrating the ATZ — that's the Aerodrome Traffic Zone — the controller gives you the frequency first: ILS (or MLS) RUNWAY (number) LEFT (or RIGHT) LOCALIZER (or MLS) FREQUENCY Is (frequency). Then the instruction: TURN LEFT (or RIGHT) (number) DEGREES (or HEADING) (three digits) IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID TRAFFIC [DEVIATING FROM ADJACENT APPROACH], CLIMB. So you get a turn — either by a number of degrees or to a specific three-digit heading — and you must do it immediately to avoid traffic that's deviating from the adjacent approach, and you climb. Let me show you a couple of examples of how these phrases look on a strip or a screen. Those figures show "FASTAIR 345 ADVISE TYPE OF FASTAIR 345 SQUAWK" — that's a different context, but it illustrates the format of a standard message: callsign, instruction, and the specific squawk code or information requested. So to summarise what we've covered: you have the request to be positioned at a distance, the clearance for the approach type and runway, the instructions to report established on the localizer or glide path, the turn and heading vectors, the warnings about crossing aids, the altitude hold until glide path interception, and then the critical phraseology for parallel approaches — including the immediate turn-back instruction if you cross the adjacent localizer, and the avoidance action with a climb if traffic penetrates the ATZ. Every word is chosen for clarity and safety.