Phraseology — Page 90, Lesson 70

I want to walk you through the standard phraseology for pushback, towing, taxi, and holding procedures. This is the exact language you’ll use on the radio when operating under DGCA/ICAO/EASA rules, so let’s take it step by step. Let’s start with pushback procedures. When you’re parked at the gate or a stand and ready to push back, the first call goes to ATC. The format is: your aircraft location, then “REQUEST PUSHBACK.” For example, “GATE 12, REQUEST PUSHBACK.” ATC can respond in a few ways. They might say “PUSHBACK APPROVED,” which means go ahead. They might say “STAND BY,” which means wait for further clearance. Or they might say “PUSHBACK AT OWN DISCRETION” followed by “EXPECT (number) minutes delay due (reason).” That last one means you can start pushback whenever you’re ready, but there’s a known delay coming—say, due to traffic or a departing aircraft. Now, the communication between the ground crew and the cockpit follows a specific sequence. The ground crew asks: “ARE YOU READY FOR PUSHBACK?” You, the pilot, reply “READY.” Then the ground crew says “CONFIRM BRAKES RELEASED,” and you confirm “BRAKES RELEASED.” Once the pushback starts, the ground crew announces “COMMENCING PUSHBACK.” When the pushback is finished, they say “PUSHBACK COMPLETED.” If you need to stop the pushback for any reason, you say “STOP PUSHBACK.” Then the ground crew says “CONFIRM BRAKES SET,” and you reply “BRAKES SET.” Finally, the ground crew says “DISCONNECT,” meaning the tow bar or tug is detached. Next, towing procedures. This is when your aircraft is being towed by a tug, not under its own power. The transmission comes from the aircraft/tow vehicle combination, and it’s marked with a double asterisk in the book. The call is: “REQUEST TOW [company name] (aircraft type) FROM (location) TO (location).” For example, “REQUEST TOW BRITISH AIRWAYS BOEING 777 FROM HANGAR 3 TO GATE 12.” ATC can respond with “HOLD POSITION” or “STAND BY.” Now, if you need a time check or departure information when there’s no ATIS broadcast available, you say “REQUEST TIME CHECK.” ATC replies “TIME (minutes).” Or you say “REQUEST DEPARTURE INFORMATION,” and they give you the full departure data: “RUNWAY (number), WIND (direction and speed), QNH (detail), TEMPERATURE (detail), [VISIBILITY FOR TAKE-OFF (detail) (or RVR detail)].” RVR stands for Runway Visual Range. Let’s move to taxi procedures for departure. The standard call is: your aircraft type, wake turbulence category if you’re “heavy,” your aircraft location, then “REQUEST TAXI” followed by your intentions. For example, “BOEING 777 HEAVY, GATE 12, REQUEST TAXI.” Or you can include your flight rules and destination: “BOEING 777 HEAVY, GATE 12, IFR TO LONDON HEATHROW, REQUEST TAXI.” If you need detailed taxi instructions, you say “REQUEST DETAILED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS.” ATC will reply with something like “TAXI TO HOLDING POINT [number] [RUNWAY (number)] TAXI [intentions].” Or they might give a specific routing: “TAXI VIA (specific routing to be followed) TO POINT [number] [RUNWAY (number)] [TIME (minutes)].” If aerodrome information isn’t available from ATIS, ATC will include that in the taxi clearance: “TAXI TO HOLDING POINT [number] (followed by aerodrome information applicable) [TIME (minutes)].” You’ll also hear directional instructions like “TAKE (or TURN) FIRST (or SECOND) LEFT (or RIGHT),” or “TAXI VIA (identification of taxiway),” or even “TAXI VIA RUNWAY (number)” if you’re using a runway as a taxiway. For helicopter operations, the phraseology is slightly different. You request “AIR TAXIING FROM (or VIA) TO (location or routing as appropriate).” ATC replies “AIR TAXI TO (or VIA) (location or routing as appropriate) [CAUTION (dust, blowing snow, loose debris, taxiing light aircraft, personnel, etc.)].” They might also say “AIR TAXI VIA (direct as requested, or specified route) TO (location, heliport, operating or movement area, active or inactive runway). AVOID (aircraft or vehicles or personnel).” After landing, if you need to backtrack on the runway, you say “REQUEST BACKTRACK.” ATC replies “BACKTRACK APPROVED” or “BACKTRACK RUNWAY (number).” For general taxi instructions, you might say “REQUEST TAXI TO (destination on aerodrome).” ATC can say “TAXI STRAIGHT AHEAD,” “TAXI WITH CAUTION,” or “GIVE WAY TO (description and position of other aircraft).” You reply “GIVING WAY TO (traffic)” or “TRAFFIC (or type of aircraft) IN SIGHT.” If you’re following another aircraft, you say “FOLLOW (description of other aircraft or vehicle).” When you’ve vacated the runway after landing, you say “RUNWAY VACATED.” ATC might say “EXPEDITE TAXI [reason],” and you reply “EXPEDITING.” Or they might say “[CAUTION] TAXI SLOWER [reason],” and you reply “SLOWING DOWN.” Finally, holding procedures. These are marked with a hash # in the book, and they require specific acknowledgement from the pilot. The calls are: “HOLD (direction) OF (position, runway number, etc.),” “HOLD POSITION,” “HOLD (distance) FROM (position),” or “HOLD SHORT OF (position).” You acknowledge by saying “HOLDING” or “HOLDING SHORT.” That covers the standard phraseology for pushback, towing, taxi, and holding. Every word matters in aviation communication—precision keeps everyone safe.