Comments on: How to Copy an IFR Clearance Like a Pro

By: Allan Woolf

Allan Woolf — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:36:21 +0000

Just what I needed for my IF test
thanks a million
Allain

By: Jeffrey

Jeffrey — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:09:14 +0000

Before we depart, we receive a release from the company with our “planned” route on there. In most the cities that we fly out of, we receive a Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC) with our final ATC assigned route. So the art of copying down a clearance and getting it right the first time is slowly becoming a thing of the past. But, if you are new to IFR flying, it is a terrific skill to have to be able to copy a clearance down quickly and accurately though you may not use it much later…but…when the time comes, that old muscle memory will kick in and you will successfully copy the clearance.

The same goes for holds and re-routes. If you have a good idea what to expect, which you can do by listening to the clearances being given to the pilots in front of you, then when you are given holding clearances and re-routes, you will have a good idea what is coming and can refer to the arrival procedures.

One final note. Always check your routing against the IFR charts and in your Flight Management System (FMS). I’ve been guilty of going the wrong way more than once, but never since that second time. Shame on me…!

And if you are EVER in doubt, ASK!

Jeffrey

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:47:03 +0000

I use a similar system as far as shorthand. Here is how a typical cleareance would look like:

CLR JFK PLUMM APE AF 030 370 10 118.85 SQ4256

Another note to add to preperation:

If I’m flying out of a unfamiliar airport I’ll try and quickly glance through the SIDs to get familiar with the names. That is one of the trickiest parts of the read back at least for me.

Also have a print out of your filed route handy to compare to your actual cleared route.

Great suggestions Patrick.

By: Vincent, from PlasticPilot.net

Vincent, from PlasticPilot.net — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:34:25 +0000

Clearances in most parts of Europe are now very simple, thanks to Standard Instrument Departures. A typical departure from Geneva Runway 23 towards North East reads like:

Cleared to destination via KONIL4C departure, sqwak 1234.

The route denomination comes from the exit point (KONIL) version (4) and variant (C). Charts are published for all SIDs. In this case, the KONIL4C includes all of the following information:

“Climb on GVA VOR Radial 226 until passing 1.700 feet or 3.0 DME, whichever is later, then turn right heading 030 to intercept QDM 030 to GLA NDB, climbing to flight level 090. Contact Geneva Departure on 119.525 when instructed.”

But I had to go through a voice exam which required me to read and repeat such a departure route clearance!

The good part of SIDs is that you can easily guess from runway in use and flight plan what you will get. The IFR route in flight plan starts from the end of the SID, and there are usually one route per runway per exit point.

By: Eric

Eric — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:59:42 +0000

I try to preload my clearances as much as possible. I filed, so I should be able to expect most of the clearance before I request it.

I do a similar trick, although I make sure to write down the “K” if I’m cleared to an airport in the US (ie KPAE is “Paine Airport” vs PAE “Paine VOR”). I also make sure to do my altitudes in hundreds – 3000 is 30, 3500 is 35, etc, and my altitude block on CRAFT would read A 20 E 40/5 (climb & maintain 2000, expect 4000 in 5 minutes).

When I get an ATC frequency I try to copy whether it’s center or approach, as that can get things started off on the wrong foot with a controller, ie F (c)28.5 for Seattle Center 128.5.

Finally, I check my flight on FlightAware before I go – if any route changes have occurred, they’ll show up in the route block. FlightAware pulls live off the ATC computer and will show the most current revision. With complicated reroutes it can save a lot of time.

By: Matthew Stibbe

Matthew Stibbe — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:32:05 +0000

This kind of shorthand is very very helpful. I use something like it. The PPL/IR organisation published a (members-only) guide to it which I found very helpful. Based on that and my experience, can I add a few tips?

1) Draw a line under an item to indicate ‘not below’ and above an item to indicate ‘not above’. These kinds of instructions are often given in the UK when entering or leaving controlled airspace or when flying VFR.
2) Draw a circle around anything that you’re supposed to report. EG “report localiser established” would be the abbreviation LOC with a circle around it.
3) I write DME distances with a small ‘d’, e.g. “report two DME” would be 2d with a circle around it.
4) I write FLxx (e.g. FL100) for flight levels, Axx (e.g. A50 = 5,000 feet) for altitudes. In Europe transition levels vary and we often use flight levels at quite low level, not 18,000 as in the US.

Hope this is helpful!

Matthew