Transmitting Letters, Numbers and Time
TRANSMISSION OF LETTERS
To expedite communications, the use of phonetic spelling should be dispensed with if there is no risk of this affecting correct reception and intelligibility of the message.
With the exception of the telephony designator and the type of aircraft, each letter in the aircraft call sign shall be spoken separately using the phonetic spelling.
The words in the table below shall be used when using the phonetic spelling.
Note.— Syllables to be emphasised are in blue.
Letter | Word | Appropriate pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
A | Alpha | AL FAH |
B | Bravo | BRAH VOH |
C | Charlie | CHAR LEE or SHAR LEE |
D | Delta | DELL TAH |
E | Echo | ECK OH |
F | Foxtrot | FOKS TROT |
G | Golf | GOLF |
H | Hotel | HO TELL |
I | India | IN DEE AH |
J | Juliett | JEW LEE ETT |
K | Kilo | KEY LOH |
L | Lima | LEE MAH |
M | Mike | MIKE |
N | November | NO VEM BER |
O | Oscar | OSS CAH |
P | Papa | PAH PAH |
Q | Quebec | KEH BECK |
R | Romeo | ROW ME OH |
S | Sierra | SEE AIR RAH |
T | Tango | TANG GO |
U | Uniform | YOU NEE FORM or OO NEE FORM |
V | Victor | VIK TAH |
W | Whiskey | WISS KEY |
Y | X-ray | ECKS RAY |
Y | Yankee | YANG KEY |
Z | Zulu | ZOO LOO |
TRANSMISSION OF NUMBERS
When the language used for communication is English, numbers shall be transmitted using the following pronunciation:
Note.— The syllables printed in bold are to be stressed
Numeral or numeral element | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
0 | ZE-RO |
1 | WUN |
2 | TOO |
3 | TREE |
4 | FOW-er |
5 | FIFE |
6 | SIX |
7 | SEV-en |
8 | AIT |
9 | NIN-er |
Decimal | DAY-SEE-MAL |
Hundred | HUN-dred |
Thousand | TOU-SAND |
All numbers shall be transmitted by pronouncing each digit separately.
Aircraft call signs | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
CCA 238 OAL 242 | Air China two three eight Olympic two four two |
Flight levels | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
FL 180 FL 200 | Flight level one eight zero Flight level two zero zero |
Headings | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
100 degrees 080 degrees | Heading one zero zero Heading zero eight zero |
Wind direction and speed | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
200 degrees 25 knots 160 degrees 18 knots gusting 30 knots | Wind two zero zero degrees two five knots Wind one six zero degrees one eight knots gusting three zero knots |
Transponder codes | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
2400 4203 | squawk two four zero zero squawk four two zero three |
Runway | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
27 30 | Runway two seven Runway three zero |
Altimeter setting | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
1010 1000 | QNH one zero one zero QNH one zero zero zero |
All numbers used in the transmission of altitude, cloud height, visibility and runway visual range (RVR) information, which contain whole hundreds and whole thousands, shall be transmitted by pronouncing each digit in the number of hundreds or thousands followed by the word HUNDRED or THOUSAND as appropriate. Combinations of thousands and whole hundreds shall be transmitted by pronouncing each digit in the number of thousands followed by the word THOUSAND followed by the number of hundreds followed by the word HUNDRED.
Altitude | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
8003 400 12 000 | Eight hundred three thousand Four hundred One two thousand |
Cloud height | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
2 200 4 300 | Two thousand two hundred Four thousand three hundred |
Visibility | Transmitted as |
|---|---|
1 000 700 | Visibility one thousand Visibility seven hundred |
All six digits of the numerical designator should be used to identify the transmitting channel in VHF radiotelephony communications, except in the case of both the fifth and sixth digits being zeros, in which case only the first four digits should be used.
Channel Transmitted as |
118.000 ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ZERO 118.005 ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ZERO ZERO FIVE 118.010 ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ZERO ONE ZERO 118.025 ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ZERO TWO FIVE 118.050 ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ZERO FIVE ZERO 118.100 ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ONE |
In airspace where all VHF voice communications channels are separated by 25 kHz or more and the use of six digits as in 2.4.4 is not substantiated by the operational requirement determined by the appropriate authorities, the first five digits of the numerical designator should be used, except in the case of both the fifth and sixth digits being zeros, in which case only the first four digits should be used.
Channel | Transmitted as | 25 KHz (5 digits) | 8.33/25 Khz (6 digits) |
|---|---|---|---|
118.000 | ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ZERO | 118.00 | 118.000 |
118.025 | ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ZERO TWO | 118.02 | 118.025 |
118.050 | ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ZERO FIVE | 118.05 | 118.050 |
118.075 | ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ZERO SEVEN | 118.07 | 118.075 |
118.100 | ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ONE | 118.10 | 118.100 |
TRANSMISSION OF TIME
When transmitting time, only the minutes of the hour should normally be required. Each digit should be pronounced separately. However, the hour should be included when any possibility of confusion is likely to result.
The following example illustrates the application of this procedure:
0920 (9:20 A.M.) TOO ZE-RO or ZE-RO NIN-er TOO ZE-RO
1643 (4:43 P.M.) FOW-er TREE or WUN SIX FOW-er TREE
Pilots may check the time with the appropriate ATS unit. Time checks shall be given to the nearest
half minute.
AVIATION WORKSHEETS SUBJECTS DEMO
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