The theory chapter "Communication" is generally concerned with communication between the various participants in air transport.
In aviation, clear and precise communication between aircraft and ground stations is essential for a safe flow of traffic. The German air navigation service providers, especially DFS, develop and publicise these radiotelephony procedures. Every pilot is obliged to inform himself regularly about these procedures, which are updated annually. In Germany, communication in English is standard, especially when it comes to instrument flight. However, German is also permitted and quite common for visual flights.
A radiotelephony licence is normally required to carry out radio communications, which is acquired through examinations at the Federal Network Agency. There are different types of radiotelephony certificates, which are awarded depending on language and flying skills. In addition, pilots must provide proof of their language skills to ensure that they have a command of the language used for radio communication at an operational level.
In radiotelephony, certain procedures and priorities apply to different types of messages such as emergency and urgent messages, whereby safety always takes priority. The transmission of values such as frequencies, times and positions follows standardised procedures to avoid misunderstandings. There are also established procedures to ensure the safe flow of air traffic in the event of a radio communication failure.
In aviation, it is crucial to use standardised phrases to ensure that communication between aircraft and ground stations is clear and unambiguous. These phrases are standardised in German and English and are used to convey information quickly and unambiguously. They are used in various situations such as taxiing on the ground, take-off, approach, landing and in emergencies. Standard phrases such as "confirm", "positive", "authorised", "separation", "lifted" and others have specific meanings that must be followed precisely. At aerodromes without air traffic control, there are instructions for taxiing, departure, approach and special intentions of the pilot. At aerodromes with air traffic control, there are additional voice groups such as starting procedures, taxiing/hovering, departure instructions and frequency changes. Special procedures and warnings are also important, such as for landing gear malfunctions or wake vortices. Understanding and correctly using these voice groups is essential for air traffic safety.
The theory chapter on communication therefore generally deals with the theory and regulations that form the basis for the communication guidelines. The standard phrases are also shown and explained. More details and, above all, more practical relevance can be found in the separate radiotelephony training that must be completed to obtain radiotelephony certificates such as BZF or AZF. Here, specific flight situations such as approach and departure are discussed and the associated radio is practised. More details can be found in our Academy.