What a non-routine situation is, and why the test lives there
A non-routine situation is any radio exchange that standard phraseology does not fully cover: a passenger collapses, a bird hits the engine, the fuel runs short, a radio fails, a vehicle drives onto the runway. The skill the ICAO English test checks is the switch. You use phraseology for everything it covers, you move to short, plain English for the part it does not, and you come back to phraseology for the clearance and the read-back. The UK CAA's radiotelephony manual, CAP 413, states the rule in one sentence: "Only when standard phraseology cannot serve an intended transmission, shall plain language be used." This page gives you 25 scenarios written by TalkDrill, each with the phraseology that exists, the plain-English bridge, a model transmission and the read-back, plus the six clarification formulas you will use in all of them.
The tests are built around these moments. The TEA page describes TEA as "a test of plain English in an aviation context for licensing purposes, not a test of aviation phraseology". Its Part 2A plays six recordings in which "a pilot or controller is talking in a non-routine aviation situation", and you report the message and say who was speaking. Part 2B plays four longer recordings in which a speaker "describes a problem, says what they need, and gives some extra details". Part 2C gives you 20 seconds after each of three short recordings to ask the speaker questions, then asks for your advice. The ELPAC site describes a 45-item listening paper set in your operational context and a live speaking paper rated by an English language expert and an operational expert, with the level set by the lowest rating across the six criteria and no compensatory marking.
- Per ICAO Annex 1 (icao.int could not be fetched this week), six criteria are rated: pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and interactions. Level 4 is the minimum and your overall level is the lowest of the six.
- In our judgement, non-routine situations expose comprehension and interactions most, because the other speaker says something you did not expect and you must check, confirm or clarify.
- Every scenario below has four parts: phraseology that exists, where it runs out, a model transmission and the read-back.
- Phraseology quotes come from CAP 413, Edition 24, dated 1 July 2026, downloaded from the UK CAA CAP 413 page on 21 October 2026. Your State's AIP and your operator's manuals override any example here.
Phraseology first, plain English when it runs out
Second-language speakers make two opposite mistakes. Some stay inside phraseology when it no longer fits, and say "request priority" five times without ever saying what is wrong. Others abandon phraseology the moment they are stressed, and a clean read-back becomes a paragraph. The fix is to keep the standard frame and fill only the gap with plain English. CAP 413 (Foreword, paragraph 12) says that when circumstances differ from its examples, pilots and ATS personnel "will be expected to use plain language, which should be as clear and concise as possible."
The frame you keep
For a distress or urgency call, CAP 413 (8.13) gives the order, time and circumstance permitting: the prefix (MAYDAY or PAN PAN, each said three times), the station addressed, the call sign, the aircraft type, the nature of the emergency, the intention of the person in command, the present position, level and heading, then other useful information such as endurance and persons on board. CAP 413 defines distress as "a condition of being threatened by serious and/or imminent danger and of requiring immediate assistance" and urgency as a condition concerning the safety of an aircraft or of "some person on board or within sight" that "does not require immediate assistance" (8.2). It also says it is "invariably preferable" to declare early and cancel later (8.8).
The gap you fill: problem, need, intention, numbers
The "nature of the emergency" line is where phraseology stops. We teach a four-part plain-English bridge for it (a TalkDrill method, not an official format):
| Part | Question it answers | Plain English example | Common Level 3 version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problem | What is wrong? | "A passenger has collapsed. She is conscious but confused." | "Passenger problem." |
| Need | What do you want from ATC? | "Request priority and an ambulance at the stand." | "Request help." |
| Intention | What will you do? | "We intend to continue to destination, about twenty minutes." | Nothing; the controller has to ask. |
| Numbers | What does ATC need to plan? | "Persons on board 168, endurance two hours." | Given only after two prompts. |
What changes when you leave phraseology
| Standard phraseology | Plain English in a non-routine call | |
|---|---|---|
| Vocabulary | Fixed words with fixed meanings (CAP 413, Table 8) | Everyday words for bodies, smells, sounds, damage, people |
| Sentence shape | Clipped, verbs often dropped ("descend FL100") | Short complete sentences with a subject and a verb ("The smoke is reducing.") |
| Tense | Mostly imperative | Past for what happened, present for the state now, future for intentions |
| Checking | Read-back | Read-back plus questions: "say again", "confirm", "do you mean" |
| Tempo | Fast and familiar | Slower; CAP 413 lets the listener ask you to "speak slower" |
The tense row is where the structure criterion is won or lost. "We hit birds on take-off" (past), "the engine is normal" (present), "we will return" (future) in three short sentences is a Level 4 structure. "We hit bird, engine normal, return" is not.
The six clarification formulas and the read-back loop
When you did not hear, did not understand or are not sure, use one of these. Write them on a card. Five are standard words with meanings fixed in CAP 413 (Tables 8 and 11); the sixth is a plain-English check that the tests reward because it shows you understood most of the message.
| # | Formula | Meaning, per CAP 413 | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAY AGAIN, or SAY AGAIN (item), or SAY AGAIN ALL AFTER / ALL BEFORE (word) | "Repeat all, or the following part of your last transmission" | "Say again the fuel figure." "Say again all after heading." |
| 2 | CONFIRM (item) | "I request verification of: (clearance, instruction, action, information)" | "Confirm hold short of runway 27." |
| 3 | SPEAK SLOWER | "Reduce your rate of speech" | "Banyan 214, speak slower." |
| 4 | WORDS TWICE | As a request: "Communication is difficult. Please send every word twice" | Used on a bad frequency, not for an accent you find hard. |
| 5 | CORRECTION, and I SAY AGAIN | CORRECTION: "An error has been made in this transmission ... The correct version is". I SAY AGAIN: "I repeat for clarity or emphasis" | "Heading 250, correction, heading 220." |
| 6 | Plain-English check: "Do you mean (A) or (B)?" | Not a phraseology term; a closed question that shows what you understood | "Do you mean the left engine or the right engine?" |
Four more standard words appear in almost every scenario below: AFFIRM (yes), NEGATIVE (no, or that is not correct), UNABLE ("I cannot comply with your request, instruction, or clearance", which CAP 413 says "is normally followed by a reason") and STANDBY ("Wait and I will call you", which CAP 413 notes "is not an approval or denial"). When you are unsure who called you, CAP 413 (2.53) has the controller reply "station calling ... say again your callsign".
Read-back and hear-back
CAP 413 (2.69) lists the messages a pilot reads back in full: taxi and towing instructions; level, heading and speed instructions; airways or route clearances; approach clearances; the runway in use; clearances to enter, land on, take off on, backtrack, cross or hold short of any active runway; SSR instructions; altimeter settings; VDF information; frequency changes; type of ATS service; and transition levels. Read-backs always include the call sign (2.68). If a read-back is wrong, the controller says NEGATIVE followed by the correct version (2.71). That second half, the controller listening to what came back, is what people call hear-back. In the scenarios, the read-back line shows exactly which items come back.
The rule we use in every scenario (TalkDrill method)
Instruction first, explanation second. A controller gives the heading or the level before saying why. A pilot reads back the clearance cleanly, then adds the new information or request in a separate sentence. Mixing a read-back and a problem in one breath is a quick way for a Level 4 speaker to sound like a Level 3.
How the 25 scenarios work, at a glance
Each scenario says who is speaking (pilot, controller or both). Speak the model aloud once, then cover it and do the situation in your own words with a partner or the AI playing the other station. Call signs, fixes, runways and figures are invented for practice. Numbers are written as figures to keep the page readable; on the radio, say them the way your manual prescribes (CAP 413, 2.13, has most numbers spoken digit by digit).
| # | Scenario | Speaker | Phraseology that exists | Plain English you add |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sick passenger, continuing | Pilot | PAN PAN, message order | Symptoms, who is helping, ambulance |
| 2 | Medical diversion | Controller | ROGER PAN, clearances | Offering the nearest airport |
| 3 | Disruptive passenger | Pilot | REQUEST, AFFIRM, NEGATIVE | Restrained, under control, police |
| 4 | Smoke from a power bank | Pilot | MAYDAY, message order | Source, extinguisher, smoke reducing |
| 5 | Pressurisation failure | Both | MAYDAY, emergency descent broadcast | Masks, oxygen, cabin state |
| 6 | Bird strike on take-off | Pilot | Bird caution, PAN PAN | What was hit, smell, inspection |
| 7 | Engine shut down in cruise | Pilot | PAN PAN, UNABLE | Why it was shut down, what you can do |
| 8 | Unsafe gear indication | Pilot | Request low pass, gear appears down | Indications, what you tried |
| 9 | TCAS RA | Pilot | TCAS RA, clear of conflict | What you saw and did |
| 10 | Wind shear on final | Pilot | Going around, wind shear report | Height, airspeed, effect |
| 11 | Laser illumination | Pilot | None for the laser | Colour, direction, effect on crew |
| 12 | Drone near the approach | Pilot | CAP 413 unmanned aircraft report | Description, distance, movement |
| 13 | Minimum fuel | Pilot | MINIMUM FUEL | Delay you can accept |
| 14 | MAYDAY FUEL | Controller | MAYDAY FUEL, clearances | Short questions: fuel, persons on board |
| 15 | Thunderstorm at destination | Pilot | REQUEST, route clearance | Fuel plan and decision |
| 16 | Storm cells on the route | Pilot | REQUEST, UNABLE, REPORT | Size and side of the deviation |
| 17 | Fog below minima | Controller | RVR, holding | Trend, delays, options |
| 18 | Radio failure | Pilot | TRANSMITTING BLIND, 7600 | What failed and what you did |
| 19 | Aircraft not answering | Controller | Reply not received, if you read | Asking another aircraft to relay |
| 20 | Similar call signs | Controller | NEGATIVE, CORRECTION | Warning both crews |
| 21 | Unlawful interference | Both | 7500, confirm assigned code | Yes or no questions, no read-back |
| 22 | Runway incursion | Controller | Go around, hold position | What happened, what next |
| 23 | Unstable approach | Pilot | Going around | The reason, the next approach |
| 24 | Rejected take-off | Pilot | Stopping, stop immediately | Why, hot brakes, fire service |
| 25 | Possible tyre burst | Pilot | Frequency change read-back | A sound you did not see, inspection |
Scenarios 1 to 5: medical and cabin problems
Cabin problems need words that are not in any phraseology manual: conscious, breathing, confused, restrained, fumes. Learn them as a set, and practise saying the age and the symptom in one sentence.
1. Sick passenger, continuing to destination (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: the urgency prefix PAN PAN, said three times, and the message order from CAP 413 (8.13). Urgency fits a passenger who is ill but stable.
Where it runs out: the person, the symptom, who is helping and what you want on the ground. Do not say PAN PAN MEDICAL: CAP 413 (8.14) reserves it for a protected medical transport as defined in the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, Approach, Banyan 214, A320, medical case on board. A woman of about seventy collapsed in the cabin. She is now conscious but confused, and a doctor on board is with her. We intend to continue to destination, about twenty minutes. Forty miles north, FL190, heading 180. Request priority and an ambulance with a medical team at the stand. Persons on board 168.
Controller: Banyan 214, roger PAN. Descend FL100. Proceed direct LOTAN. Expect ILS approach runway 27. An ambulance will meet you at the stand.
Read-back: "Descend FL100, direct LOTAN, expect ILS runway 27, Banyan 214." The level and the route come back; the ambulance is information and needs no read-back.
2. Medical diversion: the controller's side
Phraseology that exists: the pilot's prefix sets the priority. On your side the standard parts are ROGER PAN and the clearances. Nothing in phraseology tells you how to offer an airport.
Where it runs out: giving options in a form the pilot can decide on: the nearest suitable airport, its distance, the runway, the weather in one line, and the medical help available. One question at a time.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, Control, Monsoon 31, B737. A passenger has signs of a stroke. He cannot move his left arm and his speech is unclear. We need the nearest airport with a hospital. FL350, heading 090.
Controller: Monsoon 31, roger PAN. The nearest suitable airport is 60 miles ahead, runway 09, wind calm, visibility 8 kilometres. Turn right heading 110. Descend FL150. Do you want an ambulance and a doctor on arrival?
Pilot: Right heading 110, descend FL150, Monsoon 31. Affirm, ambulance and doctor. Persons on board 144, endurance 3 hours.
Controller: Monsoon 31, ambulance and doctor requested. Report ready for further descent.
Read-back: heading and level, as in the pilot's first reply. The controller's job is the hear-back: if the heading comes back as 100, the answer is "Monsoon 31, negative, heading 110" (CAP 413, 2.71).
3. Disruptive passenger restrained by the crew (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: nothing for the problem itself. PAN PAN is available if the safety of the flight is involved. REQUEST, AFFIRM and NEGATIVE carry the rest.
Where it runs out: what happened, the situation now, whether the flight deck is secure, and what you need on the ground. Words: disruptive, assaulted, restrained, under control, the flight deck is secure, police at the stand.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Approach, Kestrel 708. We have a disruptive passenger. He assaulted a member of the cabin crew, and he has now been restrained by the crew. The situation is under control and the flight deck is secure. We are continuing to destination. Request police to meet the aircraft at the stand.
Controller: Kestrel 708, roger. Police will meet you at stand 12. Do you need medical help for the crew member?
Pilot: Negative, minor injury only, Kestrel 708.
Controller: Kestrel 708, descend altitude 5,000 feet, QNH 1009.
Read-back: "Descend altitude 5,000 feet, QNH 1009, Kestrel 708." Level instructions and altimeter settings are both on the CAP 413 read-back list.
4. Smoke in the cabin from a power bank (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: MAYDAY, said three times, and the message order. REQUEST for the descent.
Where it runs out: the source and the state of the fire. Words: smoke, fumes, smell of burning, overhead locker, power bank, extinguisher, the smoke is reducing, we may need to evacuate.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, Control, Teak 52, B737, smoke in the cabin. A passenger's power bank caught fire in an overhead locker. The cabin crew used an extinguisher and the smoke is reducing. We intend to land at the nearest suitable airport. FL360, heading 095. Request immediate descent and vectors. Persons on board 182, endurance 3 hours.
Controller: Teak 52, roger MAYDAY. Descend FL100. Turn right heading 140. Nearest suitable airport 45 miles, runway 14. The fire service will be standing by.
Pilot, later: Teak 52, the fire is out and the smoke is clearing. We will keep the MAYDAY until we are on the ground.
Read-back: "Descend FL100, right heading 140, Teak 52." The update about the fire comes as a separate transmission, after the read-back.
5. Pressurisation failure and emergency descent (pilot and controller)
Phraseology that exists: MAYDAY for the pilot. For the controller, CAP 413 (8.28) shows a broadcast to warn other aircraft: "Attention all aircraft in the vicinity of (place), emergency descent in progress from (level) passing (level), standby for instructions."
Where it runs out: why you are descending and the state of the cabin. Words: pressurisation failure, the cabin altitude is climbing, the oxygen masks have dropped, passengers are on oxygen, the cabin is normal now.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, Control, Saffron 610, A321, pressurisation failure, emergency descent. Leaving FL370 for FL100, heading 270. Passengers are on oxygen.
Controller: Saffron 610, roger MAYDAY. Descend FL100. Report level.
Controller, broadcast: Attention all aircraft in the vicinity of KORAP, emergency descent in progress from FL370 passing FL300, standby for instructions.
Pilot, later: Saffron 610, level FL100. The cabin is normal now. One passenger is unwell. Request diversion to the nearest suitable airport.
Read-back: "Descend FL100, wilco, Saffron 610." WILCO answers "report level"; CAP 413 defines it as "I understand your message and will comply with it".
Scenarios 6 to 12: the aircraft and hazards outside it
These scenarios test vocabulary for things you see, hear and feel, and the structure to describe them in order. The controller cannot see your aircraft. Your words are the only picture they get.
6. Bird strike on take-off (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: the tower may warn you first with essential aerodrome information; CAP 413 (chapter 4) gives the example "caution large flock of birds north of runway 27 near centre taxiway". After the strike, PAN PAN or MAYDAY, depending on the damage.
Where it runs out: what hit what, and what you can feel and see. Words: we hit several birds, the nose, the windscreen, the right engine, indications are normal, a smell in the cabin, inspect the runway for remains.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, Tower, Cedar 19, ATR 72, bird strike on take-off. We hit several birds on the nose and the right engine. Engine indications are normal, but there is a smell in the cabin. We intend to return and land runway 27. Passing 2,000 feet, runway heading.
Tower: Cedar 19, roger PAN. Climb altitude 3,000 feet. Turn left heading 090. Vectors for ILS runway 27. The runway will be inspected.
Read-back: "Climb altitude 3,000 feet, left heading 090, Cedar 19." Then, separately: "Request the fire service on standby, as a precaution."
7. Engine shut down in cruise, unable to keep the level (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: PAN PAN or MAYDAY; UNABLE, which CAP 413 says "is normally followed by a reason"; REQUEST.
Where it runs out: which engine, why it was shut down, what the aircraft can do now and where you want to go. Words: low oil pressure warning, we shut it down, on one engine, we cannot maintain, the nearest suitable airport.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, Control, Lagoon 403, A320. We shut down the right engine after a low oil pressure warning. Unable to maintain FL350 on one engine. Request descent to FL240 and a diversion to the nearest suitable airport. Twenty miles east of BEKOT, heading 300. Persons on board 151, endurance 2 hours 40 minutes.
Controller: Lagoon 403, roger PAN. Descend FL240. Turn left heading 250. The nearest suitable airport is 110 miles, runway 32. Say the type of approach you want.
Read-back: "Descend FL240, left heading 250, Lagoon 403." Then the answer: "We would like the ILS runway 32, with a long final."
8. Landing gear shows unsafe (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: "request low pass", and the tower's "runway 34 cleared low pass" (CAP 413, 4.58). CAP 413 (4.59) also gives replies after the tower looks, such as "Landing gear appears down" or "Right (or left, or nose) wheel does not appear down".
Where it runs out: what the indication shows, what you have tried and what you need. Words: unsafe indication, no green light for the nose gear, normal and alternate extension, full-stop landing, stop on the runway, follow us.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, Tower, Heron 48, Dash 8, the nose gear shows unsafe. We have no green light for the nose gear after normal and alternate extension. Request a low pass so you can look at the gear, then a full-stop landing. Six miles final runway 34, 1,500 feet. Persons on board 64.
Tower: Heron 48, roger PAN. Runway 34 cleared low pass. The fire service is standing by.
Tower, after the pass: Heron 48, landing gear appears down. Nose wheel appears down.
Pilot: Heron 48, copied, gear appears down. We will make a full-stop landing and stop on the runway. Request the fire service to follow us.
Read-back: "Runway 34 cleared low pass, Heron 48." When a clearance concerns an active runway, read it back in full.
9. TCAS resolution advisory (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: almost all of it. CAP 413 (5.32 to 5.34): "(call sign), TCAS RA"; "clear of conflict, returning to (assigned clearance)"; "clear of conflict, (assigned clearance) resumed"; and "unable, TCAS RA" when you cannot follow a clearance. The controller answers "roger". CAP 413 (5.35) adds that the pilot should report the manoeuvre even if the controller could not be told at the time.
Where it runs out: afterwards, when the controller or the examiner asks what happened. Words: we received a descend advisory, the traffic was at our two o'clock, a light aircraft, crossing from right to left, about 500 feet above, we will file a report.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Mango 77, TCAS RA.
Controller: Mango 77, roger.
Pilot: Mango 77, clear of conflict, returning to FL230.
Controller: Mango 77, roger. When able, say what you saw.
Pilot: Mango 77, we received a descend advisory at FL230. We saw a light aircraft at our two o'clock, crossing from right to left, about 500 feet above us. We descended about 600 feet. We are back at FL230 now, and we will file a report.
Read-back: none for the RA report. If the controller then gives a level, read it back: "Maintain FL230, Mango 77."
10. Wind shear on final (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: "going around" when the pilot starts the missed approach (CAP 413, 4.66). For the warning to others, CAP 413 (9.11) shows the shape: "at 0745 a departing B757 reported windshear at 800 feet. Airspeed loss 20 knots, strong right drift".
Where it runs out: your report. Give the height, what the airspeed did and what the aircraft did, in that order, because that is the order the controller will pass it on.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Tower, Peacock 32, going around, windshear.
Tower: Peacock 32, roger. Climb altitude 3,000 feet, runway heading.
Pilot: Climb altitude 3,000 feet, runway heading, Peacock 32. For information, windshear at about 600 feet on final, airspeed loss 25 knots, then strong sink.
Tower, to the next arrival: Jasmine 86, at 0915 an A320 reported windshear at 600 feet on final, airspeed loss 25 knots, strong sink.
Read-back: the level and heading first, then the report as a separate sentence, as shown.
11. Laser illumination on approach (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: none for the laser; we found no laser phrase in CAP 413. The standard words around it are REQUEST, the approach phraseology and the read-back.
Where it runs out: everything about the laser. Words: a green laser, aimed at the cockpit, from the left, about three miles before the threshold, near the main road, dazzled, his vision is recovering, please inform the police.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Approach, Orchid 57. We were just illuminated by a green laser, aimed at the cockpit from the left, about three miles before the threshold, near the main road. The first officer was dazzled. His vision is recovering and the captain is flying. Request five minutes before we continue the approach, and please inform the police.
Controller: Orchid 57, roger. I will inform the police. Turn left heading 360. Climb altitude 4,000 feet. Report ready for another approach.
Read-back: "Left heading 360, climb altitude 4,000 feet, wilco, Orchid 57." The controller side of a laser report is in the practice bank as item C06.
12. Drone near the approach path (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: CAP 413 (9.4) gives a report shape for unnotified small unmanned aircraft: "I am visual with (pilot description) which is approximately/overhead/at (location) and appears to be/is at (height)". ATC warns other aircraft in the same shape, and CAP 413 says that without updated information such reports should continue for up to 30 minutes after the first report.
Where it runs out: the description. Colour, size, how close it passed, whether it was hovering or moving.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Approach, Pebble 12.
Controller: Pebble 12, Approach, pass your message.
Pilot: Pebble 12, I am visual with a small grey drone with four rotors, which is approximately two miles before the threshold of runway 09, right of the approach path, and appears to be at 1,200 feet. It passed about 100 metres from us and it was hovering.
Controller: Pebble 12, roger. All stations, a small grey drone is reported approximately two miles before the threshold of runway 09, right of the approach path, and appears to be at 1,200 feet. Pebble 12, contact Tower 118.700.
Read-back: "Tower 118.700, Pebble 12." Frequency changes are on the CAP 413 read-back list.
Scenarios 13 to 17: fuel, weather and diversion
Fuel and weather calls are where comprehension of numbers decides the outcome: minutes of delay, minutes of fuel, RVR in three parts, gust speeds. Write the numbers down as you hear them and read back the ones that matter.
13. Minimum fuel (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: MINIMUM FUEL. Per CAP 413 (8.29), it indicates that no further diversion options are available and the aircraft is committed to land at the nominated aerodrome with not less than final reserve fuel. It is not an emergency, and controllers are not required to give priority. The controller answers with the expected delay in minutes, or the track miles to touchdown if you are being vectored (8.30). If a pilot only says they are becoming short of fuel, the controller then asks whether they wish to declare an emergency (8.31).
Where it runs out: how much delay you can take and what you will do if it is longer.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Approach, Coral 260, MINIMUM FUEL.
Controller: Coral 260, roger. Expect 15 minutes delay in the hold.
Pilot: Coral 260, we can accept up to 10 minutes. After that we will land below final reserve, and we will declare MAYDAY FUEL. Request an earlier approach if possible.
Controller: Coral 260, roger. Leave the hold heading 180. Descend altitude 4,000 feet, QNH 1011. Number three, 25 track miles to touchdown.
Read-back: "Leave the hold heading 180, descend altitude 4,000 feet, QNH 1011, Coral 260."
14. MAYDAY FUEL (controller)
Phraseology that exists: "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY FUEL". CAP 413 (8.32) says controllers give such aircraft flight priority category A, citing ICAO Annex 6.
Where it runs out: getting the numbers you need from a pilot who is busy. Clearance first, then short questions, one at a time: fuel in minutes, persons on board.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY FUEL, Approach, Lotus 115.
Controller: Lotus 115, roger MAYDAY. Turn right heading 250. Descend altitude 3,000 feet, QNH 1006. Twelve track miles to touchdown. Cleared ILS approach runway 27.
Pilot: Right heading 250, descend altitude 3,000 feet, QNH 1006, cleared ILS approach runway 27, Lotus 115.
Controller: Lotus 115, correct. Say fuel remaining in minutes and persons on board.
Pilot: Lotus 115, 20 minutes, persons on board 96.
Read-back: the full clearance, as shown; approach clearances are on the read-back list. A controller with limited-English pilots should also see item C02 in the practice bank.
15. Thunderstorm over the destination, diversion (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: REQUEST, UNABLE with a reason, and the new route clearance, which CAP 413 (2.68) says is always read back.
Where it runs out: your fuel and your decision. Words: a thunderstorm is over the airport, heavy rain and strong gusts, we can hold for 20 minutes, then we must divert, we will not wait.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Control, Tamarind 44. The destination report shows a thunderstorm over the airport. We can hold for 20 minutes, and then we must divert. Request the latest weather and the trend.
Controller: Tamarind 44, latest report, thunderstorm overhead, wind 240 degrees 25 knots gusting 42 knots, visibility 2,000 metres in heavy rain. No trend available.
Pilot: Tamarind 44, copied. With gusts of 42 knots we will not wait. Request diversion to our alternate, Rivermouth, direct if possible.
Controller: Tamarind 44, cleared to Rivermouth via direct ADMIR, then flight planned route. Descend FL200.
Read-back: "Cleared to Rivermouth via direct ADMIR, then flight planned route, descend FL200, Tamarind 44."
16. Storm cells on the route, request to deviate (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: REQUEST, UNABLE and REPORT. Your State's manual may give a fixed form for weather deviation; we could not check the ICAO wording this week (icao.int could not be fetched), so the model uses standard words and plain English.
Where it runs out: the size, side and length of the deviation. Words: a line of storms on the weather radar, 30 miles ahead, up to 20 miles left of track, for about 60 miles, the cells extend further on that side.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Control, Pelican 71, request weather deviation. We have a line of storms on the radar 30 miles ahead. Request up to 20 miles left of track for about 60 miles.
Controller: Pelican 71, unable left deviation due to traffic. Deviation up to 15 miles right of track approved. Report back on track.
Pilot: Pelican 71, right deviation is acceptable. Up to 15 miles right of track, wilco.
Read-back: as in the pilot's last line. The interaction point: the controller said UNABLE, gave a reason and offered something else. If the offer does not work for you, say UNABLE and why, for example "unable right, the cells extend further on that side".
17. Fog below minima at the destination (controller)
Phraseology that exists: RVR in the CAP 413 form, for example "RVR runway 27, 650 600 600 metres", or by position, "touchdown not available, mid-point 650, stop end 550 metres" (4.199 and 4.205). CAP 413 (4.203) says a controller must never pass information suggesting the visibility is better than the RVR reported. Holding instructions follow the normal phraseology.
Where it runs out: the pilot's questions about the trend, the delays and the options.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Controller: Lantern 23, RVR runway 27, 300 300 350 metres.
Pilot: Lantern 23, that is below our minimum. What is the trend, and how long are the delays?
Controller: Lantern 23, the trend is steady. Two aircraft are holding, both waiting for improvement. The forecast shows improvement after 0800, about 40 minutes from now. Hold at LOTAN, FL110, expect further clearance at 0745.
Pilot: Hold at LOTAN, FL110, expect further clearance 0745, Lantern 23. We can hold for 30 minutes, then we will divert.
Read-back: the holding fix, level and time, as shown. The fuel limit comes after, in plain English, so the controller can plan.
Scenarios 18 to 21: radio failure, call signs and security
These are the scenarios where the standard words do the most work and the plain English must be shortest. Each one also trains a listening skill: hearing the wrong call sign, or hearing what a crew under threat cannot say.
18. Radio failure: transmitting blind (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: CAP 413 (2.88): try another frequency for the route, then other aircraft or stations; if that fails, transmit the message twice, preceded by "TRANSMITTING BLIND"; with a receiver failure, "TRANSMITTING BLIND DUE TO RECEIVER FAILURE". Code 7600 means radio failure (8.10).
Where it runs out: after contact returns. What failed, for how long, what you did and what you need now.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot, blind, said twice: TRANSMITTING BLIND DUE TO RECEIVER FAILURE, Control, Heron 48, BEKOT at 0412, FL240, continuing as cleared, estimating LOTAN 0431.
Pilot, when contact returns: Control, Heron 48, we have you loud and clear on the second radio. We lost all reception for about 12 minutes. We squawked 7600, continued as cleared and transmitted our position reports blind. Did you receive them?
Controller: Heron 48, affirm, reports received. Squawk 4521. Descend FL180.
Read-back: "Squawk 4521, descend FL180, Heron 48." SSR instructions and levels are both on the read-back list.
19. An aircraft that does not answer (controller)
Phraseology that exists: CAP 413 (5.36): when you suspect the aircraft can receive but not transmit, "(call sign), reply not received, if you read, turn left heading 040 degrees, I say again, turn left heading 040 degrees", then "turn observed ... I will continue to pass instructions". "Squawk ident" works the same way. CAP 413 (2.89) also has the ground station ask other aircraft to try to make contact.
Where it runs out: asking another aircraft for help, in plain English, without confusing the frequency.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Controller: Heron 48, reply not received. If you read, squawk ident. I say again, squawk ident.
Controller: Heron 48, squawk observed. I will continue to pass instructions. Turn left heading 040. I say again, turn left heading 040.
Controller, to another aircraft: Peacock 32, are you able to call Heron 48 on 121.5 and ask them to call me on this frequency?
Pilot of Peacock 32: Wilco, Peacock 32.
Read-back: there is none, because the aircraft cannot transmit. The ident and the turn on the radar are the read-back. CAP 413 asks for such instructions to be passed slowly, clearly and repeated.
20. Similar call signs: the wrong aircraft takes the descent (controller)
Phraseology that exists: NEGATIVE followed by the correct version when a read-back is wrong (CAP 413, 2.71); CORRECTION when you made the error yourself (2.54).
Where it runs out: warning both crews and explaining what happened. Words: caution, similar call signs, that instruction was for, use your full call sign.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Controller: Banyan 241, descend FL180.
Pilot of the wrong aircraft: Descend FL180, Banyan 214.
Controller: Banyan 214, negative. Maintain FL240. The descent was for Banyan 241.
Pilot: Maintain FL240, Banyan 214.
Controller: Banyan 241, descend FL180.
Pilot: Descend FL180, Banyan 241.
Controller: Banyan 214 and Banyan 241, caution, similar call signs on this frequency. Use your full call sign on every transmission.
Read-back: this scenario is about hear-back. The controller listened to the call sign at the end of the read-back, not only to the level. That is why CAP 413 (2.68) says read-backs always include the call sign.
21. Unlawful interference: what can and cannot be said (pilot and controller)
Phraseology that exists: code 7500 means "Hijack or Other Act of Violence" (CAP 413, 8.10). To verify that 7500 has been set intentionally, CAP 413 gives the controller the phrase "Confirm you are squawking assigned code (code assigned to the aircraft by ATC)" (chapter 5, table 2). How a crew answers that question is set by your State's AIP and your operator's security procedures; we do not script it.
Where it runs out: a crew under threat may only be able to say yes or no. The controller's plain English must make that enough: closed questions, one at a time, and permission not to read back.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Controller: Northwind 9, confirm you are squawking assigned code 4521.
Controller, after the reply or a silence: Northwind 9, roger. If you are able, answer affirm or negative only. Do you require a change of destination?
Pilot: Affirm.
Controller: Northwind 9, roger. Maintain FL320. Turn left heading 330. No reply required. Other traffic is being moved away from you. I am listening on this frequency.
Controller, to another aircraft: Pelican 71, turn right heading 240 immediately, traffic.
Read-back: the controller has released the crew from it. If they do read back, short and flat is right: "Left 330, FL320, Northwind 9." Item R08 in the practice bank is the pilot's side of a similar event.
Scenarios 22 to 25: the runway and the ground
Runway scenarios are the fastest. The instruction has to come before any thought about grammar, and the explanation comes when the aircraft is safe.
22. Runway incursion with an aircraft on short final (controller)
Phraseology that exists: "go around, I say again, go around, acknowledge", answered with "going around" (CAP 413, 4.64); "hold position", answered with "holding" (CAP 413, chapter 2 example). Clearances to enter, cross or hold short of an active runway are on the read-back list.
Where it runs out: telling both crews what happened and what comes next.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Controller: Kestrel 708, go around, I say again, go around, acknowledge.
Pilot: Going around, Kestrel 708.
Controller: Teak 52, hold position.
Pilot: Holding, Teak 52.
Controller: Kestrel 708, climb altitude 3,000 feet, runway heading. An aircraft entered the runway at taxiway Bravo without clearance. Expect vectors for another approach, about ten minutes.
Pilot: Climb altitude 3,000 feet, runway heading, Kestrel 708.
Controller: Teak 52, you are on runway 27 without clearance. Your clearance was to hold short at Bravo. Vacate the runway at Charlie, report vacated.
Pilot: Vacate at Charlie, wilco, Teak 52.
Read-back: as shown. The pilot's side of an incursion, with the apology and the explanation, is item R09 in the practice bank.
23. Unstable approach, go-around and a second attempt (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: "going around" (CAP 413, 4.66). An aircraft on an instrument approach flies the published missed approach unless instructed otherwise (4.65).
Where it runs out: the reason and what you want next time. Words: we were too high and too fast, the approach was not stable at 1,000 feet, a longer final.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Tower, Monsoon 31, going around.
Tower: Monsoon 31, roger. Follow the published missed approach. Contact Approach 119.450.
Pilot: Published missed approach, Approach 119.450, Monsoon 31.
Pilot, to Approach: Approach, Monsoon 31, going around, climbing to altitude 3,000 feet on the published missed approach. We were too high and too fast, and the approach was not stable at 1,000 feet. Request vectors for another ILS, with a longer final this time, about 12 miles.
Approach: Monsoon 31, roger. Turn right heading 360. Climb altitude 4,000 feet. Expect a 12-mile final.
Read-back: "Right heading 360, climb altitude 4,000 feet, Monsoon 31."
24. Rejected take-off (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: if the tower stops you, "stop immediately, I say again, stop immediately, acknowledge", answered with "stopping" (CAP 413, 4.40). If you stop on your own, CAP 413 (4.41) says to tell the tower as soon as practicable, then give the reason and ask for further instructions.
Where it runs out: the reason and the consequences. Words: we rejected the take-off at about 100 knots, an engine fire warning, the warning has gone out, the brakes will be hot, check the engine and the brakes.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Tower, Saffron 610, stopping.
Tower: Saffron 610.
Pilot, when stopped: Saffron 610, we rejected the take-off at about 100 knots because of a fire warning on the left engine. The warning has now gone out. Our brakes will be hot. Request the fire service to check the left engine and the brakes. We will stay on the runway until they have looked.
Tower: Saffron 610, roger. The fire service is on the way. Hold position. Landing traffic is being held.
Read-back: "Holding, Saffron 610."
25. A loud bang on the take-off roll: possible tyre burst (pilot)
Phraseology that exists: none for the event. The frame is the normal departure exchange, REQUEST, and a frequency change that you read back.
Where it runs out: describing a sound you did not see, asking for an inspection and deciding later. Words: a loud bang, during the take-off roll, possibly a tyre burst, all indications are normal, a runway inspection for debris, we will decide our intentions.
Model transmission (TalkDrill worked example)
Pilot: Tower, Lantern 23, passing 3,000 feet. We heard a loud bang during the take-off roll, possibly a tyre burst. All indications are normal. Request a runway inspection for debris. We will continue the climb and decide our intentions when we have the result.
Tower: Lantern 23, roger, runway inspection requested. Contact Departure 124.350.
Pilot: Departure 124.350, Lantern 23.
Departure, later: Lantern 23, the inspection found pieces of tyre about 1,500 metres from the threshold of runway 27. Say intentions.
Pilot: Lantern 23, copied. We will hold to reduce our landing weight, then return to land. Request a holding area and the fire service for our landing.
Read-back: "Departure 124.350, Lantern 23." Frequency changes are read back in full.
Listening traps that cost comprehension marks
The TEA page says its Part 2 recordings are of "international speakers of English", so expect accents, hesitations and messages in an unusual order. These traps come up again and again in the scenarios above.
| Trap | What happens | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| A similar call sign | You take an instruction meant for another aircraft (scenario 20) | Listen for the whole call sign; read back with your call sign at the end |
| MINIMUM FUEL vs MAYDAY FUEL | One is advice with no priority; the other is a distress call with priority category A (CAP 413, 8.29 and 8.32) | Say which one you heard in your report; never treat them as the same |
| "Expect" vs "cleared" | "Expect ILS runway 27" is planning information, not a clearance | If you are not sure which you heard, CONFIRM |
| Hold short, hold position, line up | The runway words that cause incursions (scenario 22) | Runway clearances are always read back in full; doubt means CONFIRM before you move |
| Two numbers in one message | "Turn left heading 250, descend FL150" heard as one number | Write as you listen; read back in the order received |
| RVR in three parts | Touchdown, mid-point and stop end heard as one value (scenario 17) | Note three numbers; ask "say again the touchdown RVR" if one is missing |
| Hesitation and wrong order | A speaker under stress gives the request before the problem | Report the message, not the words: problem, need, intention, numbers |
| "Affirm" and "negative" on a noisy frequency | A one-word answer is lost in noise | If the answer matters, CONFIRM it with a full sentence |
Your first language also shapes which traps catch you. Final consonants, th, v and w, and stress on numbers all affect how call signs and figures sound. The mistakes by first language page covers Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Punjabi, Arabic, Tagalog, Bahasa, Vietnamese and Turkish speakers.
A practice route: 25 scenarios in 15 days
Reading these scenarios is not practice. Speaking them is. Ten to twenty minutes a day is enough if every session is recorded and scored. This route slots into week 2 and week 3 of the 30-day roadmap.
| Days | What to do | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Read sections 1 to 3 of this page. Copy the six clarification formulas onto a card. Say each one aloud ten times with the right tune: questions such as "do you mean the left engine?" rise, instructions fall. The intonation practice sentences train exactly this. | None yet |
| 3 to 7 | Scenarios 1 to 12, two or three a day. Speak the model once, cover it, then do the situation in your own words. Pilots also speak the controller line, and controllers the pilot line. | Structure and vocabulary |
| 8 to 11 | Scenarios 13 to 21 on TalkDrill role-play, with the AI playing the other station. Before each session, read ten call signs and fuel figures aloud on read-aloud practice. | Comprehension and interactions |
| 12 to 14 | Scenarios 22 to 25, then five drawn at random. A partner or the AI changes one detail each time (a different engine, a different runway, a pilot who will not stop talking). | All six criteria |
| 15 | Six random scenarios in 20 minutes, recorded, with no pause between them. Then one full mock from the practice bank. | All six; your level is the lowest |
How to score a scenario (TalkDrill method)
Listen back once and answer five questions. Did I give the problem, need, intention and numbers without being asked? Did my read-back contain only the read-back items and my call sign? Did I use the past tense for what happened? When the other station surprised me, did I ask a precise question within a few seconds? Did I keep going without long silences? Each "no" points at one criterion; the rating scale page tells you which, and what Level 4 sounds like for it.
If you are a controller preparing for ELPAC, the controllers page adds role plays from the position. Book your test date when your recordings show a consistent 4 or better on every criterion. The aviation English hub has the validity rules, the test comparison and the official links.
Sources, and what we could not check
- UK CAA, CAP 413 Radiotelephony Manual, Edition 24, dated 1 July 2026. Downloaded from the CAP 413 page on 21 October 2026. Every phraseology quote on this page comes from it, with the paragraph number. CAP 413 is the UK manual; it states, for example, that pilot qualifications in a distress message are a UK addition with "no ICAO requirement" (8.13, note 1), so expect small national differences.
- Test of English for Aviation. The TEA page, read on 21 October 2026, for the Part 2 tasks, the repetition rule and the plain-English focus.
- ELPAC. The ELPAC site, read on 21 October 2026, for the two papers, the two raters and the lowest-rating rule.
- ICAO. Annex 1 sets the six criteria, Level 4 as the minimum and the lowest-of-six rule. ICAO phraseology is in Annex 10 Volume II, PANS-ATM (Doc 4444) and the Manual of Radiotelephony (Doc 9432). The ICAO language proficiency page returned 403 to our fetchers this week, so we quote none of these directly.
- India. The DGCA portal lists ELP Training and Testing Service Providers; the DGCA ELP page explains the route. We could not read a DGCA or AAI phraseology document this week. Use the AIP India and your operator's or unit's manuals for the phraseology you are checked on.
Not checked, so not stated: ICAO's exact wording for weather deviation requests, any phrase for laser reports, and how a crew answers the 7500 verification question. Every model transmission on this page was written by TalkDrill as a worked example. None is a transcript of a real flight, a real test or a real candidate.