Departure & Takeoff
Clearances, line-up-and-wait, squawk, initial departure contact
Tower vs. Ground — Know When You Switch
Ground controls you until you're cleared to cross or enter the runway. Then it's Tower. Listen for "contact tower on 118.3" or "switch to tower." Read back the frequency. Do NOT contact tower until instructed.
Takeoff Clearance
“Cessna 4 Sierra Uniform, runway 26, cleared for takeoff, wind 250 at 8.”
“Runway 26, cleared for takeoff, 4 Sierra Uniform.”
Line-Up and Wait (LUAW)
"Line up and wait" replaces the old "position and hold." It means taxi onto the runway and STOP. You are NOT cleared for takeoff. Wait for explicit takeoff clearance. Read back: "Line up and wait, runway XX, [call sign]."
Line-Up and Wait
“Cessna 4 Sierra Uniform, runway 28 Left, line up and wait.”
“Line up and wait, runway 28 Left, 4 Sierra Uniform.”
Departure Readback Errors
- ✗Omitting "runway XX" before "cleared for takeoff" — required in readback.
- ✗Acknowledging with "Roger" only — not a valid clearance readback.
- ✗Not reading back the squawk code digit by digit: say "four five two one," never "forty-five twenty-one."
- ✗Missing the heading or altitude from a departure heading instruction.
Departure with Squawk and Heading
“Cessna 4 Sierra Uniform, squawk 4521, fly heading 270, runway 28, cleared for takeoff.”
“Squawk 4521, heading 270, runway 28, cleared for takeoff, 4 Sierra Uniform.”
Clearance Void Time
At non-towered fields with approach control, you may get a clearance void time: "Clearance void if not off by 15 past. Time now 10 past." If you're not airborne by the void time, call back. Missing it starts a search-and-rescue clock.