Ground Communications
Taxi clearances, hold shorts, progressive taxi
The Golden Rule: Read Back EVERYTHING
ATC expects you to read back every taxi clearance, every hold-short instruction, every runway assignment. If you don't read it back, the controller doesn't know you got it. In busy Class D and C airspace, a missed readback can result in a runway incursion.
What Must Always Be Read Back
1. Your call sign 2. The runway assigned 3. Every taxiway letter 4. Every hold-short instruction — word for word 5. Altimeter setting 6. Any restriction ("remain this frequency", "contact tower")
Taxi Clearance — Full Example
“Cessna 4 Sierra Uniform, Hilo Ground, taxi to runway 26 via Alpha, hold short of runway 21, altimeter 29.92.”
“4 Sierra Uniform, taxi to runway 26 via Alpha, hold short of runway 21, altimeter 29.92.”
Most Common Ground Mistakes
- ✗"Copy, 4SU" — Never say "copy". Read the clearance back.
- ✗"Taxi to 26" — Missing taxiway, hold short, and altimeter.
- ✗"Hold short of 21" — Missing "runway" before the designator.
- ✗"29.92, 4 Sierra Uniform" — Altimeter must follow hold short, not precede the call sign.
Progressive Taxi
If ATC says "progressive taxi instructions will follow," they'll guide you turn by turn. Don't start moving until each instruction is given. Read back each leg individually: "Right on Bravo, 4 Sierra Uniform."
Hold Short: The Safety-Critical Call
Missing a hold-short instruction is an automatic FAIL on any checkride, and in real life it means a runway incursion. The phrase "hold short of runway XX" must appear verbatim in your readback. No exceptions.
Runway Crossing
“Cessna 4 Sierra Uniform, cross runway 14 at Alpha.”
“Cross runway 14 at Alpha, 4 Sierra Uniform.”