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Flight phases

First Call and Standard Announcement

The first 8 seconds of your call define how the controller perceives you for the rest of the flight. A good first call is clear, complete, and — above all — never asks before introducing itself.

5 min read
ICAO Doc 9432 · Chapter 4
Stefano Dias, ATCO

What is "the first call"

The first call is the first contact on a frequency with an ATC unit — whether you're turning on the radio for the first time on the field, or changing frequency in flight. It's the "heaviest" moment of the entire conversation, because:

  • You must identify yourself completely (callsign + aircraft type)
  • You must give your position (on ground or in air)
  • You must announce intentions
  • You must communicate the ATIS received (if applicable)

A poorly-made first call means two or three wasted radio cycles to recover missing information. With traffic, that's an evident waste.

The standard structure

The sequence is always the same, in two phases:

Phase 1 — Establish contact

Just two elements:

  1. Whom you're calling (station name)
  2. Who you are (your callsign)

Example: "Lugano Tower, HB-PMR."

You wait for the controller's response: "HB-PMR, Lugano Tower." — this is the signal that they've "taken charge" of the dialogue.

Phase 2 — Communicate the main message

Now give all the information:

  1. Full identification — callsign (repeated) + aircraft type
  2. Current position — on ground: parking position; in flight: point + altitude
  3. Intentions — what you want (taxi, take-off, landing, transit)
  4. Persons on board (POB) — optional, but useful in some situations
  5. Fuel remaining — optional
  6. ATIS letter received — "with information [letter]"
First call from Lugano for VFR departure
HB-PMRLugano Tower, HB-PMR.
TWRHB-PMR, Lugano Tower.
HB-PMRHB-PMR, Cessna 172, parking position Alpha 3, request taxi for VFR departure to Locarno via Magadino, with information Bravo.
TWRHB-PMR, taxi to holding point runway 19 via Alpha, QNH 1018, runway 19 in use.
HB-PMRTaxi to holding point runway 19 via Alpha, QNH 1018, HB-PMR.

The "compact call"

When the controller doesn't seem busy and the frequency is low-traffic, it's allowed to compress the two phases into a single transmission:

Compact on low-traffic frequency
HB-PMRLugano Tower, HB-PMR, Cessna 172, parking Alpha 3, request taxi for VFR departure to Locarno, with information Bravo.
TWRHB-PMR, Lugano Tower, taxi to holding point runway 19 via Alpha, QNH 1018.

This form is more efficient, but risky if the frequency is busy: if the controller is finishing another conversation and hasn't "counted you in", your compact call passes into the void.

When NOT to use compact

- At large airports (Zurich, Geneva) — always Phase 1 + Phase 2. - When you hear lots of traffic on frequency. - When you've never called that station before in the flight — better to announce yourself first.

Differences between units

First call content varies slightly based on whom you're calling:

To TOWER (for departure)

Include: parking, destination, flight type (VFR), indicative route, ATIS.

To TOWER (for arrival)

Include: current position and altitude, aircraft type, POB, fuel, entry request (landing, transit, hold).

To INFORMATION

Include: position and altitude, intentional route (from/to), explicit FIS request.

To APPROACH

Include: position and altitude, route, request (TMA transit / vectoring / SVFR), ATIS.

What NOT to say at first call

Frequent errors

Things NOT to include at first call:

- "Good morning" or formal greetings. Accepted in some local schools but non-standard. For Skyguide at Lugano it's tolerated; at Zurich or Geneva, better avoided. - Flight history: "we left Bellinzona at 9". Doesn't help, useless. - Asking for clearance before introducing yourself: "Cleared for takeoff?" as the first phrase is the biggest beginner mistake. - Full registration number (e.g. HB-PMR-obtained-in-2018) or owner name. Just callsign. - Passenger name ("I have Mario on board"). Doesn't matter.

When to abbreviate the callsign

The full callsign is used:

  • Always at first call
  • When the controller hasn't yet abbreviated yours
  • When there are several similar callsigns on frequency

Can be abbreviated to last 3 characters when:

  • The controller abbreviates first ("PMR, descend 3000 feet")
  • You're in active conversation for some time
  • There's no ambiguity

Swiss specifics

🇨🇭 Swiss context

At Lugano, the first call in Italian is allowed for Italian-speaking pilots:

> "Lugano Torre, HB-PMR, Cessna 172, parcheggio Alpha 3, richiedo rullaggio per partenza VFR per Locarno via Magadino, con informazioni Bravo."

The Skyguide controller responds in the same language. However, for VFR cross-country or if non-Italian-speaking CTR/TMA crossings are anticipated (Bern, Zurich), starting in English facilitates the entire flight.

Summary — to remember

  1. Two phases: contact + message. Wait for the contact reply.
  2. Structure: whom you call, who you are, where you are, what you want, ATIS.
  3. Compact only on quiet frequency and with previously contacted stations.
  4. No greetings, no history, no names — only operational info.
  5. Full callsign at first call; abbreviated after.
  6. In Switzerland Italian language allowed at Lugano/Locarno; English elsewhere.

Sources

  • ICAO Doc 9432 — Manual of Radiotelephony, Chapter 4
  • ICAO Doc 4444 — PANS-ATM, Chapter 12
  • AIP Switzerland — ENR 1.2 (VFR procedures)
  • Aero Locarno · Subject 090 — VFR Communications ("Standard announcement" chapter)
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