PilotSpeak

How to Call Ground for Taxi

Listen to the ATIS first. Then call Ground with six things: the facility, your callsign, where you are on the field, the ATIS letter, that you are ready to taxi, and VFR or IFR with where you are going. Ground answers with a runway and a route. Read both back and end with your callsign.

New to the radio? How to Talk to ATC covers what every call is built on.

Say this

Springfield Ground, November One Two Three Alpha Zulu, at the west ramp with information Bravo, ready to taxi, VFR to Riverside.

When you are ready to move, with the ATIS letter written down and the taxi diagram open.

The whole exchange

  1. YouSpringfield Ground, November One Two Three Alpha Zulu with information Bravo, ready to taxi.
  2. GroundNovember One Two Three Alpha Zulu, Springfield Ground, runway two seven, taxi via Alpha.
  3. YouRunway two seven via Alpha, November One Two Three Alpha Zulu.
Taxi route
Schematic airport. From the west ramp, along taxiway Alpha, to the hold short line at the end of runway 27. 9 27 27 A West ramp Taxiway Alpha Runway 27 begins at this end Hold short line wait here until cleared onto 27
  1. GroundNovember One Two Three Alpha Zulu, Springfield Ground, runway two seven, taxi via Alpha.
Schematic field, not a real airport. “Runway two seven” is the end painted 27; “taxi via Alpha” is the route. Taxiing to the runway does not clear you onto it (AIM 4-3-18).

What to read back

Before you key the mic

  1. Get the ATIS. Write down the letter, the runway in use and the altimeter. Ground expects you to have it.
  2. Know where you are. The ramp, FBO or parking spot as the airport names it. The taxi diagram shows the names.
  3. Have the taxi diagram open. The route comes fast, and you will need to follow it, not just repeat it.
  4. Listen before you talk. Wait for a gap so you do not step on another transmission.

How the call is built

Part Example Why it is there
Who you are calling Springfield Ground Tells the controller the call is for them
Who you are November One Two Three Alpha Zulu Your full callsign on first contact
Where you are at the west ramp AIM 4-3-18 asks you to state your position, so Ground does not have to look for you
What you have with information Bravo Saves Ground from reading the weather back to you
What you want ready to taxi The request itself
Where you are going VFR to Riverside AIM 4-3-18 lists the type of operation, VFR or IFR, and the point of first intended landing. On a local flight, pilots usually say the direction they will leave in instead, such as "VFR to the north"

PilotSpeak practices the short form of this call, without the position and the destination. On the radio, say both: the AIM asks for them in every taxi request.

Common mistakes

  • No ATIS letter. Ground will read you the weather or ask you to confirm you have the current one. Both cost frequency time.
  • No position. The controller has to ask where you are before giving a route.
  • "Roger" instead of a readback. "Roger" only means you heard. The runway and any hold short instruction must be repeated back.
  • No callsign in the readback. Ground cannot be sure who answered.
  • "With the numbers" when you have the ATIS. In the Pilot/Controller Glossary, "have numbers" means you have only the runway, wind and altimeter. Use it where there is no ATIS, not instead of the letter.
  • Leaving out VFR or IFR and where you are going. The AIM lists both in a taxi request.
  • Moving before the instruction. At a towered airport you need taxi instructions from Ground before you move onto the taxiways (AIM 4-3-18).

If Ground says something you did not expect

  • A hold short in the route, such as "hold short of runway one niner": read it back with the runway number. Controllers must get a readback of every hold short instruction.
  • A route you missed: "Say again" is a normal request. Asking costs less than guessing.
  • An unfamiliar field: ask for progressive taxi and Ground will give you turn-by-turn directions.

FAQ

Do I call Ground or Clearance Delivery first?

At most Class D fields you call Ground directly. At many Class B and C airports VFR departures call Clearance Delivery first for a squawk code. The ATIS usually says which.

Do I have to read back the whole taxi route?

The runway should be in your readback (AIM 4-4-7), and every hold short instruction must be read back: controllers are required to get it. Repeating the route as well is good practice, because it lets Ground catch a wrong turn before you make it.

Can I practice this call for free?

Yes. In PilotSpeak this is the free call: you say it out loud, Ground answers, and you hear what you left out.

Sources

Checked against its FAA sources on 2026-10-22 · Written by the PilotSpeak team

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