FREE · 5 DEPARTURE & CLIMB DRILLS WITH AUDIO
Five original departure exchanges — IFR clearance, take-off, hand-off, an amended climb and a departure sequence — graded from ICAO Level 4 to Level 6.
Departure messages pack many numbers into a few seconds: squawk, altitude, frequency, wind. Train yourself to catch each one and know which is which.
DRILL 01 · LEVEL 4 · OPERATIONAL · DELIVERY · BEFORE TAXI
Bluejet two six one, cleared to Lakeport via the Mike Two Alpha departure, climb initially five thousand feet, squawk four two one six.
Cleared to Lakeport via Mike Two Alpha, climb initially five thousand feet, squawk four two one six, Bluejet two six one.
DRILL 02 · LEVEL 4 · OPERATIONAL · TOWER → DEPARTURE
Bluejet two six one, contact Departure one two four decimal three five. Good day.
One two four decimal three five, Bluejet two six one, good day.
Riverton Departure, Bluejet two six one, passing two thousand two hundred feet, climbing five thousand feet.
Bluejet two six one, identified. Climb flight level one one zero.
DRILL 03 · LEVEL 4 · OPERATIONAL · TOWER · RUNWAY
Riverton Tower, Fastair three one eight, holding point runway two four, ready for departure.
Fastair three one eight, wind two two zero degrees, one four knots, runway two four, cleared for take-off.
Runway two four, cleared for take-off, Fastair three one eight.
DRILL 04 · LEVEL 5 · EXTENDED · DEPARTURE · INITIAL CLIMB
Bluejet two six one, amend your clearance. Stop climb at four thousand feet due crossing traffic. Expect further climb in three minutes.
Stop climb at four thousand feet, expecting further climb in three minutes, Bluejet two six one.
Bluejet two six one, traffic is clear. Climb flight level one one zero, no speed restriction.
DRILL 05 · LEVEL 6 · EXPERT · TOWER · DEPARTURE SEQUENCE
Nordair two one, are you ready for immediate departure? I have an arrival at six miles.
Negative, Nordair two one. We are still completing a performance check after the runway change. We need about two more minutes.
Nordair two one, roger. Hold at the holding point. Two aircraft will depart before you. I will call you when you are number one.
YOUR SCORE
Check your answers on each drill above to see your score here.
No. They are original practice exchanges written for Speak, Fly, Pass and voiced with synthetic pilot and controller voices through a radio filter. ICAO does not run or sell the test: each State's licensing authority approves the tests used for its licences.
Yes. Speaking and listening are tested; reading and writing are not part of the ICAO rating. A typical test includes listening comprehension of radiotelephony or aviation recordings, alongside an interview, a picture description and a non-routine situation. Formats vary by provider.
Both are strings of digits spoken one by one. Listen for the keyword before the digits — “squawk”, “flight level”, “decimal” — because it tells you which item the numbers belong to.
Level 4 (Operational) is the minimum for radiotelephony on international operations. The scale runs from Level 1 (Pre-elementary) to Level 6 (Expert).
