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PPL Flight Radio Telephony

PPL Flight Radio Telephony

Product information

What you'll get

  • Real radio exchanges taught as patterns, not scripts
  • Exam-style quizzes
  • Emergency and radio-failure procedures explained clearly
  • Interactive elements

This course is intended solely for the purchaser and may not be copied, printed, redistributed, or shared with others. Read full licence

Description

Every flight you make is conducted on the radio, and the Flight Radiotelephony Operator (FRTO) rating is what qualifies you to speak on it. The written exam is short, but the subject rewards genuine understanding rather than memorised phrases. Knowing why a readback is required, why the phonetic alphabet exists and how the frequencies around New Zealand are organised is what lets you sound calm and unambiguous when the circuit gets busy.

This course starts with how radio actually works, from VHF line-of-sight propagation and the aviation frequency bands to the transceiver, transponder and emergency locator transmitter in the aircraft. From there it builds the language: the phonetic alphabet, transmitting numbers and time, standard words and phrases, call signs, and the readback rules that stop instructions being misheard. You then work through complete exchanges at uncontrolled and controlled aerodromes, en route with Flight Information, and in the transitions between them, so that each call becomes a predictable pattern rather than a performance.

The final part covers the calls you hope never to make. Distress and urgency procedures, transponder emergency codes, radio failure and the light signals that replace the radio are taught as procedures you can run under pressure. Every topic maps to the NZ CAA FRTO syllabus and the ASPEQ examination, with exam-style questions throughout. This course is in production now. Use the Contact Us button and we will let you know the moment it opens.

Pre-requisites

  • None

Course Overview

  • 1. Welcome to Flight Radiotelephony

  • 2. Syllabus Reference

  • 3. Where the Answers Live

  • 4. The Radio Story of a Flight

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. How Radio Waves Work

  • 3. HF and VHF

  • 4. Operating the Transceiver

  • 5. Headsets and Microphones

  • 6. Radio in Practice: Nobody Can Hear Me

  • 7. Summary

  • 8. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. The Phonetic Alphabet

  • 3. Transmitting Numbers

  • 4. The Time System

  • 5. Standard Words and Phrases

  • 6. Readability and Radio Checks

  • 7. Callsigns and First Contact

  • 8. Exchanging Messages

  • 9. Radio in Practice: First Solo Calls

  • 10. Summary

  • 11. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Who Is on the Other End

  • 3. ATIS

  • 4. UNICOM

  • 5. AFRU and AWIB

  • 6. Finding the Right Frequency

  • 7. Radio in Practice: Planning the Comms

  • 8. Summary

  • 9. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Preflight Action and Callsigns

  • 3. Radio in Controlled Airspace

  • 4. Equipment Rules

  • 5. Transponders, Light Signals and the ELT

  • 6. Unauthorised Transmissions and Secrecy

  • 7. Radio in Practice: The Rules Bite

  • 8. Summary

  • 9. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Readbacks

  • 3. Taxi and Departure

  • 4. In the Circuit

  • 5. Arriving from Outside the Zone

  • 6. Radio in Practice: A Busy Tower

  • 7. Summary

  • 8. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Broadcasting at an Unattended Aerodrome

  • 3. The Standard Overhead Join

  • 4. Flight Service Aerodromes

  • 5. Mandatory Broadcast Zones

  • 6. Common Frequency Zones

  • 7. Radio in Practice: Mixed Traffic

  • 8. Summary

  • 9. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Position Reports

  • 3. Clearances to Enter and Transit

  • 4. Talking to Radar

  • 5. Flight Plans and SARTIME

  • 6. Mixing with IFR Traffic

  • 7. Radio in Practice: The Transit

  • 8. Summary

  • 9. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Mode A and Mode C

  • 3. Operating the Transponder

  • 4. Emergency Codes

  • 5. Transponder Phraseology

  • 6. Transponder Mandatory Airspace

  • 7. Radio in Practice: Squawk Troubles

  • 8. Summary

  • 9. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. MAYDAY or PAN PAN

  • 3. Making the Call

  • 4. Radio Silence and Helping

  • 5. Ending the Emergency

  • 6. Search and Rescue Communications

  • 7. Radio in Practice: A Rough Engine

  • 8. Summary

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. What the ELT Transmits

  • 3. Carriage Requirements

  • 4. Activation

  • 5. After a Forced Landing

  • 6. Testing and Inadvertent Activation

  • 7. Radio in Practice: The Hard Landing

  • 8. Summary

  • 9. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Is It Really Dead

  • 3. Getting Comms Back

  • 4. What to Do Where

  • 5. The Speechless Technique

  • 6. ATC Light Signals

  • 7. TIBA

  • 8. Radio in Practice: Silent Inbound

  • 9. Summary

  • 10. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Phraseology Consolidator

  • 3. The Traps

  • 4. Summary

  • 1. About the Practice Exam

  • 2. Practice Exam

Frequently Asked Questions

When will this course be available?
It is in production now. Use the Contact Us button and we will let you know the moment it opens.
What does this course cover?
The full NZ CAA Flight Radiotelephony Operator (FRTO) syllabus: radio wave propagation and the aviation frequency bands, radio equipment including transceivers, transponders and emergency locator transmitters, radiotelephony procedures and standard phraseology, operations at controlled and uncontrolled aerodromes, Flight Information Service, and emergency, urgency and radio-failure procedures.
Do I need any prior knowledge?
No. The course starts from first principles and builds to exam depth, so it suits first-time PPL students as well as licensed pilots wanting a refresher before a flight test.
Is it aligned to the NZ CAA syllabus?
Yes. Every topic maps to the NZCAA FRTO syllabus and the ASPEQ examination, so you study exactly what is examinable and nothing is left to guesswork.
How does it prepare me for the exam?
Each topic ends with exam-style questions and worked explanations, and the course finishes with practice exams that mirror the ASPEQ format so you can sit realistic mock exams until you are consistently passing.
How long do I have access, and do I get updates?
Access runs from the date you enrol for the period shown at checkout, and enrolled students receive ongoing content updates at no extra cost as the syllabus and best practice evolve.