Departure
Take-off clearance
Acknowledge a take-off clearance without ambiguity.
Original SkyRT lesson (pending instructor review)take-offrunway
When you use it
Lined up or at the holding point, on Tower frequency.
Example exchange
ATCVindhya Tower
VKA, wind 250 degrees 8 knots, runway 27, cleared for take-off
You
Runway 27, cleared for take-off, VKA
This is an illustrative example. The required elements matter more than the exact words — ICAO phraseology allows variation, and local procedures can differ.
Required information
- Runway
- CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF
- Call sign
Expected sequence
- Runway
- Cleared for take-off
- Call sign
Read back
- Runway
- Take-off clearance
Why it works this way
The words TAKE OFF are used only for the take-off clearance and its cancellation; at other times ATC and pilots say DEPARTURE or AIRBORNE (Doc 9432 §2.8.3.3). The runway and the clearance are mandatory read-back items (§2.8.3.5).
Common errors
- Saying “ready for take-off” when reporting ready (use “ready for departure”)
- Reading back the wind but not the runway
References
- ICAO Doc 9432, Manual of Radiotelephony (4th ed., 2007), §4.5 — Take-off procedures
- ICAO Doc 9432, Manual of Radiotelephony (4th ed., 2007), §2.8.3 — Use of the words TAKE OFF; read-back
Practise it: Departure with a conditional clearance
Run the related simulator scenario and get item-by-item feedback on your transmissions.
Open the scenario