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Aviation vocabulary · Air Traffic Control & Radiotelephony

Cleared for takeoff

Meaning in aviation, with examples

phraseCore term

In aviation, cleared for takeoff means: The ATC phrase that gives an aircraft permission to start its takeoff run on a specific runway. It is normally given by the tower controller.

In Turkish: kalkışa müsaade edildi, kalkış için izin verildi

How it is used

A full call sounds like this: 'Fastair 345, wind 040 degrees 10 knots, runway 05, cleared for takeoff.' The pilot reads it back with the runway. Before this, the aircraft may have been told to 'line up and wait'.

Example sentences

  1. Runway 05, cleared for takeoff, Fastair 345.

  2. The instructor reminded us that lining up does not mean we are cleared for takeoff.

Common collocations

  • cleared for takeoff runway 05
  • takeoff clearance
  • cancel takeoff clearance
  • line up and wait
  • clearancePermission from air traffic control for an aircraft to do something specific, such as follow a route, take off, enter airspace, climb or land.
  • takeoffThe moment or phase in which an aircraft speeds up along the runway and leaves the ground to begin a flight.
  • line upTo taxi onto the runway and stop on the centreline in the takeoff position, ready to go but not yet cleared for takeoff.
  • readbackRepeating an ATC clearance or instruction back to the controller, so that the controller can confirm it was heard and understood correctly.
  • runwayA long, specially prepared strip at an airport that aircraft use to take off and land. Each runway is named by a number based on its magnetic direction.

More terms: Air Traffic Control & Radiotelephony

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