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Aviation vocabulary · Air Traffic Control & Radiotelephony

Frequency

Meaning in aviation, with examples

/ˈfriːkwənsi/nounCore term

In aviation, frequency means: The radio channel, given as a number in megahertz, that pilots and a particular ATC unit use to talk to each other.

In Turkish: frekans

How it is used

Pilots are told to 'contact' or 'monitor' a frequency, and they change frequency, stay on frequency or leave the frequency. In ICAO phraseology the decimal point is said 'decimal': 'one two one decimal three'.

Example sentences

  1. We heard nothing after changing frequency, so we went back to the previous one.

  2. The frequency is very busy; wait for a gap before you call.

Common collocations

  • change frequency
  • monitor the frequency
  • busy frequency
  • frequency change approved
  • stay on frequency
  • air traffic controlThe service that guides aircraft on the ground and in the air to keep them safely apart and moving in an orderly way. Controllers give instructions and clearances by radio.
  • call signThe name and number that identify an aircraft on the radio, such as the airline's radio name plus a flight number. It is used in every transmission.
  • say againThe standard radio phrase for asking someone to repeat all or part of their last message.
  • squawkTo set a four-digit code on the aircraft's transponder so that controllers can identify it on radar. As a noun, the code itself.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Air Traffic Control & Radiotelephony

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