Good place to practice IFR departure clearances?

lancie00

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lancie00
I did a quick search but didn't see any previous posts. In any case, do any of you know of a good place to go to get audio of departure clearances? I always hear it's good to practice copying clearances prior to IFR training but I don't know where to go to practice. LiveATC is nice but I'd like something I can rewind and make sure I wrote everything down correctly. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
 
C - Cleared to
R - Route of flight
A - Altitude
F - Frequency for departure
T - Transponder code

95% of the time you should know or have a pretty good idea of everything except the transponder code. I usually will go ahead and fill it out, then all you are doing is confirming it instead of trying to catch it all.
 
Right on POA! Bunch of former and current controllers here.

@Velocity173 talks a good game, try him. :rofl:
 
LiveATC does have archives. I would download from there and rewind to your heart's content.
 
As @flyer770 mentions, use the liveatc.net archives. Each listing on the site contains a link to "Audio Archives". You can download it in 30 minute blocks.

Recommend two things - first, find a feed where the stream ONLY contains the clearance delivery frequency (example - KOKC's clearance delivery. Yes, I know this one because the feed is in my attic!). That way you won't get tower and ground and who knows what else calls mixed in. This may take some hunting.

Two, if you're really interested, download the free audio editor "Audacity" and learn how to use the "remove silence" feature. It's pretty easy. What you're left with would just be clearance delivery transmissions, back-to-back. I have done this on Approach Control frequencies several times for students to let them hear their radio calls. Removing silence from ATC recordings takes a 30-min sound file down to 5 minutes or so, depending on how busy they are.
 
That super-pro Mzero is not your radio guru.

"Mzero waiting for IFR release..." <- no S/B Mzero ready for takeoff. They'll tell you if they need to work your release.

"Airspeed alive" hahahaha read the threads.

"Ident Mzero" Shut up and push the button, they'll know.

But as far as being prepared for filling in C-R-A-F-T, that is good stuff.
 
Fly VFR out of a busy class C that has clearance delivery.
 
"Ident Mzero" Shut up and push the button, they'll know.
Tell that to the FAA (or at least the guy that wrote page 2-3 of the Instrument Flying Handbook):
Screenshot_2018-08-23-08-38-37-744~2.jpeg
 
Fly VFR out of a busy class C that has clearance delivery.
I was based at IAD, so I did a lot of "CRAFT" copying of VFR clearances. While the overall clearance format is the same, the route and altitude are a lot simpler. The departure clearance route is almost always "Fly runway Heading" and the altitude is whatever is convenient for them.

You do want to listen to something that gives full routes and not just "AS FILED" or like IAD where you likely get the CAPITAL NNN departure which when done correctly sounds like "N5327K Cleared to Norfolk via CAPITAL EIGHT HANEY SQUAWK 5274." I should dig around on LIVE ATC and see if there's a good clearance delivery feed.

Now to digress, just because I tend to do these things.

My favorite personal clearance copying stories.

On my first IFR cross country with instructor, I carefully chose a route along Victor airways and filed it (the instructor said it looked good). Of course, I got a completely different route when I called or clearance. No problem, we set up to fly that. Almost immediately after takeoff and in radar contact we get a "We have a new route for you. Advise when ready to copy." I gave the plane over to the instructor and said go ahead. Hey, this route you gave me is what I filed for originally.

I was up in OWD (Norwood, MA) and filed IFR down to DC. Now V3 runs pretty much all the way from up there, down well east (I thought) of the NY airspace and ends up in MRB Virginia (which is just outside the DC airspace). So I file that and the computer takes it. In fact, the auto parrot that gives you what is supposed to be the eventual cleared route gave it back to me. I call ground at OWD for clearance. He starts to read it to me and then says "Nope, that's not going to work. Apparently it even issued the V3 route. A minute later he asks if I have my pencil ready and gives me a zigzaggy route down Long Island sound, direct over JFK then V16 down to DC. Amusingly IAD was a waypoint in the course, not AML (the VOR at IAD), but the airport itself. Sure why not with GPS.

Coming from HKY up to CJR, I have a pretty straight forward airway routing BZM V222 LYH V476 GVE. It's almost a straight line. I can always count on two things. One is ROA climbs me to 7000, despite the 4000 MEA, for radar coverage (not sure why seeing how I'm on an airway). The other is that eventually, they'll announce a new route and "advise when ready to copy." Great now what. I get out my pen and acknowledge. "CLEARED DIRECT CJR." This I had to copy down?
 
Tell that to the FAA (or at least the guy that wrote page 2-3 of the Instrument Flying Handbook):
View attachment 66589

Down south, you can acknowledge any ATC transmission with "There ya go." I always wanted to fly on "Talk like a pirate day" so I could respond to IDENT with "Arrrr. Thar be your button, matey."

Anyhow, the transmission merits an acknowledgment. A readback is somewhat spurious as controllers here have said. Either the controller sees an ident or not. Whether the pilot says he's gonna doesn't change anything.
 
I'll defer to @Timbeck2 and the other controller types.. but when they request an Ident and I push the button... they kinda know... and if the code I used is correct they REALLY know... and if I got it wrong they REALLY ask. Making the verbal bit, while "a good practice" a bit of an ATITAPA type use of radio waves.

We'll see what they come back with.
 
I'll defer to @Timbeck2 and the other controller types.. but when they request an Ident and I push the button... they kinda know... and if the code I used is correct they REALLY know... and if I got it wrong they REALLY ask. Making the verbal bit, while "a good practice" a bit of an ATITAPA type use of radio waves.

We'll see what they come back with.

In 30 years as a controller, 22 of it working Radar Approach and Center, I cannot recall one time I cared one way or the other whether or not I was ‘verbally flashed’ so to speak
 
Agree with luv, no reason to repeat anything, just push the button. Sort of like repeating "standing by" when a controller tells you to stand by..no wait, that one's worse.
 
Okay, I learned something today. I always thought there was a point to telling them that I was actually identing, so that my ident couldn't be mistaken for someone else's. So that's one practice I'll stop from now on. :)

(But no, I don't respond when the controller says "stand by".)
 
Okay, I learned something today.
Me too. I am shocked - shocked - to find that the FAA recommends things that have no practical value.
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Got no instrument rated buddies around? I am usually available for a beer to help practice clearances for my instrument student friends whenever they ask. :)
Listening to pre-recorded audio is fine if you're good at it and fast. But if you're just training to copy down a clearance, you likely want it a little slower and more understandable. So an interactive environment (IR buddy) would be a better fit, IMHO.
Find out what works for you and git 'er done! :)
 
Thanks for all of the replies. So far it looks like youtube is about the best but it's always a New York departure and those guys are fast. When getting a clearance do you guys ever tell them that you're a novice and ask them to slow down?
 
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