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This Week’s Flying Tip: Know Your Clearance

Always ask for clarification if it is unclear what a controller is trying to tell you. Mark Brouwer/Creative Commons
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A pilot missed an IFR clearance void time when departing an uncontrolled field due to not acknowledging or fully understanding it, leading to a delay.
  • The incident highlights the critical need for pilots to fully understand and read back all components of a clearance, especially void times.
  • Pilots should always ask for clarification from Air Traffic Control if unsure about any instruction to ensure safe operations and avoid misunderstandings.
See a mistake? Contact us.

The other day, I was flying along and overheard a conversation between a controller and a pilot attempting to depart IFR from an uncontrolled field nearby. The controller gave the pilot a clearance with a void time. When the pilot read back the clearance I noticed that he made no mention of the void time.

Pia Bergqvist

Pia Bergqvist joined FLYING in December 2010. A passionate aviator, Pia started flying in 1999 and quickly obtained her single- and multi-engine commercial, instrument and instructor ratings. After a decade of working in general aviation, Pia has accumulated almost 3,000 hours of flight time in nearly 40 different types of aircraft.

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