ILS Approach Readback

What this scenario covers

1. Exchange 1

   ATC: “Cessna Five One Two Sierra Papa, turn left heading zero three zero, descend and maintain two thousand until established on the localizer.”

   Read back the vector and the altitude to hold until established. Heading and level are mandatory readback items. You are NOT cleared for the approach yet.

   💡 A vector to final gives you a heading, a limiting altitude, and "until established" — read all of it back. Do not say "cleared" yet: the approach clearance is a separate transmission.

2. Exchange 2

   ATC: “Cessna Two Sierra Papa, four miles from CENTU, closing the localizer from the left, cleared ILS runway zero six approach.”

   Read back the ILS clearance. The clearance and runway are mandatory — this is a safety-critical readback.

   💡 An approach clearance is read back in full including the runway, so any wrong-runway confusion is caught before you descend. "Cleared for the approach" without the runway is not a complete readback.

3. Exchange 3

   ATC: “Cessna Two Sierra Papa, report established on the localizer.”

   You have intercepted and the localizer is centred. Report established.

   💡 When asked to "report established", make the positive report — state that you are established on the localizer. "Wilco" alone does not tell the controller you are actually on the beam.

4. Exchange 4

   ATC: “Cessna Two Sierra Papa, contact Manchester Tower one one eight point five.”

   Read back the frequency change to Tower. The frequency is a mandatory readback item.

   💡 Read a frequency change back in full — in the US the decimal is spoken "point". Then make your initial call to Tower on the new frequency.