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Instrument rating · ACS IR.III.A · lesson pack

ATC Clearances

Why this one matters

A clearance is an agreement between pilot and controller about where the airplane will be. Misunderstandings, copied wrong, read back carelessly, or meant for another airplane, are how airplanes end up at the wrong altitude near terrain or traffic. Clear copying and the habit of asking keep both sides of that agreement honest.

1 · Know these cold

  • •Copy a clearance in order, CRAFT: Clearance limit, Route, Altitude, Frequency, Transponder code.(AIM, Chapter 4, Section 4 (ATC clearances))
  • •Read it back from what you wrote, with your call sign: altitudes and altitude restrictions, headings and vectors, runway assignments in the order given, the code, and every hold-short instruction. If any part is unclear, ask.(AIM 4-4-7, 4-3-18)
  • •Once cleared, deviate only with an amended clearance, in an emergency, or in response to a TCAS resolution advisory, and tell ATC as soon as possible. Never fly a clearance issued to another aircraft. If you can’t comply, say "unable" before you start. Outside Class A, in VFR conditions, you may cancel IFR.(14 CFR 91.123(a)-(c), (e))
  • •Clearance void time: if you’re not off by then, tell ATC as soon as possible, and by the advise-by time ATC gives (never more than 30 minutes after the void time), or you're overdue and search starts. Departing after the void time means no IFR separation and may violate 91.173.(AIM 5-2-7; 14 CFR 91.173)
  • •Report at all times (radar or not): vacating an altitude; an altitude change on a VFR-on-top clearance; unable to climb or descend at 500 fpm; a missed approach; a TAS change of 5% or 10 knots, whichever is greater; time and altitude reaching a holding fix or clearance limit; leaving a holding fix; any loss of navigation or communication capability (91.187); unforecast weather; anything else that affects safety.(AIM 5-3-3a.1; 14 CFR 91.183, 91.187)
  • •Only when not in radar contact, add: position reports at compulsory reporting points; leaving the FAF or outer marker inbound on final; and a corrected estimate when the last one is off by more than 2 minutes (3 over the North Atlantic). Start these again when ATC says "radar contact lost".(AIM 5-3-2, 5-3-3a.2)
  • •Checkride standard: airspeed ±10 knots, heading ±10°, altitude ±100 feet, course within ¾-scale CDI deflection.(Instrument Rating ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8C), IR.III.A.S5)

2 · The lesson

Copying and reading back
  • Write it in CRAFT order before you call: the clearance limit, route, altitude (and expected altitude), departure frequency and squawk.(AIM, Chapter 4, Section 4 (ATC clearances))
  • Read back altitudes, headings, codes and restrictions. ATC listens for errors; you listen for your own call sign.(AIM, Chapter 4, Section 4 (ATC clearances))
  • Similar call signs cause read-back mistakes. If you aren’t sure a clearance is for you, ask.(AIM, Chapter 4, Section 4 (ATC clearances))
  • Clearance void times and "hold for release": you may not depart before release or after the void time without a new clearance.(AIM, Chapter 5, Section 2 (departure procedures))
  • The workflow: copy it, read it back, then set it (altitude preselect, heading bug, frequencies, code, navigator route), then verify each against what you wrote and fly it within standards.(AIM, Chapter 4, Section 4 (ATC clearances); Instrument Rating ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8C), IR.III.A.S1-S7)
Complying, questioning and refusing
  • Fly the clearance as issued. Don’t accept one your airplane can’t do, like a climb gradient it can’t meet or a route your equipment can’t fly.(14 CFR 91.123)
  • If a clearance looks wrong (toward terrain, below the MEA), question it. On a radar vector, ATC's minimum vectoring altitude can legally be below the MEA; if you can't resolve it, say "unable" and ask for a corrected clearance. You remain responsible for the flight.(AIM, Chapter 4, Section 4 (ATC clearances))
  • In an emergency you may deviate as needed. Tell ATC, and ask for priority when you need it. Two different reports may follow: a written report to the FAA if it asks (91.3(c)), and, if ATC gave you priority and asks, a detailed report within 48 hours to that facility's manager (91.123(d)).(14 CFR 91.3(b)-(c); 91.123(d))
Lost comms and non-radar
  • Lost communications: squawk 7600 and follow 91.185 for route and altitude. The full procedure is in the Loss of Communications lesson.(14 CFR 91.185)
  • Outside radar contact, give position reports at compulsory reporting points: identification, position, time, altitude, type of flight plan (unless talking to ARTCC), ETA and name of the next point, the one after, and remarks.(AIM, Chapter 5, Section 3 (en route procedures))
  • The at-all-times reports apply in radar contact too; the non-radar list adds to them, it doesn't replace them.(AIM 5-3-3)

Want it all on one page, with scenarios? Read the full lesson.

On the flight

ACS standards

  • Maintain airspeed ±10 knots, headings ±10°, altitude ±100 feet; track a course, radial or bearing within ¾-scale deflection of the CDI.(Instrument Rating ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8C), IR.III.A.S5)
  • Copy, read back, interpret and comply with ATC clearances in a timely manner using standard phraseology.(Instrument Rating ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8C), IR.III.A.S1)

What your instructor is watching for

Your instructor watches for a clean CRAFT copy, a complete read-back, radios and transponder set right, and the courage to say "unable" or ask.

3 · Say it out loud

Answer each one out loud, then check yourself and mark how it went.

  1. Remember Recall it

    “What does CRAFT stand for?”

  2. Understand Explain why

    “Why does a clearance void time matter?”

  3. Apply Use it on a flight

    “ATC clears you to descend to 2,500 feet, but your chart shows a 3,100-foot MEA on this airway. What do you do?”

4 · Common mistakes

  • Reading back from memory.

    Errors slip in.

    Instead: Read back what you wrote.

  • Accepting a clearance you can’t fly.

    You’re still responsible.

    Instead: Say "unable" early.

  • Forgetting required reports.

    ATC builds separation on them.

    Instead: Know the "always report" list.

5 · Quick check

Answer, then reveal. Flag anything you want to see again.

  1. 1. Order to copy a clearance?

  2. 2. Not off by the void time: tell ATC within how long?

  3. 3. May you deviate from a clearance in an emergency?

  4. 4. Name three reports you make at all times.

  5. 5. Checkride altitude tolerance?

  6. Scenario6. You’re cleared direct to a fix, but the direct line crosses a mountain ridge above your altitude. What do you do?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice atc clearances out loud with our examiner.

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Connect it

One situation that runs across this lesson and its neighbors in the same ACS area. Decide first, then check.

Connect it · ATC Clearances & Procedures

ATC: 'Hold northeast of the VOR on the 040 radial, as published, expect further clearance 1530.' You're 4 minutes out at 5,000 feet, 140 knots.

What do you do now, and what does the EFC mean if you lose comms in the hold? Decide, then see the worked answer

Read the clearance back. Holding northeast on the 040 radial means the inbound course is 220° to the VOR. Draw the entry sectors from that 220° inbound course and pick direct, parallel or teardrop from your heading as you cross the fix. The maximum holding speed up to 6,000 feet MSL is 200 KIAS, so at 140 knots you already comply; any slowing starts within 3 minutes of the fix. Report the time and altitude when you reach the holding fix, and report leaving it; both reports are required without being asked. Fly the hold: start timing over or abeam the fix, whichever is later. The inbound leg is 1 minute at or below 14,000 feet, so adjust the outbound time to get it, and correct for wind with about triple the inbound drift correction on the outbound leg. Write down the time you reached the fix and the EFC. Then recalculate fuel to the EFC and on through the approach and alternate; if the reserves won't hold, tell ATC now. If comms fail, 91.185 depends on the clearance limit. If it's a fix where an approach begins, start the approach as close as possible to the EFC (or your ETA, if you had no EFC). If it isn't, leave the clearance limit at the EFC (or on arrival, if you had none), go to a fix where an approach begins, and start the approach as close as possible to your ETA. And if you're in VFR conditions when the radio fails, continue VFR and land as soon as practicable.

AIM 5-3-8, 6-4-1; 14 CFR 91.183, 91.185; IPH (FAA-H-8083-16B)

Brings together: Compliance with Air Traffic Control Clearances · Holding Procedures

Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →

Study aid, not FAA guidance. Sources: Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM); Instrument Procedures Handbook (FAA-H-8083-16B); Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B); 14 CFR; Instrument Rating ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8C). Checked against current sources 2026-11-13.