Commands

Commands are mirrored from common ATC phraseology. For example, to instruct an aircraft to descend to 4,000 feet, you might say: "SkyWest twelve thirty four, descend and maintain four thousand feet."

Because commands are sent through an LLM (GPT-4o-mini), the syntax for the commands is very loose. As long as you make your intentions clear, the LLM should understand and generate the approprate response.

Available Commands:

All commands should be prefixed with an aircraft's callsign, such as SkyWest Twelve Thirty Four, or `SkyWest One Two Three Four.

Air

Altitude

Normal Syntax:

  • <climb|descend> [and maintain|to] <feet> feet
  • <climb|descend> and maintain flight level <flight level>

Shorthand Syntax: a, alt, altitude: descend and maintain 4000 feet = a 040

Changes the altitude of the aircraft.

Examples:

  • climb and maintain flight level one four zero
  • descend and maintain four thousand feet

Turn

Normal Syntax: turn [direction] heading <heading>.

Shorthand Syntax: t, turn, h, heading: turn right heading 360 = t 360

Changes the direction of the aircraft.

Speed

Normal Syntax: maintain <knots> knots

Shorthand Syntax: s, spd speed: maintain 250 knots = s 250

Changes the speed of the aircraft.

Direct

Normal Syntax: direct <waypoint>

Shorthand Syntax: d, dt, direct: direct waypoint = d waypoint

Changes the aircraft's flight plan to fly directly to a waypoint (that is already in the flight plan).

Frequency

Contact Named Controller

Normal Syntax: contact <controller> [on] [frequency]

Shorthand Syntax: f, freq, frequency, tune, contact: contact departure = f departure

Changes the frequency the aircraft is tuned to, using the frequency configured for that controller in the server config.

Examples:

  • contact departure

Contact Frequency

Normal Syntax:

  • contact <controller> on <frequency>
  • tune to <frequency>

Shorthand Syntax: (same as above): contact departure on 123.4 = f 123.4

Changes the frequency the aircraft is tuned to, forcing a specific frequency.

Examples:

  • tune to 123.4
  • contact departure on 123.4

Approach and Landing

Cleared to Land

Normal Syntax:

  • cleared to land, runway <runway>
  • cleared ILS approach runway <runway>

Shorthand Syntax: l, cl, land: cleared to land runway 22L = l 22L

Clears the aircraft for ILS approach and landing1.

Examples:

  • cleared to land, runway zero one
  • cleared to land, runway one four left

Go Around

Normal Syntax: go around

Shorthand Syntax: g, ga, go: go around = g

Instructs the aircraft to abort their landing. Any further commands should follow after go around.

Examples:

  • go around
  • go around and turn right three six zero
  • go around, turn right heading zero four zero, climb and maintain four thousand feet

Taxi

Taxi

Normal Syntax: taxi to [and hold short of] <runway|gate|taxiway> [via] <taxiway> [then] <taxiway> [then]...

Shorthand Syntax: tx, taxi: taxi to and hold short of runway one two left via alpha then bravo = tx short 12L via a b

Instructs the aircraft to taxi to a runway via a list of taxiways.

Examples:

  • taxi to and hold short of runway one two left via alpha then bravo then charlie
  • taxi to runway one two left via alpha
  • taxi to gate A1 via alpha bravo charlie
  • taxi to and hold short of alpha

Shorthand Examples:

  • tx short 12L via a b c
  • tx short 12L via a
  • tx gate A1 via a b c
  • tx short a

Hold

Normal Syntax: hold position

Shorthand Syntax: th, hold, stop: hold position = th

Instructs the aircraft to hold position.

Continue

Normal Syntax: continue taxi

Shorthand Syntax: c, tc, continue: continue taxi = c

Instructs the aircraft to continue taxiing.

Takeoff

Both takeoff and line-up clearances can be given while an aircraft is holding at or taxiing to a runway.

Cleared for Takeoff

Normal Syntax: cleared for takeoff, runway <runway>

Shorthand Syntax: ct, to, takeoff: cleared for takeoff runway 22L = ct 22L

Clears the aircraft for takeoff.

Line Up and Wait

Normal Syntax: line up and wait, runway <runway>

Shorthand Syntax: lu, line, wait: line up and wait runway 22L = lu 22L

Tells the aircraft to taxi onto the runway, line up (to its heading), and wait (until instructed for takeoff).

Departures

Resume As Filed

Normal Syntax: resume as filed

Shorthand Syntax: r, raf, resume, own: resume as filed = r

Clears the aircraft (departure) to climb to their filed altitude and follow their departure waypoints.

Note: This will happen automatically as an aircraft departs to save on workload, but can be overridden by changing its speed, heading, or altitude, and resumed by issuing this command.

Miscellaneous

Ident

Normal Syntax: ident or identify

Shorthand Syntax: i, id, ident: ident = i

Selects the aircraft on the client.

  1. Airwave combines the clearence procedures for approaches and landings such that they are interchangable. Once an aircraft is cleared for approach, it does not need to be cleared to land. Thus, the phraseology can be used where "cleared to land runway 22L" and "cleared ILS approach runway 22L" will mean the same thing. ↩