Aircraft: Airbus A320 Callsign: Easy 162 Route: Palma de Mallorca (LEPA) to Barcelona (LEBL) Current state: You have been holding overhead Barcelona for the last 35 minutes because of thunderstorms over the airfield. The storms are now clearing, but your fuel has fallen to final reserve. The Captain is the Pilot Flying; you are working the radio. You are on Barcelona Approach. Souls on board: 168 Endurance: 20 minutes remaining Your role: First Officer, working the radio (Pilot Monitoring)
How this works
How this works. You’re playing the pilot. A instructor will introduce the activity in her own voice, then the controller’s first transmission begins. Every radio transmission — controller or pilot — ends with a short roger beep, the cue that the speaker has finished. After each controller transmission, the instructor gives you an instruction — telling you what information to communicate back to the controller (e.g. read back a clearance, declare an emergency, report your status) — and reminds you that you have eight seconds to respond. Your job is to relay that information to the controller using proper ATC phraseology. Speak your reply aloud — recording yourself on a phone voice memo makes review easier. You’ll then hear one model pilot response against light cabin background — that’s one acceptable phrasing, not the only correct one. Take notes while you listen if it helps.
Comprehension questions
Q1. In the first transmission, how much additional holding time did the controller expect?
a) 5 minutes b) 10 minutes c) 15 minutes d) 20 minutes
Q2. After acknowledging the Mayday, what descent altitude did the controller assign?
a) 3,000 feet b) 2,500 feet c) 2,000 feet d) 1,500 feet
Q3. Which runway was the aircraft cleared to land on?
a) runway 06 left b) runway 24 right c) runway 24 left d) runway 02
Q4. Why did the controller ask the crew to state their intentions if they were unable to land from this approach?
a) The controller expected the thunderstorms to return
b) The controller was planning for the possibility that the low fuel state would leave no second attempt
c) The controller wanted the crew to divert to another airport
d) The controller needed the figures to inform the passengers
Q1 — b) 10 minutes. The controller’s first transmission asked the aircraft to expect further holding, “additional one zero minutes”.
Q2 — c) 2,000 feet. After the Mayday was acknowledged, the controller cleared the aircraft to descend to altitude two thousand feet.
Q3 — b) runway 24 right. The aircraft was vectored for, and then cleared to land on, the ILS runway two four right.
Q4 — b) The controller was planning for the possibility that the low fuel state would leave no second attempt. A Mayday fuel call means there may be no fuel for a go-around, so the controller needs to know the crew’s plan if the approach cannot be completed.
Full transcript
Controller: Easy 162, Barcelona Approach. Expect further holding, additional 10 minutes. Several aircraft ahead are recovering after the storm.
Instructor cue: Tell the controller you are declaring a fuel emergency, and request an immediate approach and landing.
Pilot (model response): Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. Barcelona Approach, Easy 162, fuel emergency. Request immediate approach and landing. 168 souls on board. Easy 162.
Why it works: opens with the Mayday call spoken three times, names the station and callsign, states the nature of the emergency, makes a clear request, gives souls on board, and closes with the callsign.
Controller: Easy 162, Mayday acknowledged. You are number one for the approach. Descend to altitude two thousand feet, turn left heading two seven zero, vectors for ILS runway two four right. QNH one zero one five.
Instructor cue: Read back your descent altitude, the heading, the approach, and the QNH.
Pilot (model response): Descending to altitude two thousand feet, left heading two seven zero, ILS runway two four right, QNH one zero one five, Easy 162.
Why it works: a complete read-back of the altitude, heading, approach and QNH, with the callsign last — no item dropped.
Controller: Easy 162, confirm persons on board and endurance. Say your intentions if you are unable to land from this approach.
Instructor cue: Confirm your persons on board and your endurance, and tell the controller you cannot accept a go-around.
Pilot (model response): 168 persons on board, endurance 20 minutes. We are unable to accept a go-around and require an immediate landing. Easy 162.
Why it works: gives persons on board and endurance in time (not fuel mass), then states the crew’s intention clearly — they cannot go around — so ATC understands this approach must succeed.
Controller: Easy 162, roger. Cleared to land runway two four right. Wind two nine zero degrees, eight knots. Emergency services are standing by.
Instructor cue: Read back your landing clearance and the runway.
Pilot (model response): Cleared to land runway two four right, Easy 162.
Why it works: a concise, correct read-back of the landing clearance and the runway with the callsign — exactly what a landing clearance requires.
Key vocabulary and phraseology
Term
Definition / note
Mayday (call)
International distress call, spoken three times. Signals an immediate threat to safety. Declaring a fuel emergency means the usable fuel on landing will fall below final reserve.
final reserve (fuel)
The protected minimum fuel that must still be on board at landing. Reaching it is what turns a low-fuel situation into a declared emergency.
endurance (noun)
The flying time remaining, reported in hours and minutes — never as fuel mass (tonnes or kilograms).
persons / souls on board (phrase)
The total number of people aboard the aircraft. Standard information for rescue and emergency planning.
number one (phrase)
First in the landing sequence. The controller has given the aircraft priority over other traffic.
go-around (noun)
A discontinued approach in which the aircraft climbs away to try again. A fuel emergency may leave no fuel for one.
cleared to land (phrase)
The controller’s authorisation to land on the named runway.
read-back (noun)
The pilot’s word-for-word repetition of a clearance, confirming it was received correctly.
Variation prompt
How else could you have responded? What would change if you had told the controller “minimum fuel” earlier in the hold — and how is a “minimum fuel” advisory different from a “Mayday fuel” emergency call?
