CAP 413 Edition 24 is live: refresh your UK radio habits

Edition 24 of the UK CAA's Radiotelephony Manual, CAP 413, became effective on 1 July 2026. It is the current reference for civil aviation radio phraseology in the UK.

What deserves a fresh read?

The change material covers several practical areas, including police, HEMS and search-and-rescue operations; transmission of surface wind; aerodrome flight information and air-ground services; runway-surface information; special-use airspace; flight-information display; and radio mandatory zones.

Turn reading into practice

• Compare your habitual calls with the current examples.
• Practise concise calls before transmitting rather than composing them on frequency.
• Ask for clarification whenever a clearance or instruction is uncertain.
• Use the current AIP, NOTAMs and aerodrome information alongside CAP 413.

Phraseology supports shared understanding, but it never replaces listening, situational awareness or compliance with the clearance actually received.

What this means in practice

Radiotelephony is a shared operating system. Small differences in habitual wording can affect how quickly another pilot or controller understands a call, particularly when frequency congestion or workload is high. The value of reviewing a new edition is not memorising a change list; it is comparing the current examples with the phrases actually used in the cockpit.

Separate standard phraseology from plain language. Standard words should be used where the manual provides them. When an unusual situation cannot be conveyed safely by a memorised phrase, concise plain language is better than forcing the event into an unsuitable script. In both cases, listen for the clearance or information actually transmitted and challenge anything uncertain.

A verification workflow

• Download or bookmark the current CAA edition and confirm its amendment state before using a saved extract.
• Record several recent calls from memory after flight and compare their structure with the current examples.
• Practise runway, level, heading, pressure and frequency readbacks until the safety-critical elements are consistently captured.
• Brief likely calls before high-workload phases, while leaving space to respond to the traffic situation that actually develops.
• Review local AIP procedures and current frequencies separately; CAP 413 provides phraseology, not every local operating detail.

Scenario to rehearse

During a busy arrival, a pilot receives a transmission containing runway information and an instruction that is partly masked. Guessing from expectation would be confirmation bias. The correct habit is to state which part was not understood and obtain clarification. A polished but incorrect readback is less safe than a short request to repeat the missing element.

Limits of this briefing

CAP 413 applies within its UK context and must be used alongside current aeronautical information and the service being provided. It does not authorise a clearance, establish an aerodrome's hours or replace emergency judgement. Training should include listening and decision-making, not only speaking from a written card.

Debrief questions

• Which calls in your normal operation have become habitual rather than deliberate?
• Which elements must be read back and checked most carefully?
• How will you respond when a transmission is blocked or ambiguous?
• Where will you verify local frequencies and procedures before flight?

A source-reading exercise