For many years I have avoided using the word 'cleared' on the Radio..for take-off or landing clearances. When cleared to Take off I say 'Take-off.. G XXXX' when cleared to land I reply 'Land G xxxx' etc. Somewhere in my past I was trained to do this for 2 reasons, firstly to minimise unecessary R/T and secondly to avoid the possibility that another pilot could misinterpret my read-back as an ATC clearance.
Having had a mild bollocking from ATC recently for not mentioning the 'C' word as part of my readbacks at a training school, I checked CAP 413 and discover I am wrong.. hate it when that happens.. :-(
Does anyone else remember bring taught this in the RAF? It seems sensible to me.. I seem to remember it came in around the same time that the 'runway vacated' phraseology came in.. Or is it a figment of my imagination?
