4.3 Aeronautical Ground Station Identification

4.3 Aeronautical Ground Station Identification

Quick Answer: Under RIC-21 §5.6.3, an aeronautical ground station identifies with the name of the airport or its geographic location, followed if necessary by a function word (Tower, Ground, Centre, Information, Delivery, Arrival, Departure, Precision, Radio, Dispatch, etc.). Aircraft call that full name first (for example, TORONTO TOWER or OTTAWA RADIO).

Knowing who you are calling is as important as knowing your call sign. Wrong function words send you to the wrong frequency workload and fail ROC-A scenario questions.

Identification rule

RIC-21 §5.6.3 states that aeronautical ground station identification comprises:

1. the name of the airport or its geographic location,
2. followed if necessary by a suitable word indicating the function of the station.

Pattern:

[Airport or geographic name] + [Function word]

Examples of the first element: Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, Eskimo (community aerodrome example in the circular).
Examples of the second element: Centre, Ground, Information, Delivery, Arrival, Departure, Precision, Tower, Radio, Dispatch.

Not every transmission needs a long monologue—but the identification string you use and recognize is name + function as listed.

Official examples table (RIC-21 §5.6.3)

Memorize this table exactly; examiners lift rows from it.

What each function word implies (study notes)

Do not substitute slang such as “Approach” when the circular’s example for arrivals is Arrival, or invent “Ramp” when the table says Ground for surface movement control questions based on RIC-21.

How aircraft address ground stations correctly

Call the station by its identification first

Radiotelephone calling procedure (§5.7.1): the call sign of the station being called is ALWAYS spoken first, then THIS IS, then your aircraft call sign.

RIC-21 control-of-communications examples also use forms such as OTTAWA RADIO when that is the ground station identity in the sample.

Worked aircraft → ground call shapes

Tower (single station call pattern):

TORONTO TOWER
THIS IS
CESSNA ONE EIGHT FIVE FOXTROT ALFA DELTA TANGO
ON FREQUENCY ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL SEVEN
OVER

Flight service / radio style (from RIC-21 control examples):

OTTAWA RADIO
THIS IS
PIPER CHARLIE FOXTROT X-RAY QUEBEC QUEBEC
ON FREQUENCY ONE TWO TWO DECIMAL ONE
OVER

Ground answers using the aircraft’s full call sign first, then its own ground identification:

PIPER FOXTROT X-RAY QUEBEC QUEBEC
THIS IS
TORONTO TOWER
GO AHEAD

Matching function to phase of flight (practical map)

Use this as a memory aid alongside the official table—not as a substitute for local charts/CFS frequencies in real flying, but as exam logic for “which name”:

Private stations and dispatch

The official table includes:

• Private aeronautical station → Radio
• Company Dispatch → Dispatch

These are still “ground” side identifications in the aeronautical service sense of the circular’s table. On the exam, if asked for the identification form of a private aeronautical station, prefer Radio as in §5.6.3—not a made-up company slogan—unless the question supplies a different assigned name.

Private advisory services (definitions in Appendix A) are about company business (fuel, lodging, servicing) and must not be confused with ATC clearances. Identification may still follow Radio/Dispatch-style labels; content of the traffic is a separate regulatory/ops issue.

Appendix A private-station definitions

RIC-21 Appendix A defines two private categories that examiners can ask you to tell apart:

The discriminator to hold onto: a Private Advisory Service is a service confined to company business at a controlled aerodrome and is expressly barred from ATC-type content, while a Private Multiple Station is a station established for multipurpose operational air-ground communications. Neither one converts a private facility into an ATC unit, so neither may issue clearances.

Ground station vs aircraft call-sign contrast

Common exam traps

Self-test

1. Recite all ten official rows from the §5.6.3 examples table.
2. Form the identification for surface movement control at Toronto.
3. Form the identification for area control associated with Ottawa in the table.
4. Write a correct initial call to Winnipeg Departure using a private Cessna call sign.
5. Explain when the bare function word Radio appears in the official list.

Official source

RIC-21 Issue 3, section 5.6.3 Aeronautical Ground Stations, together with calling-order rules in §5.7.1 and examples under §4.3 Control of Communications. ISED study guide for the Restricted Operator Certificate with Aeronautical Qualification (ROC-A).