Talking to Departure After Takeoff

The tower hands you off climbing out — here is how to check in with Departure without falling behind the airplane. · 5 min read

Leaving a busier airport, you do not stay with Tower for long. Shortly after takeoff — usually as you climb through the first few hundred feet and are clear of the immediate pattern — Tower hands you off to Departure Control, which is a radar facility (often the same physical building as Approach, just wearing a different hat). What happens next depends on what you asked for on the ground: if you requested flight following or filed IFR, Departure keeps you on radar and watches your climb; if you are just a VFR departure, they may simply approve your on-course and cut you loose. Either way, the handoff and check-in follow a predictable rhythm.

The handoff from Tower

Tower tells you who to call and on what frequency. Read it back so they know you got it, then switch:

Checking in with Departure

When you switch, check in with your callsign and your altitude situation — the altitude you are leaving and the altitude you are climbing to. That lets Departure verify your Mode C altitude readout matches what you say (a required check):

Departure will typically come back with "radar contact" (they see you) and any instructions — a heading, an altitude, or "resume own navigation." Read back anything they assign, as always.

Set yourself up before takeoff

The single biggest cause of falling behind here is hunting for the Departure frequency while hand-flying a climb, watching for traffic, and holding a heading all at once. Do not do that to yourself. The frequency is on the ATIS or in your clearance — write it down or pre-load it in the standby before you ever roll onto the runway.

Phraseology sourced from the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (Change 3, effective 9 July 2026) and the Pilot/Controller Glossary. Check the AIM · Last reviewed 13 August 2026.