Too often, the subject of radio communications is treated as an ''after thought'' in pilot training. The student pilot may be expected to learn largely from their own training experience but, without a deeper knowledge of proper radio phraseology and Air Traffic Service (ATS) procedures, the student becomes a pilot who is under-confident in use of the radio and dealing with any ATS unit other than that at their home airfield.This potential shortcoming was addressed in the 2015 EASA Private Pilot Licence (PPL) and Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL) courses, produced by a team of experienced flying instructors and examiners put together by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This new syllabus is designed to bring PPL and LAPL training in-line with the modern training environment. In particular, the new training courses are focused on providing up-to-date and practical aeronautical knowledge, rather than requiring the pilot to rote learn largely academic and irrelevant material with l