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Read it once, then say it aloud.
Short, original guides on the RTR process, the syllabus, radio phraseology, phonetics, Q codes and weather reports. Each ends with something to practise.
Guides for the DGCA RTR(A) exam: Part 1 and Part 2
The RTR(A) — Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) — is the licence that allows you to speak on an aircraft radio. Under the 2025 rules the exam is run by DGCA in two parts: Part 1, a written test on radio procedures, regulations, phraseology, Q codes and weather messages, and Part 2, a spoken practical where you make the calls for a whole flight while an examiner plays air traffic control.
These guides cover the route in the order you will meet it: how to get the licence and who is eligible, what the syllabus actually tests, and then the radio skills themselves — the structure of a call, the phonetic alphabet, Q codes and METARs. Read one, then make it stick: the same topics are waiting as chapter-wise written practice and as radio scenarios you say out loud. When you want everything open at once, the passes unlock all chapters and scenarios for 30 days.
Getting started
How to Apply for the RTR Exam
RTR stands for Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) — the licence that lets you operate an aircraft radio and speak to air traffic control. This is the complete DGCA route to it: who is eligible, the computer number you need first, both applications, the exact fees, and the clocks that start running once you pass.
9 min readRead guide →Getting startedRTR Exam Pattern & Syllabus
Two numbers settle most arguments about this exam: Part 1 has 50 questions, and its pass mark is 70% — not the 50% that older pages still print. Here is the pattern exactly as DGCA’s CAR states it, mapped onto the syllabus it tests.
8 min readRead guide →Getting startedRTR vs CPL Syllabus
Students often mix up the RTR(A) and the CPL ground exams. They are different qualifications with very different scope.
5 min readRead guide →Getting startedBest Books for the RTR Exam
“Best book for RTR” searches usually return a shopping list. The more useful question is what each source is for: the RTR syllabus has three different jobs — written recall, radio theory, and spoken phraseology — and no single book does all three.
7 min readRead guide →Radio skills
Radio Phraseology for Beginners
Radio phraseology looks like a long list of phrases. It is really one short pattern repeated with different details.
8 min readRead guide →Radio skillsThe Phonetic Alphabet and Number Pronunciation
Letters and digits are said in a standard way so that a call sign still makes sense through noise, static and different accents.
5 min readRead guide →Radio skillsQ Codes for the RTR Exam
Q codes are three-letter shortcuts that begin with Q. Each can be a question or a statement, depending on how it is used.
5 min readRead guide →Radio skillsHow to Read a METAR for the RTR Exam
A METAR is a short coded weather report for an airport. It looks cryptic, but it follows the same order every time.
6 min readRead guide →Radio skillsFree Radio Phraseology Guide
One whole flight told in its radio calls, from start-up to landing and emergencies, in standard ICAO wording.
Worked exampleRead guide →Exam prep
Exam process
RTR Exam Dates 2026
DGCA does not run the RTR exam on one fixed day. It opens sessions through the year — four Regular sessions and eight on-demand OLODE sessions in 2026 — and announces each one by public notice. This page tracks the current position, and is updated whenever DGCA publishes a new notice.
8 min readRead guide →Exam processIs My WPC RTR Licence Still Valid? The 2026 DGCA Answer
Short answer: your WPC certificate did not become worthless when DGCA took over — the 2025 Rules keep it valid. The confusion is about a different question: whether DGCA will accept it when you file something new. This guide separates those two questions, rule by rule.
9 min readRead guide →Exam processRTR Exam Result
There is no single “RTR result” page to refresh. The written result lives inside your Pariksha login, and the practical result arrives on eGCA or by email — two systems, because the two halves of the exam run on two portals.
6 min readRead guide →Exam processRTR Exam Exemptions
DGCA exempts exactly three groups from the RTR written examination, plus DGCA’s own FRTOL holders — and the list is closed. If your category is not in CAR §5.1, you sit the written paper, whatever your other licences say.
7 min readRead guide →Exam processLost Your RTR Licence? Get a Duplicate for ₹500
A lost licence is an administrative problem, not an exam problem: you do not re-sit anything. The 2025 Rules price the duplicate at ₹500, and the route runs through the same portal that issued it.
5 min readRead guide →Quick answers
What is the RTR(A) licence?
RTR(A) is the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) licence for aeronautical use. It lets you operate an aircraft radio, and student pilots, cadets and commercial pilot candidates usually need it early in their training. People also call it the pilot RTR license.
Who runs the exam now?
Under the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025, DGCA runs the examination and issues the licence. The Wireless Planning and Coordination wing used to handle this. Dates, centres and procedure can change, so follow DGCA's latest notice.
Am I eligible to apply?
Published summaries of the 2025 rules give a minimum age of 16 with a Class X pass or equivalent. Some groups, such as certain military pilots and holders of a valid earlier RTR certificate, can be exempt from the written part. Check your own case with DGCA before you apply.
What are Part 1 and Part 2?
Part 1 is the written test on radio theory: regulations, Q codes, weather messages, navigation aids and phraseology. Part 2 is the practical test, where you speak the radio calls for a whole flight in a simulated environment while an examiner acts as air traffic control.