On initial contact or when position reports are received, you should request a pilot to confirm his or her assigned altitude unless which of the following is true?

On initial contact or when position reports are received, you should request a pilot to confirm his or her assigned altitude unless which of the following is true?

• A. The pilot states assigned altitude
• B. You have assigned a new altitude to a climbing/descending aircraft
• C. Both of the above
• D. Neither of the above

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is to verify that an aircraft’s altitude is correct to prevent separation errors. On initial contact or when position reports are received, you want the pilot to confirm the altitude that has been assigned, so both you and the pilot are certain you’re on the same page. The two situations listed would seem to relieve you of that step only if they were true: if the pilot states the assigned altitude, or if you have just assigned a new altitude to a climbing/descending aircraft. However, in the scenario described, neither of those conditions is true, so you should request the pilot to confirm the assigned altitude. This practice keeps communications unambiguous and reduces the chance of altitude mistakes in busy airspace.

The main idea here is to verify that an aircraft’s altitude is correct to prevent separation errors. On initial contact or when position reports are received, you want the pilot to confirm the altitude that has been assigned, so both you and the pilot are certain you’re on the same page. The two situations listed would seem to relieve you of that step only if they were true: if the pilot states the assigned altitude, or if you have just assigned a new altitude to a climbing/descending aircraft. However, in the scenario described, neither of those conditions is true, so you should request the pilot to confirm the assigned altitude. This practice keeps communications unambiguous and reduces the chance of altitude mistakes in busy airspace.