Definition
A specific oscillation rate of an electromagnetic wave used to carry voice or data communications between aircraft and ground stations, expressed in megahertz (MHz) or kilohertz (kHz). Each ATC facility, navigation aid, or service is assigned its own radio frequency so that a transmission tuned to that frequency reaches the intended recipient.
Plain English
A specific channel number you tune your radio to in order to talk to a particular controller, tower, or station. Different facilities use different frequencies so the right people hear you.
Context Anchor
Seen on charts, procedures, radios, and controller instructions when a pilot must tune a specific communication or navigation setting.
Derivation
From 'radio' (wireless transmission via electromagnetic waves) and 'frequency' (how many times something repeats per second). The 'frequency' refers to how many wave cycles occur per second — measured in hertz. Aviation radios operate in ranges where these cycles repeat millions of times per second, hence MHz.
Why Pilots Care
Correct frequency selection ensures reliable contact with ATC and accurate navigation signals, preventing lost communications or navigation errors.
Intuition Check
Do not read frequency as how often you make radio calls. Here it means the exact radio signal setting you tune so your radio connects with the intended station or signal.
Example Sentence 1
After departure, the tower instructed the pilot to contact departure control on radio frequency 124.35.
Example Sentence 2
She confirmed the radio frequency before making the initial call to center.