controller transmitting

Jack's got a pretty bad frequency.

Have as an Auxiliary Verb

When have is an auxiliary verb, it is helping a full verb to make a Present Perfect sentence.

control tower

I have never been on top of a control tower.

taxiway

Has she tried the new taxiway?

  • Yes, she has.
  • No, she hasn't.
cross country

They've been flying cross country all day.

flight meal

Why haven't you eaten the in-flight meal yet?


Have as a Full Verb

We commonly use have as a full verb to describe possession, obligation, relationships, illnesses, etc.. We do not use continuous forms for these meanings:

2 pilots
  • I have two pilots. (relationship)
  • I am having two pilots.
pilots licence
  • Does she have a pilots licence? (possession)
  • Is she having a new pilots licence?
fuel display
  • They don't have a lot of fuel. (possession)
  • They aren't having a lot of fuel.
headache
  • Do you have a headache? (illness)
  • Are you having a headache?
flying
  • He has to fly soon. (obligation)
  • He is having to fly soon.
no stomach ache
  • She doesn't have a stomachache. (illness)
  • She isn't having a stomachache.

Have Got

For these meanings, we can also use have got instead of have.

2 pilots
  • I have two pilots.
  • I've got two pilots.
pilots licence
  • Does she have a new pilots licence?
  • Has she got a new pilots licence?
fuel display
  • They don't have a lot of fuel.
  • They haven't got a lot of fuel.
headache
  • Do you have a headache?
  • Have you got a headache?
flying
  • He has to fly soon.
  • He's got to fly soon.
no stomach ache
  • She doesn't have a stomachache.
  • She hasn't got a stomachache.

Have got is only used to describe the present. For the past, use had (had got) and for the future, use will have or be going to have:

  • I will have my pilot's licence tomorrow.
  • I had to go to the hangar early yesterday. 
  • She had long hair when she was a private pilot.
  • We didn't have colour radar thirty years ago.
  • When my engine hesitates, it usually means I'm going to have fuel starvation soon.

Dynamic / Action Meanings of Have

Have, not have got, can be used to describe actions with the following nouns:

  • a takeoff, a departure, an arrival, a landing
  • a clearance, a meeting, a briefing
  • a dream, a conversation, a flight

For these meanings, it is possible to use continuous tenses:

great flight

I'm having a great flight!

meeting

We were having a meeting when you called.

briefing

She is having a passenger briefing in aircraft.

good landing

It sounds like someone is having a good landing.


Exercise

Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.

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