Private Pilot Flight Training and Instruction Flight Training Article Library | Back To 4VFR.COM Uncontrolled Airport Radio Start listening well away from the airport. Overfly above pattern altitude if you are uncertain of pattern or procedures. Adhere to AIM recommended procedures. Doing otherwise can lead to enforcement proceedings if something happens. IFR inbounds can be expected not to follow standard procedures. Report all legs of pattern entry and the pattern itself. Include your altitude and direction where practical. Acknowledge whether you have any reported or unreported traffic in sight, or not in sight. Advise when you have cleared the runway after landing. Make a full 360 prior to taking the active on departure. Adhere to airport abatement procedures and advise traffic of your departure intentions. Uncontrolled airports may be either UNICOM, in which case the frequency is on the sectional, or not, where the frequency is automatically 122.9. There is no FAR requirement to use the radio at uncontrolled airports but common sense dictates that the radio be used. These are pilot controlled airports which should be addressed from at least 10 miles out. "Rio Vista UNICOM Cessna 1234X Antioch bridge at 2000 request landing advisory Rio Vista", all subsequent calls are addressed to traffic giving airport name as first and last items. Be accurate in giving all pattern positions and altitudes. Uncontrolled airports put the burden of traffic control and communications on the pilots. The see and be seen concept is the primary collision avoidance system. The more frequently and accurately you give your location, position, and altitude the safer your operation. At pilot controlled airports it is important to give traffic, and procedure advisories to other pilots. This is especially true if non-standard procedures prevail. Initial contact either with UNICOM or traffic should be at least 10 miles out. If unable to determine recommended 45 degree to downwind entry overfly at twice pattern altitude to determine favored runway. Report on 45, downwind, base final, and clear of runway. If the uncontrolled airport has no assigned altitude use 1000' AGL. Be aware that non-radio cropdusters or ultralights may be using the field. Besides the problems of orientation and communication at an airport there exists aircraft positioning. Common faults during arrivals at airports consist of not arriving on downwind at pattern altitude, failing to be properly trimmed, failing to initiate downwind turn far enough away from airport, failing to make downwind turn parallel to runway, and failing to correct for wind on downwind. Not infrequently, all of the above will occur with one arrival for the wrong runway or even the wrong airport. Once in the pattern it is vital that the pilot recognize the priorities of flying. Fly the plane first, navigate, communicate. Get airspeed under control, fly the proper altitudes and patterns, space yourself for traffic, communicate only if the first two elements are correct. Your ability to divide attention in and out of the cockpit is one of the test criteria. Altitude on downwind should be held within 100 feet and approach speeds within 10 knots. These are maximum allowable variations. 20 feet and 4 knots are instructional maximums for recommendation to take the test. Written by Gene Whitt Flight Training Article Library | Back To 4VFR.COM