If this was the setup to a joke, the intro would be easy. “Ladies and gentlemen, there are two kinds of airports in the world....” But of course there really are two kinds of airports in the world, and there’s no punch line to this story. Pilots can choose to operate out of towered airports or nontowered airports, or both. Of the two, the nontowered airport can be the more intimidating, if only because there is no controlling authority helping you to decide when to taxi, where to taxi, which runway to use, how to enter or leave the pattern, or even where to find the FBO.
Have no fear. Nontowered airports are not nearly as frightening as the uninitiated might think. In fact, they're fairly straightforward and enjoyable environments. And considering that nontowered airports far outnumber towered airports, knowing how to confidently and competently conduct flights in and out of a nontowered airport can add a multitude of new options to your flying. The key to gaining that confidence and competence is to have some specific information and insight before you get into the airplane, regardless of whether your nontowered airport experience will occur with the departure of your flight, the arrival, or both.
Predictability is a major component of safe airport operations. The more closely you can conform your actions to those that the other pilots in the pattern will expect, the safer everyone will be—and the more efficiently the pattern will operate.
DEPARTURES. When taking off from a nontowered airport, there are two methods for leaving the pattern in an orderly manner. You can fly straight out, climbing while maintaining the runway heading until you are clear of the area, or you can climb to pattern altitude and then turn 45 degrees to the left (assuming a left-hand traffic pattern) until you are clear of the area, then steer your course. What you want to avoid is making a right-hand turn out of a left-hand pattern, or initiating any other unexpected maneuver or turn intended to put you on course in a way that conflicts with the normal flow of traffic in the pattern. Doing something unexpected or contrary to normal operations is rarely a good idea when flying in any traffic pattern.
ARRIVALS. Arrivals at a nontowered airport are even easier than departures, because while there are two recommended options for departing, there is only one recommendation for arrival. Simply establish a course that will allow you to join the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at a 45-degree angle, and fly the remainder of the downwind, base, and final legs normally. You may have to fly over the airport at an altitude higher than the traffic pattern in order to make this entry work. Typically, pilots will overfly the airport at 500 feet above pattern altitude until beyond the pattern, and then descend in a right-hand turn that will leave them in position to join the pattern on a 45-degree angle at the appropriate altitude.
Avoid the temptation to fly straight-in approaches or join the pattern on the base leg, as you might at a towered airport when instructed to do so. Even if it would be more convenient to you, don't do it. The other traffic in the pattern is not expecting a straight-in approach or a base entry. Simple, seemingly innocuous shortcuts like these can seriously compromise safety when operating in a nontowered airport environment.
COMMUNICATIONS. There is no requirement that pilots use a radio at a nontowered airport. In fact, there is not even a requirement that an aircraft operating at a nontowered airport have a radio installed. And many don’t—which makes the idea of sticking with the predictable, recommended procedures for entry even more important. If you have the capability, however, it is strongly recommended that you use your radio as a collision-avoidance tool.
Many, but not all, non-towered airports publish a common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) that pilots use to announce their position and intentions. Be aware, however, that it is not uncommon for more than one nontowered airport in the area to share the same frequency. So when making calls, be sure to announce where you are, who you are, and what your intentions might be. For example, “Culpeper traffic, Cessna One-Two-Three-Four-Five, downwind, Runway 4, Culpeper.” This will keep calls for one airport traffic pattern from being mistaken for unseen traffic in another nearby airport’s traffic pattern.
COLLISION AVOIDANCE. The pilot in command always has a responsibility to be vigilant and actively involved in collision avoidance. Those who regularly fly at airports with an operating control tower may become less vigilant in the traffic pattern over time, if only because they are accustomed to having a second set of eyes looking out for their safety. Air traffic control shares that responsibility with the PIC. That second set of eyes is not available at a nontowered airport. Collision avoidance becomes particularly important because of the nature of the operations there.
Aircraft of various categories and speeds are converging as they enter and fly the pattern. There is at least a possibility that one or more aircraft are in the area but not communicating by radio. Couple those factors with an inexperienced student pilot, another pilot flying a particularly wide pattern, and another flying an unexpected straight-in approach, and there is real potential for conflict in the air.
Make it a practice to use the landing light within 10 miles of arrival at an airport. Your aircraft will be easier to see, and being seen is an important part of establishing good collision avoidance procedures. At the same time, be aware that not all aircraft have electrical systems that allow for landing lights. Be especially vigilant during your downwind to base, and base to final turns. These are prime areas for conflicts to occur. It’s often easiest to see airplanes when they are making those turns. Clear the area throughout your time in the pattern to be sure there is not another aircraft in the pattern above or below you. Also watch for aircraft shooting an instrument approach that puts them on a final approach leg that starts several miles from the airport.
REFERENCE MATERIAL. The key to safe operations at a non-towered airport is to become familiar with all the information you’ll need to know, before you need to know it. That includes the use of current charts, referencing the Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD), and obtaining a standard briefing before departing on your flight.
It may be tempting to make assumptions about what you will find at your intended destination. Airports are tremendously unique, however. Nontowered airports are no exception. They do not lend themselves well to guesswork.
Without checking the A/FD before flight, you might not be aware that the traffic pattern altitude at Plant City, Florida, is only 800 feet agl, or that it’s 200 feet higher at Keystone Heights. You would be unaware that the airport lights at Cedar Key are unreliable, that Runway 3 at Douglas Municipal in Arizona has a right-hand traffic pattern—or that Runway 18/36 is dirt, in poor shape, and has four-foot-tall brush growing on it. That runway is also closed indefinitely. Without reading the A/FD carefully, a pilot might not be aware that Runway 36 is the calm wind runway at Illinois Valley Airport in Cave Junction, Oregon. Missing any one of those simple points could easily cause you to enter a pattern on arrival that is at odds with other traffic.
Pilots who make it a point to become aware of their destination airport’s idiosyncrasies before a flight have the information they need to make appropriate decisions well in advance of their arrival. Those who do not may find themselves creating a hazard to flight that was unnecessary had they done their homework before departure.
There are plenty of opinions on how to conduct yourself when flying into or out of a nontowered airport. Don’t believe them. Opinions are based on experience (even bad experience), personal bias, and guesswork. You are better off going to the source for information that will affect your safety and the safety of those around you. In this case, one exceptional source is the FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual. There are no opinions to be found there, just rock-solid advice for how to operate safely at a nontowered airport, including the exact wording you should use for almost all communications situations.
In Section 3: Airport Operations you will find a graphic that illustrates the recommended flow of traffic for a standard left-hand traffic pattern. The same pattern applies for a right-hand traffic pattern, although the image would be flipped over with all the left turns becoming right turns.
To be truly on top of the situation, consider downloading and reading Operations at Nontowered Airports from the AOPA Air Safety Institute. This brief document is packed with useful insights and information you can use to improve your understanding of both VFR and IFR operations at nontowered airports.
Related Articles
