Busiest Non-Towered Airports?

N1120A

N1120A

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N1120A
Anyone have a list of the busiest non-towered airports. I'm thinking of places like SZP and CCB in Southern California, or some of those airports around Tampa like Peter O'Knight and VDF. It is interesting how there are less busy airports with a tower, but some pretty consistently hopping places that have towers.
 
KBVU, Boulder City, NV. Fixed and rotary wing tour flights to Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon for all those Vegas tourists. Crazy busy!
 
N1120A said:
Anyone have a list of the busiest non-towered airports. I'm thinking of places like SZP and CCB in Southern California, or some of those airports around Tampa like Peter O'Knight and VDF. It is interesting how there are less busy airports with a tower, but some pretty consistently hopping places that have towers.
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IMO KZPH is busier than o'knight or vdf due to all the gyrocopters, gliders, and parachuting.
 
TPF isn't too bad typically. VNC gets annoying though, especially with the frequency congestion.
 
Keep in mind that traffic counts at uncontrolled airports need to be taken with a grain or two of salt.
 
There are a couple of places in FAA webland where you can run reports, but the ops numbers they use for nontowered airports are based on what the airports report. Some airports inflate the figure, some airports minimize it, some try to be as accurate as possible. But they don't typically have actual counts. They base the numbers on fuel sales, FBO visitor logs, guesswork, etc.
 
At one of the Illinois airports they are training about 2 dozen full time, foreign, intensely focused students intent on becoming airline pilots. The air is alive with radio calls, on 122.8, whish is shared by a bunch of surrounding airports.
 
^^

I also came here to say Casa Grande. #ISurvivedTheStanfieldStack
 
Speaking of Illinois airports, LOT (Lewis University) is a madhouse weekdays at around 8 AM, and every two to three hours after..

In southern Illinois, Pickneyville used to be very busy (SIU flight students use this airport), but nowhere near the 7-8 planes you’d see in LOT’s pattern.
 
We're busy enough to rate a test 'virtual' tower. Two fix-wing flight schools, two rotor schools. Many charters and company jets. Not sure how many are based here.
 
GAI can be crazy busy, and it's all light aircraft with 4000 feet of runway. Only a few small jets.
 
ejensen said:
We're busy enough to rate a test 'virtual' tower. Two fix-wing flight schools, two rotor schools. Many charters and company jets. Not sure how many are based here.
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The test tower might be more local agitation for an FAA tower rather than actual traffic count...
 
Clark1961 said:
The test tower might be more local agitation for an FAA tower rather than actual traffic count...
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No, it is a real test. If it pans out with the amount of traffic we have then you'll see more. Most likely will be added to Denver Center in Longmont. One is testing now in Leesburg VA.
 
ejensen said:
No, it is a real test. If it pans out with the amount of traffic we have then you'll see more. Most likely will be added to Denver Center in Longmont. One is testing now in Leesburg VA.
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Didn’t say it wasn’t a real test. Said it was local agitation. FNL has wanted a tower for years but they don’t want to pay for it and the FAA obviously says they don’t have the traffic for it.
 
So if I land at an airport with a remote tower and moon the tower, how will I know if anyone saw me..???
 
N1120A said:
Anyone have a list of the busiest non-towered airports. I'm thinking of places like SZP and CCB in Southern California, or some of those airports around Tampa like Peter O'Knight and VDF. It is interesting how there are less busy airports with a tower, but some pretty consistently hopping places that have towers.
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Accurate traffic counts for untowered airports are not available. Those less busy airports with towers tend to have scheduled passenger traffic.
 
Clark1961 said:
Didn’t say it wasn’t a real test. Said it was local agitation. FNL has wanted a tower for years but they don’t want to pay for it and the FAA obviously says they don’t have the traffic for it.
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Gotcha, not sure where the idea started. State aviation board was involved and originally there was to be a lower traffic airport but money and politics delayed and changed the project. Haven't heard many pilots looking forward to it. Commercial and bis jet pilots say they want it for safety. Our commercial flights come and go, too close to DEN. Woodward flies to Rockford a couple times a week. Allegiant claim they needed a tower and stopped their Vegas flights which were running 95% full. Rumor has it they needed the planes for the new Hawaii route.
 
Yep, the numbers in the airport master records are based on what the airport manager sends in. Some of the numbers (especially at near-abandoned airports) are quite laughable.

FDK was pretty busy until they put a tower in there to really mess up traffic separation and discourage use of a vibrant airport.
 
I'd vote for EYE, late afternoon into the evening next Sunday.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Some airports inflate the figure
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That's been my experience. L54 reports 85 per week, that means 12 per day.. or realistically 1 per daylight hr. That's a total load of bull. I spent 3 days camping there (beautiful October weekend) and not one plane showed up

It's a cool spot with hiking to hot springs, etc., but it's too close to the San Diego area airports for XC stuff and outside of hiking it's dead. Literally just a runway in the desert
 
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