Runway Holding Instructions Without a Tower?

iamtheari

iamtheari

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Ari
I finally found the charts for the new airport opening across the river from me this week. It's KXWA, which stands for Williston Basin International. Their plan is to close the old airport (KISN) on October 9 after the last commercial flight leaves and open the new one on October 10 in time for the first commercial flight to land. I won't list the things I think are half-baked with the plan, the airport identifier, and so on. But there is one thing I feel compelled to ask about.

The airport diagram says "READBACK OF ALL RUNWAY HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS IS REQUIRED." There is no control tower. Who would issue runway holding instructions that would need to be read back? Has anyone seen anything like this on the diagram for any other uncontrolled airport?

Here is the airport diagram I am asking about:
https://www.aopa.org/ustprocs/20191010/NC-1/xwa_airport_diagram.pdf
 
Is there going to be a tower in the future? If not then I’d say it’s a misprint.
 
Busflyer said:
Is there going to be a tower in the future? If not then I’d say it’s a misprint.
Click to expand...
There are no plans to have a tower. There are also no taxiways that cross the runway, although they have plans to someday build a crosswind runway. You can see the portion of the crosswind runway that they paved now to avoid having to close the main runway when they get around to building it, between A3 and A4.

You’re probably right about it being a misprint. And I guess there is no harm in it, since nobody will give runway holding instructions and therefore it is moot whether you read them back or not. It’s just frustrating to see the number of operational things that the new airport has messed up while rushing to get the children’s play area nearly ready for the big opening.
 
Busflyer said:
Is there going to be a tower in the future? If not then I’d say it’s a misprint.
Click to expand...

That would be my guess. Someone had a brain fart and inserted the standard tower language onto the plate. That actually wouldn't be the airport. It would come from the FAA office that generates the airport diagrams.
 
My guess is someone in charting got told to produce a Airport Diagram and either the tower part fell through or charting got told wrong. This is the first FAA Airport Diagram that I've seen for a non-towered airfield.
 
ARFlyer said:
My guess is someone in charting got told to produce a Airport Diagram and either the tower part fell through or charting got told wrong. This is the first FAA Airport Diagram that I've seen for a non-towered airfield.
Click to expand...

You’ve never seen an airport diagram for a non-towered field?
 
iamtheari said:
I finally found the charts for the new airport opening across the river from me this week. It's KXWA, which stands for Williston Basin International. Their plan is to close the old airport (KISN) on October 9 after the last commercial flight leaves and open the new one on October 10 in time for the first commercial flight to land. I won't list the things I think are half-baked with the plan, the airport identifier, and so on. But there is one thing I feel compelled to ask about.

The airport diagram says "READBACK OF ALL RUNWAY HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS IS REQUIRED." There is no control tower. Who would issue runway holding instructions that would need to be read back? Has anyone seen anything like this on the diagram for any other uncontrolled airport?

Here is the airport diagram I am asking about:
https://www.aopa.org/ustprocs/20191010/NC-1/xwa_airport_diagram.pdf
Click to expand...

I'm wondering if this was a preliminary chart that was dropped from being produced that AOPA reviewed. The current IFP Production Plan shows no Airport Diagram being published for KXWA.

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/fli...ab=productionPlan&nasrId=XWA#searchResultsTop

Edit: Yet the Oct 10 NC-1 shows an Airport Diagram for KXWA. That's strange that its not listed as a chart being produced.
 
Last edited:
ARFlyer said:
I'm wondering if this was a preliminary chart that was dropped from being produced that AOPA reviewed. The current IFP Production Plan shows no Airport Diagram being published for KXWA.

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/fli...ab=productionPlan&nasrId=XWA#searchResultsTop

Edit: Yet the Oct 10 NC-1 shows an Airport Diagram for KXWA. That's strange that its not listed as a chart being produced.
Click to expand...
Would there even be an IFP plsn document for a nonregulatory airport diagram? I thought those were only produced for regulatory procedures, but I could be wrong.

Out of curiosity I checked the IFPs for a Class C and a Class B primary and found no IFP for their airport diagrams.
 
iamtheari said:
The airport diagram says "READBACK OF ALL RUNWAY HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS IS REQUIRED." There is no control tower. Who would issue runway holding instructions that would need to be read back?
Click to expand...


Seems obvious. Anyone in the pattern would be able to issue a hold instruction to a plane moving on the ground and then a readback would be required. :D
 
You can count on the FAA to get it right.
Just keep repeating that until you believe it.
 
ARFlyer said:
I'm wondering if this was a preliminary chart that was dropped from being produced that AOPA reviewed. The current IFP Production Plan shows no Airport Diagram being published for KXWA.

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/fli...ab=productionPlan&nasrId=XWA#searchResultsTop

Edit: Yet the Oct 10 NC-1 shows an Airport Diagram for KXWA. That's strange that its not listed as a chart being produced.
Click to expand...

The site you linked to (the Instrument Flight Procedures Information Gateway) only contains information on IFPs. An airport diagram is not an instrument flight procedure, so they are not shown on that site.
 
RussR said:
The site you linked to (the Instrument Flight Procedures Information Gateway) only contains information on IFPs. An airport diagram is not an instrument flight procedure, so they are not shown on that site.
Click to expand...
I didn't think they were either. Seems obvious when you say it that way, doesn't it?

Although... airport diagrams and even HotSpot charts are on the IFP Gateway site, so it's not a completely unreasonable thing to think there might be source documents there as well..
 
Evidently the person who proofs the plates isn’t a pilot.
 
Back before they put the third N/S runway in at Dulles the ATIS and the charts all said to readback all runway crossing instructions. The only issue is there was no way to cross a runway at Dulles. All the taxiways were on one side of each runway. If you crossed a runway, you'd be taxiing in the weeds.
 
1. Tune in CTAF

2. Announce to all traffic in the pattern, please advise

3. Announce your intention to take the active

4. Listen for runway crossing instructions

5. If none issued, proceed to the active

6. Advise on CTAF that you are taking the active
 
It will be hilarious when you somehow get violated for not reading back. Silly oversight
 
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