Class C airport

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jesse

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Jesse
I am looking at flying to KDSM (Des Moines Iowa) I've never flown to a class C airport before. I have a lot of experiance with class D airports.

What should I know as far as the differences between the two? I don't have a sectional yet for that area to look at.. But I seem to remember something from my PPL training about points where you report in?
 
jangell said:
I am looking at flying to KDSM (Des Moines Iowa) I've never flown to a class C airport before. I have a lot of experiance with class D airports.

What should I know as far as the differences between the two? I don't have a sectional yet for that area to look at.. But I seem to remember something from my PPL training about points where you report in?
Click to expand...

Nothing much different. You'll simply call up Approach first instead of tower. Then Approach will hand you off to tower. Still going to be the same call up after introducing yourself.
"Des Moines Approach, Smashbugger 12345 is 25 north at 5,500 VFR with (ATIS) to (FBO name on field)." Then they hand ya off to tower, and when i call tower I just call out my tail number unless instructed otherwise by Approach.
 
And the fact that you need to be talking to them prior to entering class C. Its no biggie.
 
Alright. That's pretty much what I thought. Thanks :)
 
AirBaker said:
And the fact that you need to be talking to them prior to entering class C. Its no biggie.
Click to expand...

Also, to depart the charlie, most have clearance delivery, you will talk to them first to get departure instructions before calling ground to get taxi clearance. I know some deltas have clearance delivery, but I don't think all.
 
Jesse,

I am based out of Ames, about 30 miles north of des moines. DSM is pretty easy to get in and out of, the controllers are nice. Just call up approach as your coming in. There are 4 huge TV towers about 25 miles north of DSM that you'll want to watch out for. The controllers will also be watching out that you don't hit them. They are around 2000' AGL. Have fun!

Tony
 
Bill Jennings said:
Also, to depart the charlie, most have clearance delivery, you will talk to them first to get departure instructions before calling ground to get taxi clearance. I know some deltas have clearance delivery, but I don't think all.
Click to expand...

Good point.
 
Bill Jennings said:
Also, to depart the charlie, most have clearance delivery, you will talk to them first to get departure instructions before calling ground to get taxi clearance. I know some deltas have clearance delivery, but I don't think all.
Click to expand...

And when you call they will want your N number, direction of departure (give a well known destination like RST or just a direction like NE), and initial cruise altitude. Don't worry about whether or not you will still be in the Class C when you get to that altitude, they will figure that part out. At most Class C airports I've flown from, you aren't expected to get the ATIS before calling clearance (doesn't hurt if you do) and they don't want you telling them you have information Papa (save that for the call to ground). Ironically, the ATIS will sometimes state that you should report having the information before calling clearance. Listening to others calling for clearance may offer clues. DSM departure will probably offer to hand you off to center for VFR advisories unless you tell them your not looking for that (why wouldn't you?) but if you want that you should state that on your call to clearance as well. When you call ground, all you will normally get is a taxi clearance with no mention of the departure clearance. When you call ready to the tower, they may give you a heading, revised altitude, or both as part of your takeoff clearance so be ready to copy it down. Usually IME only a heading is given. Trust me, if you try to commit it to memory you will either forget part of it or wonder if you remember it correctly about the time you rotate. Clearace delivery will give you a code, a frequency for departure, and possibly an altitude to fly initially. The altitude is mostly to help deal with a comm failure after takeoff.

Flying in, you should get the ATIS before calling approach and state "information xxx" on your initial call. Unlike a Class D, you may be vectored into the pattern. Be sure to call well outside the 20 nm ring, 30-35 out is about right.
 
I have only 3 things to add. When you are "with" the approach controller, they will give you altitude instructions . Once you are told to contact tower you can descend at pilots discretion.
All (both) class c I have been to, clearance delivery wants you to have the atis info. "Have numbers" did not do the job. I was told by the C-D controller to get the atis then contact him. If you desire VFR flight following(upon departure) inform C-D.

KD
 
lancefisher said:
and they don't want you telling them you have information Papa (save that for the call to ground).
Click to expand...

When calling CD at CHA, if you don't tell them the present information, they will ask if you have it, and if not, tell you to get ATIS and then call back.

VFR Departure sequence:
  1. Get ATIS
  2. Call CD, get your dep clearance, then setup radios and transponder. Note: ATIS tells you the active runway, if you wish to depart on another runway, now is the time to ask. Hey, the worst they can say is no, and most of the time, you get the runway you request.
  3. Call ground, get taxi instructions/clearance
  4. Taxi and runup near departure runway
  5. Call tower
  6. Depart per tower instructions
  7. Call DEP when tower advises to do so.
  8. Get vectored for a short while
  9. "Turn on course, altitude at pilots discretion"
  10. At the edge of their radar coverage, they'll either kick you loose VFR or hand you off, if you requested flight following on your call to clearance delivery.
Arrival sequence:
  1. About 40nm out, get ATIS
  2. About 35nm out, call APP, make request.
  3. Get vectored to runway environment
  4. Call tower when advised by APP
  5. Land
  6. If no further instructions from tower, exit runway, stop, do after landing checklist, then call GROUND for taxi instructions/clearance.
  7. Sometimes TOWER will advise you to call GROUND while still on the rollout, I switch to ground right as I roll over the hold short line.
  8. Sometimes, when it is not busy, tower will ask where you're gong on the airport, and will tell you to taxi to your dest on their (tower) frequency.
Depending on time of day and workload, don't be alarmed if you hear the same voices when calling these different frequencies. During light workload times, controllers work multiple functions.
 
Thanks for all the information.


I'm a bit undecided if I'll go tomorrow or not. If I do I'll write how it went.
 
Bill Jennings said:
When calling CD at CHA, if you don't tell them the present information, they will ask if you have it, and if not, tell you to get ATIS and then call back.
Click to expand...

That's why I said "most airports". It seems that this (like whether to call ground with or without prompting from tower after exiting the runway) is a local thing.
 
I didn't go. I am going to wait until my next paycheck.. I will probably end up going next weekend.


thanks for all the info though.
 
Jesse, I am sure you will do just fine when you try it out. There's not a lot different between class d and class c.
 
It's about 70-30% in my experience as to whether class C airports want VFR departures on ground or CD. Absent being told otherwise on the ATIS or prior experience, I just call CD and if they tell me to make the request on ground, I don't sweat it.

The key is to be prepared to copy a IFR-like clearance in response.

Goes something like this:

27K: Metro Clearance, Navion 5327K VFR 3000' to Podunk, at Big FBO Information Delta
MET: Navion 5327K after takeoff fly runway heading, maintain VFR at or below 3000, departure frequency 126.1, squawk 4302, contact ground .9 when ready to taxi.
 
Did Jesse manage to fly into KDSM?

Did his next paycheck happen?

Did he find a CFI to go with him?

Stay tuned for these answers, and more ... As The World Turns...

:D :D :D :D
 
Heh heh... well, I know he made it safely into Iowa last week... KSUX. Which I know this means I'm a 12 year old, but I always snicker at their airport identifier...

EDIT: Now that I think about it, getting OUT of Iowa safely is always the challenge... hahaha... Iowa is a four letter word, you know...
 
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