Finding an airport's CTAF callup name?

Old Geek

Old Geek

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Does anyone know of a directory of the commonly used callup names for some of the smaller airports?
 
Old Geek said:
Does anyone know of a directory of the commonly used callup names for some of the smaller airports?
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I always used the full name, sometimes for comedic effect. For example, when KAEG was nontowered, I always called it "Double Eagle 2 Municipal Airport Traffic."

At 6Y9, I called it "Pricket-Grooms Teaffic" instead of "Sidnaw."
 
It varies based on local custom. Good example are the Class D airports around Atlanta;

PDK - DeKalb Couty - DeKalb-Peachtree "Peachtree tower"
LZU - Gwinnett County - Briscoe Field "Gwinnett Tower"
FTY - Fulton County - Charlie Brown - "County Tower"
RYY - Cobb County - McCollum Field - "McCollum Tower"

As long as you stick to one of the published names that people recognize, no harm, no foul.
 
Just use the airport name on the sectional or approach plate :dunno:
 
The A/FD?

The sectional?

It does get interesting when you go to an airport and say "Lawrence Smith Memorial" (A/FD) or "Smith Memorial" (sectional) when it's always known as "Harrisonville".
 
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Years ago the government-published approach plates were arranged alphabetically by airport name, instead of city. I was looking for Fox Field in Lancaster CA (KWJF).

'L' for Lancaster? No.
'F' for Fox? Nope.
'W' for William J. Fox Field? Uh-uh.

It was under 'G' ... General William J. Fox Airfield, thank you very much.

:D
 
I find the AeroNav airport diagrams to be the most reliable source for what to call a particular control tower. For example in New York, the sectional margin lists "Long Island Mac Arthur" and "John F Kennedy Intl"; the airport diagrams will tell you to call "Long Island Tower" (not "Mac Arthur Tower" -- though the tower controllers will usually answer you as "Long Island Tower" by way of gentle correction), or "Kennedy Tower".

Not sure what to do for uncontrolled fields other than listen if available and follow custom if able.
 
Only strangers ever refer to Lake County Airport - everyone else calls it "Leadville"
 
It's like CKB which is on the charts as "NORTH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA" but everybody says CLARKSBURG.

At least the changed the charted name of Martinsburg to not be "EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA REGIONAL."

If you look in the COMM block in the AF/D for towered airprots, the facility name is there.

For uncontrolled airport, I tend to just go with the flow. Nobody seems to get worked up if you call "BLUE RIDGE" airport "MARTINSVILLE" in your calls, etc...
 
It's a CTAF. Whether you use the airport name, city, county, everyone is gonna know what you are talking about.
 
SkyHog said:
I always used the full name, sometimes for comedic effect. For example, when KAEG was nontowered, I always called it "Double Eagle 2 Municipal Airport Traffic."

At 6Y9, I called it "Pricket-Grooms Teaffic" instead of "Sidnaw."
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I'll pick the name right off the sectional chart:
"Johnston County Unicom"
"Wayne Executive Unicom"
"Harnett Regional Unicom"

Or I'll just take if off the GPS...
 
Call it by what's on the sectional unless there's a tower there that calls themselves something else. Example, 79J or South Alabama Regional Airport at Bill Benton Field is a mouthful. Sectional just says South Alabama Regional. The tower that used to work there referred to themselves as SARA Tower. When they closed, we just used South Alabama Regional traffic.
 
The local names sometimes get cute:

Ft. Collins Loveland, KFNL, is called Fort Love by some folks.

Others are more practical. Longmont is Vance Brand, KLMO, on the chart but everyone calls it Longmont.

Rocky Mountain, BJC, is never called anything but Metro or Jeffco by the locals. The tower gets bent when they are called Jeffco.

Moral of the story? tune-in early and listen for traffic. If'n ya don't hear anything then what ya call it might not matter to much.

ps. At Sidnaw I'd call it Prickett-Grooms on opening the transmission and then Sidnaw at the end of the transmission just to confuse the un-anointed.
 
The alternative name for KSNL is widely known as "Fort Kickass", as in "Fort Kickass traffic, RV 12321 is inbound for an overhead break to short final for runway 17, Fort Kickass traffic" :wink2:
 
Clark1961 said:
The local names sometimes get cute:

Ft. Collins Loveland, KFNL, is called Fort Love by some folks.

Others are more practical. Longmont is Vance Brand, KLMO, on the chart but everyone calls it Longmont.

Rocky Mountain, BJC, is never called anything but Metro or Jeffco by the locals. The tower gets bent when they are called Jeffco.

Moral of the story? tune-in early and listen for traffic. If'n ya don't hear anything then what ya call it might not matter to much.

ps. At Sidnaw I'd call it Prickett-Grooms on opening the transmission and then Sidnaw at the end of the transmission just to confuse the un-anointed.
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I can generally hear radio calls for a dozen airports on the radio. If I was flying in to one named "Vance Brand" on the chart, I would ignore calls for "Longmont traffic," figuring it was another airport within 50-100 miles or so.

There's something to be said for being understandable to new and transient pilots, otherwise you're just wasting your breath and may as well not be on the radio at all.
 
Velocity173 said:
Call it by what's on the sectional unless there's a tower there that calls themselves something else. Example, 79J or South Alabama Regional Airport at Bill Benton Field is a mouthful. Sectional just says South Alabama Regional. The tower that used to work there referred to themselves as SARA Tower. When they closed, we just used South Alabama Regional traffic.
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huh, I always just called it Andalusia...
 
jaybee said:
huh, I always just called it Andalusia...
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Yeah I did as well until they remained it, then I decided to switch. Didn't matter, everyone knew where Andalusia was.

Quick story on how a nickname for a field can be confusing. Guy I worked with was doing pattern work at Andalusia in a CH-47. It was at night and I believe he was doing right traffic for 29. He was using "SARA traffic" for his CTAF calls. A Mooney came inbound from the north and with calm winds decided on left traffic for 11. He had no clue that another aircraft was in the pattern because he thought "SARA" calls were from another field. They both had a near miss just north of the field on opposite traffic patterns. After landing the Mooney pilot (retired Naval Aviator) met the CH-47 pilot inside the FBO and chewed him out. Not only did he have choice words for his improper CTAF phraseology, he wanted to know what a "single CH-47" meant. As compared to a married CH-47 I guess. :D Anyway, I think it was a learning example to us all in proper communication procedures there after the tower closes.
 
I was taught and I use the name of the city/town. Some are xxxx county airport, in those cases I use that, xxxx country traffic.
 
If available, I listen to the AWOS when inbound to see what they are calling it if it goes by different names. This has worked 100% so far. Seems like quite a bit of fields go by different names than are listed. One recent example is actually a towered field. KLWB - listed as "Greenbrier Valley", however ATC, the tower and everyone else says "lewisburg"
 
Bravo said:
If available, I listen to the AWOS when inbound to see what they are calling it if it goes by different names. This has worked 100% so far. Seems like quite a bit of fields go by different names than are listed. One recent example is actually a towered field. KLWB - listed as "Greenbrier Valley", however ATC, the tower and everyone else says "lewisburg"
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The AWOS here says Shawnee municipal airport while the airport logo and etc says Shawnee regional airport :D
 
Pilawt said:
Years ago the government-published approach plates were arranged alphabetically by airport name, instead of city. I was looking for Fox Field in Lancaster CA (KWJF).

'L' for Lancaster? No.
'F' for Fox? Nope.
'W' for William J. Fox Field? Uh-uh.

It was under 'G' ... General William J. Fox Airfield, thank you very much.

:D
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Funny. When I was going through flight school my Evaluator for my Instrument check gave me the IFR Supp and asked me to find out something about KATL. Runway length, whatever, I can't remember. What I do remember is looking for:

"H" Hartsfield
"W" William
"A" Atlanta?

wtf... I can't find it... it's got to be in here...

It was under "T" for "The William B. Hartsfield International Airport."
 
You can tell the general age of the pilot flying at KBLM by what they call it.

"Belmar"
"Allaire"
"Monmouth Executive"

You'll hear all three on any given day.
 
Hank S said:
I can generally hear radio calls for a dozen airports on the radio. If I was flying in to one named "Vance Brand" on the chart, I would ignore calls for "Longmont traffic," figuring it was another airport within 50-100 miles or so.

There's something to be said for being understandable to new and transient pilots, otherwise you're just wasting your breath and may as well not be on the radio at all.
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If you are flying to Vance Brand on purpose you'd know that you are going to Longmont. It's really not as tough as you are trying to make it.
 
Sacramento International (SMF) goes by "Capitol Tower". Go figure.
 
jordane93 said:
I call it whatever it says on the sectional.
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KKLS is listed on the sectional as "Southwest Washington Regional". I'd be surprised to ever hear anybody actually say that on the radio. It's Kelso. :nono: Even the ASOS says "Kelso-Longview Airport ... "

Sac Arrow said:
Sacramento International (SMF) goes by "Capitol Tower". Go figure.
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And nearby Sacramento Executive (SAC) is "Exec". Makes sense, sorta.
 
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Bravo said:
If available, I listen to the AWOS when inbound to see what they are calling it if it goes by different names. This has worked 100% so far. Seems like quite a bit of fields go by different names than are listed. One recent example is actually a towered field. KLWB - listed as "Greenbrier Valley", however ATC, the tower and everyone else says "lewisburg"
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KJWY AWOS calls it "Midlothian-Waxahachie Midway Regional Airport." That would be a mouthful on CTAF. :D Everyone calls it "Midway," or "Midway Regional" if they're concerned it might be confused with another Midway on the same frequency. The sectional says "Mid-Way Rgnl."
 
If it has a tower, the facility name is in the AF/D (and it's not as you've noted, necessarily the airport name).
 
I think the award for the airport with the most names goes to KARV, Lakeland Airport/Noble F. Lee Memorial Field, Minocqua-Woodruff, Wisconsin.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KARV

Never did figure out what the locals call it since it seemed to be called all those things. ATC made it even more complicated when they cleared us to "Arbor Vitae". Where? "Direct destination, that's what some people call it."
 
Hank S said:
Fancy name for an airport that's not paved . . . I have to wonder how much traffic arrives to warrant the name? Or is it near Area 51? :rofl:
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It's in southwest Wyoming. From the A/FD:
AIRPORT REMARKS: Unattended. No snow removal avbl. Unctl vehicle access. Rwy soft when wet. 3´ berm near rwy edges entire length of rwy. Possible debris found on rwy. Rwy 04–22 width may vary based on grading. Arpt on top of mountain, land descends very steeply from rwy ends. No line of sight btn rwy ends.​
 
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