Towered Airports in Class E or G ?

[Dazzler]

Today I had to teach Airspace to my CFI.
Overall I did OK but there was one sticky topic.

I got this info from the Gleim Flight Instructor Flight Maneuvers and Practical Test Prep book:

"...there are some airports with an operational control tower (i.e. a controlled airport) within the surface area of Class E or Class G airspace. In these circumstances you must establish and maintain two-way radio communication with the control tower if you plan to operate to, from, or through an area within 4 NM from the airport, from the surface up to and including 2,500 ft AGL."

However my instructor didn't know that any towered airports would exist in Class E or G (other than some military fields), and asked me to find this rule in the FAR/AIM.

I was unable to find this in the regs. Can anyone shed any light on this?

[kellwolf]

I think St Augustine is a towered airport in Class E. We used to fly in there all the time for lunch, then one day I was flying in and approach said "Contact tower on XXX.XX." I was like, tower? Uh, okay. Sure enough, they had a tower come on-line in the few months since I'd been there. They had some problems with that since the tower freq was different than the old CTAF, so you had a lot of VFR guys that didn't check their charts (and some IFR guys like me who didn't get the update) come barreling into the airspace broadcasting on CTAF. Not sure if they upgraded them to Class D or not, but it was Class E when I was there last year.

[IflyORL]

St. Augustine is Class D. Two tower fields that are not in class D as far as I know are Ormand Beach and New Smyrna Beach which are under the Class C of Daytona and have both recently been equiped with towers.

[kellwolf]

Okay. I heard they were gonna upgrade St Augustine. Wasn't sure if they'd done it yet. About time they did something with OMN, though. All the training here at GKY, I'm surprised it isn't controlled as well.

[pscraig]

GKY doesn't have a tower yet?!? It's been two years since I was there and I couldn't believe the traffic.

[crashmbern]

actually i believe ormond and new smyrna are class D's

[IflyORL]

I stand corrected since the towers opened they changed to class D I was using an older chart.

[Dazzler]

OK, I found the answer to my own question....

FAR Part 91.126, paragraph (d).

[woodreau]

There are two class G control towers right next to where Kellwolf's hanging out right now.

Grand Prairie (GPM) and Fort Worth Spinks (FWS) are class G control towers - they've both been class G towers for almost 10 years now.

[kellwolf]

Damn, how could I forget about Spinks......

The only towered airport I've ever flown into that has no need for a tower. Those guys are the second most bored ATC people I've ever talked to. The most bored are the poor guys stuck at the NASA tower at the Cape.

[MikeD]

[ QUOTE ]
The most bored are the poor guys stuck at the NASA tower at the Cape.

[/ QUOTE ]

Then you've never flown into Gila Bend, AZ. Most bored tower guys I've ever seen. When making a full stop there once, asked if I wanted to come on up for pizza.....

[Timbuff10]

Lake City, Florida, I called and called and called, finally got a response about how the guy stepped out to use the bathroom or something like that. They do get the occasional airliner in there for mx though.

I've been in the pattern with about 7 other planes at Spinks! If not for that contoller I may not be typing this right now. Arlington needs a tower too!

[kellwolf]

Everytime I've been to Spinks, I've been the only one there. The Outback blimp was there last week, and they were calling it their "expensive windsock." Yeah, Arlington could use some kind of order. I was crosswind to downwind today, and I heard "TravelAir XXXX is crosswind turning downwind between the Seminole and the Cessna." I was like, WTFO? Looked out my left window, and the TravelAir was CUTTING ME OFF IN THE PATTERN. Add to that the guy flew a pattern a B-17 pilot would've loved.....

Oh, and one leg of my IFR xc was to Lake City, FL. There was a forest fire to the South, so I was giving the controllers smoke reports.....

[EatSleepFly]

Speaking of wierd things (Towers at Class G and such)...

Anyone ever run into a non-towered airport that has an ATIS?

I was inbound one day (and again today) and the approach controller read me the weather and started by saying, "Information X-ray is current at Jamestown...."

I was thinking they also said that on the AWOS freq., but now I'm not so sure. Either way, there is an ATIS code and it's a non-towered airport.

I asked the approach controller what the deal was and got a less than clear response. Something about them being able to legally issue weather to inbound aircraft. I think they've got a weather observer in addition to the AWOS...is that what makes them come up with an ATIS code?

Anyone else ever run into one of these? This airport was KJHW...Jamestown, NY.

[dakovich]

it has to do with the commerical airlines that fly in and out of JHW, and also IFR operations at the airport. Check the AIM 4-3-26(Operations at uncontrolled airports with AWOS/ASOS) for reference.

[awacs94]

There is talk about making X47 (Flagler County) Towered... Or So I Hear.. Anyone know anything about this?


-Brian?

[kellwolf]

I could see that just because of all the ERAU traffic that goes in and out of there. I'd rather them re-pave some of those taxiiways first, though.....

[IflyORL]

Haha taxiways.... I almost blew I tire on a Diamond the other day hitting a pothole on the runway. Place is a mess but the food is all worth it.

[EatSleepFly]

[ QUOTE ]
it has to do with the commerical airlines that fly in and out of JHW, and also IFR operations at the airport. Check the AIM 4-3-26(Operations at uncontrolled airports with AWOS/ASOS) for reference.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks!

[awacs94]

You call those things taxiways?


-Brian