Airport names/callsigns

B

bhp

Well-Known Member
How does one know what to call an airport on the radio? Charted names seems like a good place to start, although it typically gets shortened: "Raleigh ground" is more expeditious than "raleigh-durham international ground." I've noticed that at a lot of airports people are using the names of nearby towns or cities instead of the charted name. GKT, "Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge" gets called Sevierville, while UOS, "Franklin Co." gets called Sewanee. Is there a codified reference for airport / facility radio callsigns? Are people using these names just doing it wrong? Am I missing something?

Thanks
 
bhp said:
How does one know what to call an airport on the radio? Charted names seems like a good place to start, although it typically gets shortened: "Raleigh ground" is more expeditious than "raleigh-durham international ground." I've noticed that at a lot of airports people are using the names of nearby towns or cities instead of the charted name. GKT, "Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge" gets called Sevierville, while UOS, "Franklin Co." gets called Sewanee. Is there a codified reference for airport / facility radio callsigns? Are people using these names just doing it wrong? Am I missing something?

Thanks
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I wouldn't say that they're saying wrong or not, but many times local knowledge is funneled into some of the things that people say. It's kinda like when ATC has people use reporting points that aren't always charted or in the A/FD.

I don't think that you can ever go wrong by saying the name in the book but there are some general rules:

Don't say international, it doesn't really matter to a pilot calling ground.

Field names are often obscure and change more often than a woman's mood. ex. MSP is Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport/Wold-Chamberlin Field. What do people call up? Minneapolis tower/ground/clearance. That brings me to the next observation:

Many airports serve multiple cities and aren't often located in a major city or even the state of that city (see: Cincinnati aka. Covington, KY) however using the first and/or largest city in the name will often get you the desired result.

When all else fails and you're totally confused, listen on the radio for a little bit before you call up (if time and workload permits of course) and just use the name that the pilot before you used. Who knows if you both screw up, the airport may change its name in a month and you would have helped start the revolution. ;)
 
Cessnaflyer said:
Or easier just listen to the ATIS.
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+1

That's what I do.

A common example of this is KPHK. The proper name is "Palm Beach County Glades Airport", but I've never heard anything but "Pahokee traffic" on the radio.

KPBI is another one down here. It's actually West Palm Beach International, but nobody uses the "West". On a related note, if anybody plans to visit FL, don't look for PBI under "P" in the AFD or terminal procedures, you'll have to look under "W".:rolleyes:
 
Look at the clearance delivery section on your airport diagram. Whatever the name they use is written there. That should help or you could let them correct you if you say it wrong. I have been corrected before and I'm sure I will be corrected again.
 
If you don't know..."Tower", "Ground", "Clearance Delivery", "Radar", "Control", "Approach", or whatever facility you are calling works also. Once you know the proper name, or finally figure out how to pronounce it:D, then you are good to go.

This is just a little trick I use in some circumstances.:pirate:
 
Ahhh yes, sort of like the "Who am I talking too in this sector" moment.\






Hey, was it Indy or Cleveland...


Err "Center, XXY level 410"....



Airplane calling, this is Memphis ground...
 
Stone Cold said:
If you don't know..."Tower", "Ground", "Clearance Delivery", "Radar", "Control", "Approach", or whatever facility you are calling works also. Once you know the proper name, or finally figure out how to pronounce it:D, then you are good to go.

This is just a little trick I use in some circumstances.:pirate:
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I'm sure you know, but be careful. The point of having "[FACILITY NAME] CLEARANCE/GROUND/TOWER" in there is to make sure you're indeed talking to the right one. I'd rather get corrected :)
 
Crockrocket94 said:
Ahhh yes, sort of like the "Who am I talking too in this sector" moment.\






Hey, was it Indy or Cleveland...


Err "Center, XXY level 410"....



Airplane calling, this is Memphis ground...
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That's hilarious. Not that I have any such experience. Nope, not me.
 
I refuse to call a tower by an actors name. Actors are not heroes.

  • Bob Hope tower?
  • John Wayne tower?
  • Ronald Regan Tower?
  • The Good Tower Lollipop
Pretty soon SAG will want to rename LAX Lindsay Lohan International. Cut me some slack!

l2obf1-b78642207z.120100519083710000gboodgi0.1.jpg
 
Autothrust Blue said:
I'm sure you know, but be careful. The point of having "[FACILITY NAME] CLEARANCE/GROUND/TOWER" in there is to make sure you're indeed talking to the right one. I'd rather get corrected :)
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I understand what you are saying, and I did specify that under certain circumstances this is a technique that can get you by. Some times where I fly, they do not even tell you who you are calling next, and if they do, you either cannot pronounce it or cannot understand what they said.

I will just play devil's advocate with you for a second...if you call, for example, Jacksonville Center, and only use "Center", on the frequency the handoff was given for, they will state who you are calling anyways. If you are on the wrong frequency...guess what? They will look for you, tell you you are on the wrong frequency, and either tell you to go to your previous frequency or give you the correct one. Either way, you will get corrected.:beer:

I do not condone using this technique all of the time, or even most of the time, but in certain circumstances, it can work. The OP asked what name to use...if you are at a certain airport with the correct frequency, and call "ground", you can then learn what their preferred name is. This is if there is no radio chatter for you to figure it out. After that, use the name they use for the remainder of the calls. If you are on the wrong frequency, they will figure it out when they cannot find you.;)
 
fholbert said:
I refuse to call a tower by an actors name. Actors are not heroes.

  • Bob Hope tower?
  • John Wayne tower?
  • Ronald Regan Tower?
  • The Good Tower Lollipop
Pretty soon SAG will want to rename LAX Lindsay Lohan International. Cut me some slack!

l2obf1-b78642207z.120100519083710000gboodgi0.1.jpg
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Eff it, I still call 'em "Santa Ana" and "Burbank". And since this isn't The Lavatory, don't get me started on WASHINGTON NATIONAL...
 
Autothrust Blue said:
I'm sure you know, but be careful. The point of having "[FACILITY NAME] CLEARANCE/GROUND/TOWER" in there is to make sure you're indeed talking to the right one. I'd rather get corrected :)
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If the guy you're checking in with isn't expecting you, then you're going to know about it real quick, hence negating the need to put the facility name up front.

Further, there are multiple center frequencies within a given facility, depending on your altitude and location.
 
XNA is an airport who is particularly touchy about what you call them:

They scolded me on frequency for calling them Fayetteville... so I called back with just the word "ground" instead.

I think you call them "Northwest Arkansas clearance/ground/tower/departure" but...

my chart has all these freakin' names:

Fayetteville/Springdale/Roger Northwest Arkansas Rgnl
 
Autothrust Blue said:
I'm sure you know, but be careful. The point of having "[FACILITY NAME] CLEARANCE/GROUND/TOWER" in there is to make sure you're indeed talking to the right one. I'd rather get corrected :)
Click to expand...

I agree, and once the initial contact has been made with that facility I drop the name from future calls to shorten them up.
 
Stone Cold said:
If you don't know..."Tower", "Ground", "Clearance Delivery", "Radar", "Control", "Approach", or whatever facility you are calling works also. Once you know the proper name, or finally figure out how to pronounce it:D, then you are good to go.

This is just a little trick I use in some circumstances.:pirate:
Click to expand...

Ah, the "Babe" method. This is my preferred method. It's short, sweet and keeps them from having to tie up the frequency correcting me when I guess wrong.
 
cencal83406 said:
XNA is an airport who is particularly touchy about what you call them:

They scolded me on frequency for calling them Fayetteville... so I called back with just the word "ground" instead.
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A few years ago I called Joshua Approach, Joshua Tree Approach. Whoops!

u2-the-joshua-tree-5001095.jpg
 
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