It was after midnight and the lights of New York City could be seen from miles away as we flew over Republic Field on Long Island New York on our way to White Plains. I could make out the airport many miles away and the winds were calm. I caught myself saying “What could go wrong on this perfect night”. I wish I didn’t say that.

In the flare to touchdown, I noticed things getting dark out of the corner of my eye. That is when I realized the time set for the lights had finished and I clicked the mic 7 times making the airport “come alive” again.

This made me think about how infrequently many of us fly to non-towered fields and how we should review the procedures to know what to say and how to turn the lights on.

Preflight Checklist:

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Cruise Flight:

What to say and when to say it.

What not to say?

Any traffic in the area please advise.

Right of way.

Lights. Do your homework.

Don’t forget to close your flight plan or cancel IFR!

After Landing Checklist:

Picks Of The Week:

Carl – C 90-66C – Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-66C.pdf

Bill – How to Eat an Airplane (Bad Idea Book Club) https://amzn.to/4g49c1p

Leslie – Visit my favorite non-towered airport: Hana, Hawaii (PHHN)

https://www.airnav.com/airport/PHHN

Awesome experiences for pilots on vacation: Take a flight lesson to Hana Airport from Kahului (Fly Maui, Maui Flight Academy), Hang Gliding Maui (powered hang gliding and gyrocopter lessons), Maui Skydiving, Helicopter lesson with Go Fly Maui or a scenic helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters.

James – Electroair Electronic Ignition http://www.electroair.net

Links:

Upcoming Events and Air Shows:

September 23-29, 2024

https://tta.aero/ttfi/

November 2 & 3, 2024

https://www.floridaairshow.com

The post SMAC325 Introduction To Non-Towered Airport Operations appeared first on Stuck Mic AvCast - An Aviation Podcast About Learning to Fly, Living to Fly, & Loving to Fly.