Common Traffic Advisory Frequency
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Common Traffic Advisory Frequency
Common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) is the name given to the VHF radio frequency used for air-to-air communication at United States, Canadian and Australian non-towered airports. Many towered airports close their towers overnight, keeping the airport open for cargo operations and other activity. Pilots use the common frequency to coordinate their arrivals and departures safely, giving position reports and acknowledging other aircraft in the airfield traffic pattern. In many locations, smaller airports use pilot-controlled lighting systems when it is uneconomical or inconvenient to have automated systems or staff to turn on the taxiway and runway lights. In Canada, the lighting system is accessed through an aircraft radio control of aerodrome lighting (ARCAL) frequency, which is often shared with the CTAF. Two common CTAF allocations are UNICOM and MULTICOM. UNICOM is a licensed non-government base station that provides air-to-ground and ground-to-air communication, and ...
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Very High Frequency
Very high frequency (VHF) is the ITU designation for the range of radio frequency electromagnetic waves ( radio waves) from 30 to 300 megahertz (MHz), with corresponding wavelengths of ten meters to one meter. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted high frequency (HF), and the next higher frequencies are known as ultra high frequency (UHF). VHF radio waves propagate mainly by line-of-sight, so they are blocked by hills and mountains, although due to refraction they can travel somewhat beyond the visual horizon out to about 160 km (100 miles). Common uses for radio waves in the VHF band are Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) and FM radio broadcasting, television broadcasting, two-way land mobile radio systems (emergency, business, private use and military), long range data communication up to several tens of kilometers with radio modems, amateur radio, and marine communications. Air traffic control communications and air navigation systems (e.g. VOR and ILS) wo ...
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Non-towered Airport
In aviation, a non-towered airport is an airport without a control tower, or air traffic control (ATC) unit. The vast majority of the world's airports are non-towered. In the United States, there are close to 20,000 non-towered airports compared to approximately 500 airports with control towers. Airports with a control tower without 24/7 ATC service follow non-towered airport procedures when the tower is closed but the airport remains open, for example at night. Operations At non-towered airports, instead of receiving instructions from an air traffic controller, aircraft pilots follow recommended operations and communications procedures for operating at an airport without a control tower. The exact procedures vary from country to country, but they may include standard arrival and departure procedures, as well as a common communications phraseology by radio transmissions over a common frequency. For example, a common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) is recommended for radio co ...
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Air Cargo
Air cargo is any property carried or to be carried in an aircraft. Air cargo comprises air freight, air express and airmail. Aircraft types Different cargo can be transported by passenger, cargo or combi aircraft: * Passenger aircraft use the spare volume in the airplane's baggage hold (the "belly") that is not being used for passenger luggage—a common practice used by passenger airlines, who additionally transport cargo on scheduled passenger flights. Cargo can also be transported in the passenger cabin as hand-carry by an “on-board courier”. This practice can often be used to cross subsidise loss-making passenger routes that would otherwise be uneconomical to operate. A passenger aircraft can also be used as a preighter in which the entire passenger cabin is temporarily dedicated to carrying freight. * Cargo aircraft are dedicated for the job—they carry freight on the main deck and in the belly by means of nose-loading or side loading. * Combi aircraft carry cargo ...
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Airfield Traffic Pattern
An airfield traffic pattern is a standard path followed by aircraft when taking off or landing while maintaining visual contact with the airfield. At an airport, the pattern (or circuit) is a standard path for coordinating air traffic. It differs from "straight-in approaches" and "direct climb-outs" in that aircraft using a traffic pattern remain close to the airport. Patterns are usually employed at small general aviation (GA) airfields and military airbases. Many large controlled airports avoid the system unless there is GA activity as well as commercial flights. However, some kind of a pattern may be used at airports in some cases such as when an aircraft is required to go around, but this kind of pattern at controlled airports may be very different in form, shape, and purpose to the standard traffic pattern as used at GA airports. The use of a pattern at airfields is for aviation safety. By using a consistent flight pattern, pilots will know from where to expect other air tr ...
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Pilot-controlled Lighting
Pilot-controlled lighting (PCL), also known as aircraft radio control of aerodrome lighting (ARCAL) or pilot-activated lighting (PAL), is a system that allows aircraft pilots to control the lighting of an airport or airfield's approach lights, runway edge lights, and taxiways via radio. Technical details At some airfields, the airport/aerodrome beacon may also be ARCAL controlled. ARCAL is most common at non-towered airports or little-used airfields where it is neither economical to light the runways all night, nor to provide staff to turn the runway lighting on and off. It enables pilots to control the lighting only when required, saving electricity and reducing light pollution. The ARCAL frequency for most aerodromes is usually the same as the UNICOM/CTAF frequency, although in some rare cases, a second ARCAL frequency may be designated to control the lighting for a second runway separately. An example of the latter is runway 18/36 at the airport in Sydney, Nova Scotia. To ...
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UNICOM
A UNICOM (universal communications) station is an air-ground communication facility operated by a non-air traffic control private agency to provide advisory service at uncontrolled aerodromes and airports and to provide various non-flight services, such as requesting a taxi, even at towered airports. It is also known as an ''aeronautical advisory station''. The equivalent European/ICAO service is known as ''(aerodrome) flight information service'', abbreviated as AFIS or FIS. Description UNICOM is employed at airports with a low volume of general aviation traffic and where no control tower is active. UNICOM stations typically use a single communications frequency. Some airfields always offer UNICOM service while others revert to UNICOM procedures only during hours when the control tower is closed. Under this protocol, aircraft may call a non-government ground station to make announcements of their intentions. Pilots who join the frequency later can request field advisories, which m ...
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MULTICOM
In U.S. and Canadian aviation, MULTICOM is a frequency allocation used as a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) by aircraft near airports where no air traffic control is available. Frequency allocations vary from region to region. Despite the use of uppercase letters, MULTICOM is not an abbreviation or acronym. In the United States, there is one MULTICOM frequency: 122.9 MHz. (See AIM table 4-1-2 or AIM table 4-1-1) At uncontrolled airports without a UNICOM, pilots are to self-announce on the MULTICOM frequency. In Australia, there is one MULTICOM frequency: 126.7 MHz. In Brazil, there is one MULTICOM frequency: 123.45 MHz. See also * UNICOM * CTAF Common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) is the name given to the VHF radio frequency used for air-to-air communication at United States, Canadian and Australian non-towered airports. Many towered airports close their towers overnight, keeping ... Airbands Aviation communications Avionics Air traf ...
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Acronyms And Abbreviations In Avionics
Below are abbreviations used in aviation, avionics, aerospace and aeronautics. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N N numbers (turbines) O P Q R S T U V V speeds W X Y Z See also * List of aviation mnemonics * Avionics * Glossary of Russian and USSR aviation acronyms * Glossary of gliding and soaring * Appendix:Glossary of aviation, aerospace, and aeronautics – Wiktionary References SourcesAerospace acronymsTerms and GlossaryAviada Terminaro verkita de Gilbert R. LEDON, 286 pagxoj. External links Acronyms used by EASAAcronyms and Abbreviations- FAA Aviation DictionaryAviation Acronyms and AbbreviationsAcronyms search engine by Eurocontrol {{DEFAULTSORT:aviation, avionics, aerospace and aeronautical abbreviations Abbreviations An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of ...
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