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Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Jefferson County International (0S9) radio calls

Port Townsend, WAFAA identifier 0S9; no ICAO code assigned

Jefferson County International is a non-towered airport in Port Townsend, WA. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 123.0, as Jefferson County International Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Whidbey Approach on 118.2, which is who you call for VFR flight following.

No Class B, C, D or E surface area is designated for this airport in the FAA data, so the airspace at the surface is Class G.

Frequencies

CTAFJefferson County International Traffic123.0
Approach / DepartureWhidbey Approach118.2

Airport

Runways
09 · 27
Right-hand pattern
Runway 09
Elevation
110 ft
Pattern altitude
890 ft MSL (published TPA)
Position
48.054, -122.811

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at 0S9

Jefferson County International has no operating control tower. Every call below goes out on the CTAF, 123.0, to the other aircraft, not to a controller. The runway shown is 09, which has a right-hand pattern; use whichever runway the wind and the traffic dictate on the day.

The aircraft is the AIM’s own example, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot; the squawk codes, altitudes and headings are illustrative. Frequencies, station names and runway numbers are this airport’s, from the FAA data.

  1. Tune 123.0. Nobody clears you; you announce and you listen. The airport name goes at the start and the end of every call, and the runway is always a number, never "the active" (AIM 4-1-9 g 8).
  2. YouJefferson County International traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway zero niner, Jefferson County International.
  3. YouJefferson County International traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway zero niner, departing the pattern to the north, Jefferson County International.
  4. Announce until you are about 10 miles out; on the way back, start announcing at 10 miles (AIM 4-1-9 c 1, TBL 4-1-1).
  5. YouJefferson County International traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Jefferson County International, Jefferson County International.
  6. YouJefferson County International UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Jefferson County International.
  7. A UNICOM operator, if one is on, answers with the wind and the runway in use (AIM 4-1-9 h). If nobody answers, choose the runway from the wind and the pattern traffic you can hear.
  8. YouJefferson County International traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway zero niner, full stop, Jefferson County International.
  9. YouJefferson County International traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway zero niner, Jefferson County International.
  10. YouJefferson County International traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway zero niner, full stop, Jefferson County International.
  11. YouJefferson County International traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway zero niner, Jefferson County International.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Whidbey Approach on 118.2 once clear of the pattern: identification, type, position, altitude, destination, "request VFR flight following" (AIM 4-1-18 a 3). Do not use "any traffic in the area, please advise"; the AIM says it is not to be used under any condition (AIM 4-1-9 g 1).

Phraseology from AIM 4-1-9 c 1, g 1, g 8, h; TBL 4-1-1; 4-3-3. What TowerTalk grades against →

The calls you will make here

Nearby in Washington

Frequencies, runways and airspace from the FAA National Airspace System Resources (NASR) 28-day subscription, cycle effective Oct 29, 2026. Training use only. Always verify against a current Chart Supplement and sectional chart before flight; frequencies change. TowerTalk is not affiliated with the FAA. Report a discrepancy.