Non-towered · Class E surface area
Downtown (3DW) radio calls
Springfield, MOFAA identifier 3DW; no ICAO code assigned
Downtown is a non-towered airport in Springfield, MO. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8, as Downtown Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Springfield Approach on 124.95, which is who you call for VFR flight following.
The airport has a Class E surface area: no radio requirement to enter, but VFR weather minimums apply to the surface.
Frequencies
| CTAFDowntown Traffic | 122.8 |
|---|---|
| Approach / DepartureSpringfield Approach | 124.95 |
Airport
- Runways
- 11 · 29
- Elevation
- 1,375 ft
- Position
- 37.223, -93.248
Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF
Sample calls at 3DW
Downtown has no operating control tower. Every call below goes out on the CTAF, 122.8, to the other aircraft, not to a controller. The runway shown is 11; 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.
- Tune 122.8. 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).
- YouDowntown traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway one one, Downtown.
- YouDowntown traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway one one, departing the pattern to the north, Downtown.
- 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).
- YouDowntown traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Downtown, Downtown.
- YouDowntown UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Downtown.
- 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.
- YouDowntown traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway one one, full stop, Downtown.
- YouDowntown traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway one one, Downtown.
- YouDowntown traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway one one, full stop, Downtown.
- YouDowntown traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway one one, Downtown.
If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Springfield Approach on 124.95 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
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Frequencies, runways and airspace from the FAA National Airspace System Resources (NASR) 28-day subscription, cycle effective Sep 3, 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.
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