Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Butte Valley (A32) radio calls

Dorris, CAFAA identifier A32; no ICAO code assigned

Butte Valley is a non-towered airport in Dorris, CA. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.9, as Butte Valley Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call.

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

CTAFButte Valley Traffic122.9

Airport

Runways
16 · 34
Elevation
4,243 ft
Pattern altitude
800 ft MSL (published TPA)
Position
41.887, -121.976

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at A32

Butte Valley has no operating control tower. Every call below goes out on the CTAF, 122.9, to the other aircraft, not to a controller. The runway shown is 16; 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 122.9. 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. YouButte Valley traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway one six, Butte Valley.
  3. YouButte Valley traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway one six, departing the pattern to the north, Butte Valley.
  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. YouButte Valley traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Butte Valley, Butte Valley.
  6. YouButte Valley traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway one six, full stop, Butte Valley.
  7. YouButte Valley traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway one six, Butte Valley.
  8. YouButte Valley traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway one six, full stop, Butte Valley.
  9. YouButte Valley traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway one six, Butte Valley.

If things change. 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). Listen for ten miles before you arrive; most of what you want to know has already been said.

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 California

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.

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