TowerTalk logoTowerTalk
Start training

Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field (C09) radio calls

Morris, ILFAA identifier C09; no ICAO code assigned

Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field is a non-towered airport in Morris, IL. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8, as Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Chicago Approach on 119.35, 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

CTAFMorris Municipal/James r Washburn Field Traffic122.8
Approach / DepartureChicago Approach119.35

Airport

Runways
18 · 36
Elevation
585 ft
Position
41.425, -88.419

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at C09

Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field 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 18; 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 122.8. 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).
  2. YouMorris Municipal/James r Washburn Field traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway one eight, Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field.
  3. YouMorris Municipal/James r Washburn Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway one eight, departing the pattern to the north, Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field.
  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. YouMorris Municipal/James r Washburn Field traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field, Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field.
  6. YouMorris Municipal/James r Washburn Field UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field.
  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. YouMorris Municipal/James r Washburn Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway one eight, full stop, Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field.
  9. YouMorris Municipal/James r Washburn Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway one eight, Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field.
  10. YouMorris Municipal/James r Washburn Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway one eight, full stop, Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field.
  11. YouMorris Municipal/James r Washburn Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway one eight, Morris Municipal/James r Washburn Field.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Chicago Approach on 119.35 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 Illinois

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.