Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Manitowish Waters (D25) radio calls

Manitowish Waters, WIFAA identifier D25; no ICAO code assigned

Manitowish Waters is a non-towered airport in Manitowish Waters, WI. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8, as Manitowish Waters 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

CTAFManitowish Waters Traffic122.8

Airport

Runways
04 · 22 · 14 · 32
Elevation
1,610 ft
Position
46.120, -89.882

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at D25

Manitowish Waters 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 04; 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. YouManitowish Waters traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway zero four, Manitowish Waters.
  3. YouManitowish Waters traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway zero four, departing the pattern to the north, Manitowish Waters.
  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. YouManitowish Waters traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Manitowish Waters, Manitowish Waters.
  6. YouManitowish Waters UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Manitowish Waters.
  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. YouManitowish Waters traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway zero four, full stop, Manitowish Waters.
  9. YouManitowish Waters traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway zero four, Manitowish Waters.
  10. YouManitowish Waters traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway zero four, full stop, Manitowish Waters.
  11. YouManitowish Waters traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway zero four, Manitowish Waters.

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 Wisconsin

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.