Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Columbia-Adair County (I96) radio calls

Columbia, KYFAA identifier I96; no ICAO code assigned

Columbia-Adair County is a non-towered airport in Columbia, KY. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8, as Columbia-Adair County 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

CTAFColumbia-Adair County Traffic122.8

Airport

Runways
08 · 26
Elevation
819 ft
Position
37.085, -85.349

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at I96

Columbia-Adair County 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 08; 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. YouColumbia-Adair County traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway zero eight, Columbia-Adair County.
  3. YouColumbia-Adair County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway zero eight, departing the pattern to the north, Columbia-Adair County.
  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. YouColumbia-Adair County traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Columbia-Adair County, Columbia-Adair County.
  6. YouColumbia-Adair County UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Columbia-Adair County.
  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. YouColumbia-Adair County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway zero eight, full stop, Columbia-Adair County.
  9. YouColumbia-Adair County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway zero eight, Columbia-Adair County.
  10. YouColumbia-Adair County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway zero eight, full stop, Columbia-Adair County.
  11. YouColumbia-Adair County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway zero eight, Columbia-Adair County.

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 Kentucky

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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