Non-towered · Class E surface area

Knoxville Downtown Island (KDKX) radio calls

Knoxville, TNICAO KDKX · FAA DKX

Knoxville Downtown Island is a non-towered airport in Knoxville, TN. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 123.075, as Knoxville Downtown Island Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Knoxville Approach on 123.9, 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

Clearance Delivery121.7
CTAFKnoxville Downtown Island Traffic123.075
Approach / DepartureKnoxville Approach123.9

Airport

Runways
08 · 26
Elevation
833 ft
Position
35.964, -83.874

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at KDKX

Knoxville Downtown Island has no operating control tower. Every call below goes out on the CTAF, 123.075, 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 123.075. 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. YouKnoxville Downtown Island traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway zero eight, Knoxville Downtown Island.
  3. YouKnoxville Downtown Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway zero eight, departing the pattern to the north, Knoxville Downtown Island.
  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. YouKnoxville Downtown Island traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Knoxville Downtown Island, Knoxville Downtown Island.
  6. YouKnoxville Downtown Island UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Knoxville Downtown Island.
  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. YouKnoxville Downtown Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway zero eight, full stop, Knoxville Downtown Island.
  9. YouKnoxville Downtown Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway zero eight, Knoxville Downtown Island.
  10. YouKnoxville Downtown Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway zero eight, full stop, Knoxville Downtown Island.
  11. YouKnoxville Downtown Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway zero eight, Knoxville Downtown Island.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Knoxville Approach on 123.9 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 Tennessee

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.