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Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Marion County (KMAO) radio calls

Marion, SCICAO KMAO · FAA MAO

Marion County is a non-towered airport in Marion, SC. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8, as Marion County Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Florence Approach on 135.25, 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

CTAFMarion County Traffic122.8
Approach / DepartureFlorence Approach135.25

Airport

Runways
04 · 22
Right-hand pattern
Runway 22, 04
Elevation
93 ft
Position
34.181, -79.335

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at KMAO

Marion 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 04, which has a right-hand pattern; 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. YouMarion County traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway zero four, Marion County.
  3. YouMarion County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway zero four, departing the pattern to the north, Marion 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. YouMarion County traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Marion County, Marion County.
  6. YouMarion County UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Marion 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. YouMarion County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway zero four, full stop, Marion County.
  9. YouMarion County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway zero four, Marion County.
  10. YouMarion County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway zero four, full stop, Marion County.
  11. YouMarion County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway zero four, Marion County.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Florence Approach on 135.25 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 South Carolina

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.