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Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Pierce County/Thun Field (KPLU) radio calls

Puyallup, WAICAO KPLU · FAA PLU

Pierce County/Thun Field is a non-towered airport in Puyallup, WA. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.7, as Pierce County/Thun Field Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Seattle Approach on 126.5, 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

Clearance Delivery121.85
CTAFPierce County/Thun Field Traffic122.7
Approach / DepartureSeattle Approach126.5

Airport

Runways
17 · 35
Elevation
538 ft
Position
47.104, -122.287

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at KPLU

Pierce County/Thun Field has no operating control tower. Every call below goes out on the CTAF, 122.7, to the other aircraft, not to a controller. The runway shown is 17; 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 122.7. 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. YouPierce County/Thun Field traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway one seven, Pierce County/Thun Field.
  3. YouPierce County/Thun Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway one seven, departing the pattern to the north, Pierce County/Thun 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. YouPierce County/Thun Field traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Pierce County/Thun Field, Pierce County/Thun Field.
  6. YouPierce County/Thun Field UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Pierce County/Thun 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. YouPierce County/Thun Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway one seven, full stop, Pierce County/Thun Field.
  9. YouPierce County/Thun Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway one seven, Pierce County/Thun Field.
  10. YouPierce County/Thun Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway one seven, full stop, Pierce County/Thun Field.
  11. YouPierce County/Thun Field traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway one seven, Pierce County/Thun Field.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Seattle Approach on 126.5 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 Washington

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.