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Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Reno/Stead (KRTS) radio calls

Reno, NVICAO KRTS · FAA RTS

Reno/Stead is a non-towered airport in Reno, NV. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.7, as Reno/Stead Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is NorCal Approach on 126.3, 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

CTAFReno/Stead Traffic122.7
Approach / DepartureNorCal Approach126.3

Airport

Runways
08 · 26 · 14 · 32
Right-hand pattern
Runway 26, 32
Elevation
5,050 ft
Pattern altitude
800 ft MSL (published TPA)
Position
39.668, -119.876

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at KRTS

Reno/Stead 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 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 122.7. 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. YouReno/Stead traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway zero eight, Reno/Stead.
  3. YouReno/Stead traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway zero eight, departing the pattern to the north, Reno/Stead.
  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. YouReno/Stead traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Reno/Stead, Reno/Stead.
  6. YouReno/Stead UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Reno/Stead.
  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. YouReno/Stead traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway zero eight, full stop, Reno/Stead.
  9. YouReno/Stead traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway zero eight, Reno/Stead.
  10. YouReno/Stead traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway zero eight, full stop, Reno/Stead.
  11. YouReno/Stead traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway zero eight, Reno/Stead.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call NorCal Approach on 126.3 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 Nevada

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.