Non-towered · Class G at the surface
Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal (KSCD) radio calls
Sylacauga, ALICAO KSCD · FAA SCD
Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal is a non-towered airport in Sylacauga, AL. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8, as Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Birmingham Approach on 123.8, 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
| CTAFMerkel Field Sylacauga Municipal Traffic | 122.8 |
|---|---|
| Approach / DepartureBirmingham Approach | 123.8 |
Airport
- Runways
- 09 · 27
- Elevation
- 569 ft
- Position
- 33.172, -86.306
Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF
Sample calls at KSCD
Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal 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 09; 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.
- 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).
- YouMerkel Field Sylacauga Municipal traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway zero niner, Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal.
- YouMerkel Field Sylacauga Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway zero niner, departing the pattern to the north, Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal.
- 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).
- YouMerkel Field Sylacauga Municipal traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal, Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal.
- YouMerkel Field Sylacauga Municipal UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal.
- 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.
- YouMerkel Field Sylacauga Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway zero niner, full stop, Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal.
- YouMerkel Field Sylacauga Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway zero niner, Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal.
- YouMerkel Field Sylacauga Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway zero niner, full stop, Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal.
- YouMerkel Field Sylacauga Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway zero niner, Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal.
If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Birmingham Approach on 123.8 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
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Frequencies, runways and airspace from the FAA National Airspace System Resources (NASR) 28-day subscription, cycle effective Sep 3, 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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