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Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Virginia Highlands (KVJI) radio calls

Abingdon, VAICAO KVJI · FAA VJI

Virginia Highlands is a non-towered airport in Abingdon, VA. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8, as Virginia Highlands Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Tri City Approach on 125.25, 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

CTAFVirginia Highlands Traffic122.8
Approach / DepartureTri City Approach125.25

Airport

Runways
06 · 24
Elevation
2,088 ft
Pattern altitude
990 ft MSL (published TPA)
Position
36.686, -82.035

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at KVJI

Virginia Highlands 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 06; 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. YouVirginia Highlands traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway zero six, Virginia Highlands.
  3. YouVirginia Highlands traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway zero six, departing the pattern to the north, Virginia Highlands.
  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. YouVirginia Highlands traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Virginia Highlands, Virginia Highlands.
  6. YouVirginia Highlands UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Virginia Highlands.
  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. YouVirginia Highlands traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway zero six, full stop, Virginia Highlands.
  9. YouVirginia Highlands traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway zero six, Virginia Highlands.
  10. YouVirginia Highlands traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway zero six, full stop, Virginia Highlands.
  11. YouVirginia Highlands traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway zero six, Virginia Highlands.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Tri City Approach on 125.25 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 Virginia

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.