Non-towered · Class G at the surface
Tappahannock/Essex County (KXSA) radio calls
Tappahannock, VAICAO KXSA · FAA XSA
Tappahannock/Essex County is a non-towered airport in Tappahannock, VA. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8, as Tappahannock/Essex County Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Potomac Approach on 126.4, 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
| CTAFTappahannock/Essex County Traffic | 122.8 |
|---|---|
| Approach / DeparturePotomac Approach | 126.4 |
Airport
- Runways
- 10 · 28
- Elevation
- 135 ft
- Position
- 37.860, -76.894
Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF
Sample calls at KXSA
Tappahannock/Essex 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 10; 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).
- YouTappahannock/Essex County traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway one zero, Tappahannock/Essex County.
- YouTappahannock/Essex County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway one zero, departing the pattern to the north, Tappahannock/Essex County.
- 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).
- YouTappahannock/Essex County traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Tappahannock/Essex County, Tappahannock/Essex County.
- YouTappahannock/Essex County UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Tappahannock/Essex County.
- 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.
- YouTappahannock/Essex County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway one zero, full stop, Tappahannock/Essex County.
- YouTappahannock/Essex County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway one zero, Tappahannock/Essex County.
- YouTappahannock/Essex County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway one zero, full stop, Tappahannock/Essex County.
- YouTappahannock/Essex County traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway one zero, Tappahannock/Essex County.
If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Potomac Approach on 126.4 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
- KFYJMiddle Peninsula Regionalnon-towered
- W96New Kent Countynon-towered
- W75Hummel Fieldnon-towered
- KOFPHanover County Municipalnon-towered
- KRICRichmond Internationaltowered
- KEZFShannonnon-towered
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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