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Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey (KZER) radio calls

Pottsville, PAICAO KZER · FAA ZER

Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey is a non-towered airport in Pottsville, PA. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 123.075, as Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Harrisburg Approach on 118.25, 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

CTAFSchuylkill County/Joe Zerbey Traffic123.075
Approach / DepartureHarrisburg Approach118.25

Airport

Runways
04 · 22 · 11 · 29
Elevation
1,730 ft
Position
40.707, -76.374

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at KZER

Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey has no operating control tower. Every call below goes out on the CTAF, 123.075, to the other aircraft, not to a controller. The runway shown is 04; 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 123.075. 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. YouSchuylkill County/Joe Zerbey traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway zero four, Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey.
  3. YouSchuylkill County/Joe Zerbey traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway zero four, departing the pattern to the north, Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey.
  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. YouSchuylkill County/Joe Zerbey traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey, Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey.
  6. YouSchuylkill County/Joe Zerbey UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey.
  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. YouSchuylkill County/Joe Zerbey traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway zero four, full stop, Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey.
  9. YouSchuylkill County/Joe Zerbey traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway zero four, Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey.
  10. YouSchuylkill County/Joe Zerbey traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway zero four, full stop, Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey.
  11. YouSchuylkill County/Joe Zerbey traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway zero four, Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Harrisburg Approach on 118.25 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 Pennsylvania

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.