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Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Bakersfield Municipal (L45) radio calls

Bakersfield, CAFAA identifier L45; no ICAO code assigned

Bakersfield Municipal is a non-towered airport in Bakersfield, CA. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.8, as Bakersfield Municipal Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Bakersfield Approach on 126.45, 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

CTAFBakersfield Municipal Traffic122.8
Approach / DepartureBakersfield Approach126.45

Airport

Runways
16 · 34
Right-hand pattern
Runway 16
Elevation
378 ft
Pattern altitude
800 ft MSL (published TPA)
Position
35.325, -118.996

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at L45

Bakersfield 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 16, which has a right-hand pattern; 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. YouBakersfield Municipal traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway one six, Bakersfield Municipal.
  3. YouBakersfield Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway one six, departing the pattern to the north, Bakersfield Municipal.
  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. YouBakersfield Municipal traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Bakersfield Municipal, Bakersfield Municipal.
  6. YouBakersfield Municipal UNICOM, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, request wind and runway information, Bakersfield Municipal.
  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. YouBakersfield Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway one six, full stop, Bakersfield Municipal.
  9. YouBakersfield Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway one six, Bakersfield Municipal.
  10. YouBakersfield Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway one six, full stop, Bakersfield Municipal.
  11. YouBakersfield Municipal traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway one six, Bakersfield Municipal.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Bakersfield Approach on 126.45 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 California

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.