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Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Banks (ME5) radio calls

Swans Island, MEFAA identifier ME5; no ICAO code assigned

Banks is a non-towered airport in Swans Island, ME. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 122.9, as Banks Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Bangor Approach on 133.6, 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

CTAFBanks Traffic122.9
Approach / DepartureBangor Approach133.6

Airport

Runways
10 · 28
Elevation
100 ft
Position
44.165, -68.428

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at ME5

Banks has no operating control tower. Every call below goes out on the CTAF, 122.9, 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.

  1. Tune 122.9. 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. YouBanks traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway one zero, Banks.
  3. YouBanks traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway one zero, departing the pattern to the north, Banks.
  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. YouBanks traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Banks, Banks.
  6. YouBanks traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway one zero, full stop, Banks.
  7. YouBanks traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway one zero, Banks.
  8. YouBanks traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway one zero, full stop, Banks.
  9. YouBanks traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway one zero, Banks.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Bangor Approach on 133.6 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 Maine

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.

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