Exercise K · for US student pilots
Non-towered airports
CTAF and UNICOM: self-announce, ask for the numbers, straight-in and clearing the runway.
Worked here at Palo Alto (KPAO). In the app the same prompts use your own home airport and call sign.
Prompt 1 of 5
Ten miles east of Half Moon Bay at 2,500 feet, inbound to land. Self-announce on the CTAF 122.8.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-1-9: 'Half Moon Bay traffic', type and identification, ten miles east, altitude, landing Half Moon Bay, 'Half Moon Bay'. The airport name at the start AND the end.Prompt 2 of 5
Half Moon Bay has a UNICOM on 122.8. Ten miles out, ask for the wind and runway in use.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-1-9 h: 'Half Moon Bay UNICOM', type and identification, position and altitude, landing Half Moon Bay, 'request wind and runway information', 'Half Moon Bay'.Prompt 3 of 5
You have chosen a straight-in to runway 12 at Half Moon Bay. Announce it from 8 miles out.
What the AIM says: AIM 4-1-9 g 4: the FAA discourages VFR straight-ins, but if you do one, announce at 8 to 10 miles and coordinate with pattern traffic — you have no priority over aircraft in the pattern. 'Half Moon Bay traffic', identification, eight miles out, straight-in runway 12, 'Half Moon Bay'.Prompt 4 of 5
You have landed at Half Moon Bay and are off runway 12. Make the last call.
What the AIM says: 'Half Moon Bay traffic', identification, clear of runway 12, 'Half Moon Bay'. Pilots in the pattern are waiting for exactly this.Prompt 5 of 5
You are 10 miles from Half Moon Bay and want to know who is in the pattern. Make the correct call — NOT "any traffic in the area, please advise".
What the AIM says: AIM 4-1-9 g 1: 'traffic in the area, please advise' is not a recognised phrase and must not be used. The correct call is your own position report on the CTAF; other aircraft announce themselves in reply. Listen first — most of what you want to know is already on the frequency.
What this exercise is graded against
| Call or readback | Graded against |
|---|---|
| Inbound self-announce on the CTAF, airport name first and last | AIM 4-1-9 c 1, TBL 4-1-1; 4-1-9 g 8 |
| Calling a UNICOM for wind and runway information | AIM 4-1-9 h |
| Announcing a straight-in and giving way to the pattern | AIM 4-1-9 g 4; 4-3-3 note 1 |
| Clear of the runway | AIM 4-1-9 c 1, TBL 4-1-1 |
| Never 'any traffic in the area, please advise' | AIM 4-1-9 g 1 |
Now say them to a controller
Push-to-talk, at your airport, with today’s altimeter. The AI controller answers and the grader tells you what the AIM says about each call.
Prompts and notes are written in our own words from the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (Change 3, 7/9/26) and the Pilot/Controller Glossary, with paragraph references. Frequencies are from the FAA NASR data and are for training only. Study aid; not approved or endorsed by the FAA. Always defer to the AIM, current FAA publications, your instructor and your examiner.