G

g zero

Well Known Member
What frequency to do use for air to air when flying with your freinds ? I see 122.75 is Air to Air , 122.85 is Multicom ,123.3 & 123.5 are flight schools. We have been using 122.85 and often get told by the local big box flight school that we are on "Their" frequency. We monitor 122.85 when I go out and play so we know where the students are practicing their manuvers.
 
Locally 122.75 is too congested so often will use 123.45.

Having said that, any frequency is not for idle chatting.
 
g zero said:
What frequency to do use for air to air when flying with your freinds ? I see 122.75 is Air to Air , 122.85 is Multicom ,123.3 & 123.5 are flight schools. We have been using 122.85 and often get told by the local big box flight school that we are on "Their" frequency. We monitor 122.85 when I go out and play so we know where the students are practicing their manuvers.
Click to expand...

For 122.85 I found this written by someone else online...thought it was interesting:

Apparently, this is one of those things where the FAA and FCC are not connecting. The FCC is very specific about the use of 122.85 and none of those specific uses are for a general air-to-air frequency (unless you?re around the Grand Canyon). When the AIM lumped it in with 122.75, they did so under the heading of "air-to-air / private airport". The 122.85 freq (according to the FCC reg) would fall under the heading of a private airport and requires a licensed ground station. If you ask the average pilot or the average FSDO, they?ll tell you that both frequencies are available for general air-to-air. If you ask the FCC, you?ll likely get a different answer (if they refer to their own regs). What we have here is a failure to communicate.
Click to expand...

Worth noting that TBL 4-1-3 in the AIM no longer lists 122.85 at all (just 122.75): http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim/Chap4/aim0401.html
 
g zero said:
We have been using 122.85 and often get told by the local big box flight school that we are on "Their" frequency.
Click to expand...

Sounds like that flight school needs to call a Waaaambulance. I'd tell 'em to just stick it up their.... no wait, can't say that, this is a family show.

Keep on using 122.85, it's no big deal and the flight school has no claim to it. Back when I was hauling checks as a night freight dog, 122.85 was the "company" frequency for air to air and calling ops at the big hubs... but we certainly didn't own it.
 
cropdusterdave said:
just use 121.5 like the Southwest guys do......
Click to expand...

Hey now...:p

AX-O said:
I got my back side chewed out by a Master Guns (USMC) that is a local flight instructor because we were using 123.45. After that I did a search and found this link. http://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/mtcivair.html
Click to expand...

Hey Axel,

What was the Master Guns beefed about...the Viper Demo team?

Here's another link to a frequency allocation table: http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Aircraft

I've seen the follwoing freqs used by groups for air to air comm (listed use from the above referenced wiki in parens...not that a wiki is authoritative, just additional info), also...[nickname I've heard for the freq in brackets, if applicable]:

122.75 (Fixed wing aircraft air-to-air)
122.85 (Multicom)
123.15 (Flight Test)
123.45 (Air to Air-Unofficial) ["Fingers"]
130.30 (Operational Control) ["Winchester"]

Just an opinion, but seems if we use discretion and common sense in air to air freq selection, and courtesy in using the freqs we'll be OK out there (listen first, and if a team or another group is using a freq, move on...if its clear, have at it). All FWIW and just IMHO (any more acronyms I can use! ;))

Oh, and Duster Dave...please note the absence of 121.5! :p:D

Cheers,
Bob
 
rvmills said:
Hey Axel,
What was the Master Guns beefed about...the Viper Demo team?
Click to expand...

He said I was not following THE RULES. Just left it alone because we were in a group. By the way we call 123.45, "fingers" as well.
 
Last edited:
I was doing a little research of official documents for a column a while back and found this little nugget. ICAO Annex 10 states that "123.45 Mhz shall be designated for use as an Air-to-Air communications channel to enable aircraft engaged in flights over remote and oceanic areas, out of range of VHF ground stations, to exchange necessary operational information and to facilitate the resolution of operational problems". Not e the part about "out of range of VHF ground stations". While there are parts of the US that might qualify (out in the true wilderness), there aren't all that many.

Too many folks learn things from someone else, who learned it from someone else, who learned it from....well, they can't remember. Go to official sources (not Wiki's - sorry Bob...) and you can be surprised. "I read it on the web" does not make it right....even the the things I write....;)

Paul (using 122.75 for A/A)
 
Air-to-Air Only?

There is a popular private airport in central Texas with a nice resort and restaurant that uses 122.75 for their CTAF, who authorized that if it's designated as air-to-air? In our travels we constantly hear "Hilltop Lakes traffic, blah blah blah" on 122.75.
 
mrreddick said:
There is a popular private airport in central Texas with a nice resort and restaurant that uses 122.75 for their CTAF, who authorized that if it's designated as air-to-air? In our travels we constantly hear "Hilltop Lakes traffic, blah blah blah" on 122.75.
Click to expand...

Somewhere I saw "air-to-air and private airports" for 122.75 or something like that...I think it was an earlier version of the AIM (which still included 122.85 too). Just from memory though.
 
DCat22 said:
Somewhere I saw "air-to-air and private airports" for 122.75 or something like that...I think it was an earlier version of the AIM (which still included 122.85 too). Just from memory though.
Click to expand...

The following is a quote from an FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-35.

>82
UNICOM

At public use airports the Unicom frequencies are: 122.7, 122.725, 122.8, 122.975, 123.0, 123.050 and 123.075.
At private use airports the Unicom frequencies are: 122.75 and 122.85.
 
Last edited:
how about a national rv to rv freq like 123.15. the 'flight test' freq sounded pretty good. would be nice to be out and be able to find out who, where and what was going on in the rv world. we have been using that freq in florida for the sebring breakfast run and have never heard anyone but us flight testers on it. lets see, 7,000 flying, hmm, could get to be a busy freq!
vaf.gif
 
If certain freqs are alloted to commercial or other NGOs, then why don't we get one asigned to RV drivers? :)
Should be doable?
 
JUMBO

Where did the use of Jumbo come into being and why isn't anyone mentioning it? I hear, and use it for, air to air all the time on 127.47......
The only time I knew it was used by ATC was near Kansas City or somewhere out that way I tuned it in and heard their Center. Otherwise we use it a lot in the West with no problems. Is this contrary to any of the zillion FARs....?
 
AX-O said:
He said I was not following THE RULES. Just left it alone because we were in a group.
Click to expand...

"THE RULES" cuts a pretty wide swath, doesn't it! ;) Leavin' it alone is often good discretion! :)

Ironflight said:
Note the part about "out of range of VHF ground stations". While there are parts of the US that might qualify (out in the true wilderness), there aren't all that many.
Click to expand...

Nevada counts! ;)

Ironflight said:
Too many folks learn things from someone else, who learned it from someone else, who learned it from....well, they can't remember. Go to official sources (not Wiki's - sorry Bob...) and you can be surprised.
Click to expand...

I'm with ya Paul...why I ID'd the ref as a wiki, and thus non-authoritative. After searching last night, and again tonight (and thank you...I fell into the world of online ICAO and couldn't get up! :p)...I still can't find an official, authoritative frequency allocation table. I find lots of tables like we posted last night, where somebody copies and pastes...but I can't get into ICAO Annex 10, volume II or V...without buying it. Got lost in the FCC online, and can't find an FAR, AIM or AC that shows it all definitively...with all the notes (like the one you found Paul). Anyone have a official link? Not a huge deal...just interested...and for now, I feel like one of those commercials on TV about "Search Overload" :D


Ironflight said:
"I read it on the web" does not make it right....even the the things I write....;)

Paul (using 122.75 for A/A)
Click to expand...

If I was writing that line about me, I'd just change one word..."even" would become "especially"! :rolleyes:

All in fun!

Cheers,
Bob
 
I can't add a lot to this discussion except to let you know the Flagstaff Airport Slugs use 122.92, especially for our local Sunday Breakfast flights. If you're in the area around 8am on Sunday, feel free to ask what the day's destination is and join us. It's a mixed bag of aircraft but all the pilots are RV friendly.
 
I am on a private stip close to Houston, which is designated 122.75. I was told by my Dad, 40 year professional pilot, to use 123.45. If we are talking to each other that is what we always use. Many times I have been coming in to my home airport trying to report my positions and there are pilots "bs-ing" about the house down below them or the cloud layer above them and I can't harldy get in a word. Until I read this, I thought they were wrong. Seems to me, if 122.75 was designated for private stips, it would not also be for air to air. Some private airports can get busy, I would like to see air to air be something other than also one designated for private. I think I will keep using 123.45.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.