Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

4 Answers

How to navigate taxiways of unknown, uncontrolled airports?

Asked by: 4846 views , , , , ,
General Aviation, Student Pilot

I'm doing my second solo cross-country tomorrow. However, all airports on my trip will be small, uncontrolled fields and do not have airport diagrams to show taxiways identification letters (unlike the larger, controlled airports which have fully-detailed airport diagrams and taxiway letters on them).

The only thing I can find are small, minimal-detailed version of an airport diagram on the chart supplement of each airport I will be flying into, which unfortunately do not have the taxiway letters.  In summary, when flying into an unknown airport, how would I be able to announce my taxi intentions without a taxi diagram or how would I know where to get fuel if there are no tower/ground controllers to guide me?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

4 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Feb 08, 2019

    In most cases, it is unnecessary to announce your taxi intentions at a non towered airport. Some will announce they intend to taxi to a specific runway for departure or if you are crossing a runway on the ground, and it is not a bad idea to broadcast that. But over doing it clutters the frequency that is needed in the pattern to be able to announce your position.

    Some of the flight bag Apps will display the runway/taxiway layout. I use ForeFlight and if you have one of the “plus” subscription levels, most airports will have a taxi diagram on the map if you zoom into the area of the airport and you can see your aircraft position on the map.

    Not all airports will have taxiway signs and in many locations no one will know what you are talking about if you use taxiway designations, particularly if they are unmarked.

    If there is someone manning the unicom, you can usually ask for directions and where stuff is located. Other pilots on the frequency may also be helpful. You can use other online resources by googling “aopa airports” or “airnav” or the airport identifier. You can find and print out diagrams to take with you.

    Otherwise you are on your own. How do you get around on the freeway without someone guiding you?

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Warren Webb Jr on Feb 08, 2019

    You can also use Google Maps for a close bird’s-eye view of the layout and markings including the tiedowns (caution – not current 100% of the time), and maybe while you have that on the screen call the FBO with any questions.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. KDS on Feb 08, 2019

    Take a look at paragraph 4-1-9 in the AIM.

    Announce before taking the taxiway and before taking the runway. Anything additional that enhances safety is welcome.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Mark Kolber on Feb 08, 2019

    Today, it’s EFB apps like ForeFlight and FlyQ which have taxi diagrams for most airports, even the ones with only the thumbnail diagrams in the Chart Supplement. If we don’t have that, we can, as already said, supplement with looking at Google Maps.

    But for the most part, you do as many of us did and some still do. You use the thumbnail to draw a diagram. You report the runway you are aiming for as you approach the airport, report clear of the runway, and, later, taxiing to it.

    One question back to you. Which airports are you visiting? Do any of them have more than one strip of concrete to land on? More than one taxiway? Just trying to see if you are way overthinking it.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.