General Aviation Frequencies
Across the United States, there are specific aviation frequencies that can be heard almost anywhere. Here are most of them.
34.150 - Army Helicopters
34.650 - Army Helicopters 34.750 - Army Helicopters 41.500 - Army Helicopter Towers 118.925 - Firefighting emergency air tactics 118.950 - Firefighting emergency air tactics 119.950 - Firefighting Helibase air traffic control 121.500 - Emergency 121.600 - Ground Control/Civil Air Patrol Training Beacons 121.650 - Ground Control 121.700 - Ground Control 121.750 - Ground Control 121.800 - Ground Control 121.850 - Ground Control 121.900 - Ground Control (air-to-ground) 121.950 - Flight Schools 121.975 - Fight Service (private aircraft) 122.000 - Flight Service ("Flight Watch") 122.050 - Flight Service (Aircraft Transmit) 122.100 - Flight Service (Aircraft Transmit) 122.150 - Flight Service (Aircraft Transmit) 122.200 - Flight Service Stations (Common enroute) 122.250 - Balloons 122.300 - Flight Service Stations 122.350 - Flight Service Stations 122.400 - Flight Service Stations 122.450 - Flight Service Stations 122.500 - Flight Service Stations (Aircraft Transmit) 122.600 - Flight Service Stations (Airport Advisories) 122.700 - Unicom (Uncontrolled Airports) 122.725 - Unicom (Private Airports) 122.750 - Unicom (Air-to-air Communications) 122.800 - Unicom (Uncontrolled Airports) 122.850 - Multicom (Forest Service VHF-4 Helicopters) 122.900 - Multicom (Forest Service Air Tactics VHF-2/ Search and Rescue Training) 122.925 - Multicom (Plane To Plane/ Forest Service VHF-1) 122.950 - Unicom (Controlled Airports) 122.975 - Unicom (High Altitude) 123.000 - Unicom (Uncontrolled Airports) 123.025 - Unicom (Helicopters) 123.050 - Unicom (Heliports) 123.075 - Unicom (Heliports) 123.100 - Civil Air Patrol Search and Rescue 123.200 - Flight Schools 123.300 - Flight Schools and Balloons 123.400 - Flight Schools 123.450 - Multicom (Air-to-air Communications (unofficial)) 123.500 - Flight Schools and Balloons 123.600 - Airport Advisory (Flight Service Stations) (Uncontrolled Airports) 123.650 - Flight Service 126.200 - Military Airports 130.650 - Military Airlift Command 134.100 - Military Airports - GCA Radar 135.975 - Federal Air Traffic Advisory VHF-7 138.450 - USAF Search and Rescue 138.750 - USAF Search and Rescue 138.875 - USAF Thunderbirds parachutists 140.400 - USAF Thunderbirds 142.000 - USAF Blue Angels Maintenance-A 142.025 - USAF Blue Angels Maintenance-D 142.625 - USAF Blue Angels Maintenance-C 143.000 - USAF Blue Angels Maintenance-B 143.600 - USAF Blue Angels Maintenance-E 148.125 - Civil Air Patrol Secondary Repeaters 148.150 - Civil Air Patrol Primary Repeaters 148.550 - USAF Thunderbirds Maintenance 156.300 - Aircraft-to-ship - safety 156.400 - Aircraft-to-ship - commercial 156.425 - Aircraft-to-ship - non-commercial 156.450 - Aircraft-to-ship - commercial 156.625 - Aircraft-to-ship - non-commercial 156.900 - Aircraft-to-ship - commercial 235.100 - USAF air-to-air refueling 236.600 - USAF Towers 237.900 - Coast Guard search and rescue 238.700 - USAF air-to-air refueling 238.900 - USAF air-to-air refueling 239.800 - FAA Weather 241.000 - Army/National Guard "Guard" 241.400 - USN Blue Angels 243.000 - Military Emergency 250.800 - US Navy Blue Angels 251.600 - US Navy Blue Angels 252.800 - USAF Tactical Training 254.600 - US Navy air-to-air refueling 255.400 - FAA Flight Service Stations 257.800 - Civilan Airport Towers 263.350 - US Navy Blue Angels 263.500 - US Navy Blue Angels 264.800 - Space Shuttle Chase 266.500 - USAF air-to-air refueling 273.500 - USAF Thunderbirds F-2 275.350 - US Navy Blue Angels 283.500 - USAF Thunderbirds 287.800 - Coast Guard Search and Rescue 295.700 - USAF Thunderbirds F-1 300.600 - US Navy air-to-air training 302.100 - US Navy Blue Angels 302.150 - US Navy Blue Angels 307.700 - US Navy Blue Angels 311.000 - STRATCOM Primary 318.900 - USAF ACC F-6 319.100 - FAA Air Traffic Control 319.400 - Military Airlift Command 319.800 - US Navy Blue Angels 321.000 - STRATCOM Secondary 322.300 - USAF Thunderbirds F-4 322.600 - USAF Thunderbirds F-5 324.200 - USAF ACC F-14 324.500 - USAF ACC F-12 325.500 - FAA Weather 335.800 - USAF ACC F-17 336.600 - USAF ACC F-18 340.800 - USAF air-to-air refueling 342.500 - FAA Weather 344.600 - FAA Weather 345.900 - US Navy Blue Angels 346.400 - USAF ACC F-4 349.000 - USAF ACC F-13 349.400 - USAF Towers 359.300 - USAF ACC F-3 360.400 - US Navy Blue Angels 362.600 - US Navy Blue Angels 363.800 - FAA air traffic control 364.200 - NORAD 378.900 - USAF Tactical 381.300 - USAF ACC Primary 381.800 - US Coast Guard Primary 382.900 - USAF Thunderbirds F-16 383.900 - Coast Guard Secondary 384.400 - US Navy Blue Angels 391.900 - US Navy Blue Angels 394.000 - USAF Thunderbirds F-7 395.900 - US Navy Blue Angels
UNICOM
Unicom is usually used by small civilan aircraft. It is used typically around uncontrolled (towerless) airports.
Almost all airports have Unicom. Stationed on the ground is a base operator who listens to the Unicom frequency assigned to that airport. He listens to the conversations of the pilots, radioing back answers if they ask questions. In a way, it is like an air traffic controller, except the base operator does not choose how the aircraft lands.
When a pilot is approaching the airport and wants to land, he uses this Unicom frequency to alert the base operator and other aircraft in the area his position intentions. Then, the pilot, not the base operator, sets himself up for a landing.
Large airplanes or helicopters can use Unicom, which is stationed at even large airports. They rarely do because it is easier to contact a tower for instructions. At large airports, where the sky is filled with hundreds of aircraft, it is safer and easier to have the tower direct the aircraft to landing. The most common Unicom frequency at a large airport is 122.950.
MULTICOM
Multicom is different from Unicom. When Multicom is used around airports, that usually means the airport has no fixed base operator. Like Unicom, pilots broadcast their position and intentions out into the area on a Multicom frequency. However, responses from other airplanes may not always be expected, and no responses will return from the ground.
Multicom's main purpose is to alert other aircraft of the pilot's intentions. Usually small planes use Multicom. Large aircraft could use it, but it would be meaningless. If the airport is too small to have a base operator, then it probably does not have enough runway space for large aircraft. Its most common frequency is 122.900, but there are many others.
The problem about Multicom is if aircraft in the sky need to communicate to the ground, there is no base operator to respond. That is the primary reason most aircraft divert away from airports that use Multicom.
UNCONTROLLED AIRPORTS
Uncontrolled Airports are the most abundant type of civilian airport in the United States. When an airport is defined as "uncontrolled," it means that there is no control tower to direct air traffic. The landings and takeoffs are entirely the pilot's responsibility.
Most of these uncontrolled airports are not entirely empty. Most of them contain Unicom, a radio frequency that can be used to receive information from a base operator on the ground. If you live near a small airport that receives a medium amount of air traffic, you will most likely hear a plane use the frequency often. If an uncontrolled airport does not use Unicom, it most likely uses Multicom, where the airplane or helicopter is on its own.
CONTROLLED AIRPORTS
Controlled Airports are airports that contain a control tower. Most busy airports with crowded airspace are controlled airports.
Controlled Airports have many frequencies. Depending on the size of the airport, airspace, and tower, the tower frequencies alone can be numerous. Most incoming traffic will identify the tower over the tower's frequencies. Controlled airports also communicate on "approach" frequencies. These are frequencies scattered possibly hundreds of miles from the tower in other airport's airspace. This helps line up the incoming aircraft for landings before they reach congested airspace.
Controlled Airports also used the Unicom frequency 122.950.
