As standard operating practice, all inbound traffic to an airport without a control tower should continuously monitor the appropriate facility from a distance of?

• A. 5 miles
• B. 10 miles
• C. 15 miles
• D. 20 miles

Answer: (B)

When flying into a non-towered airport, you coordinate with other traffic by listening on the common traffic advisory frequency. Monitoring that frequency from about ten miles out gives you enough time to hear where others are and to announce your own position and intentions before you reach the pattern. This early awareness helps prevent conflicts as you descend and configure for approach, enter the pattern smoothly, and maintain safe separation. Five miles is typically too close to react to others who may still be on approach or final, while fifteen or twenty miles would be listening too early to be timely for pattern entry. The appropriate facility to monitor is the airport’s CTAF or UNICOM frequency, unless another advising frequency is published for that airport.