Lesson D19 1:36 19 of 26
Read the Salinas frequency box, and work out when the part-time tower is open.
The video plays from YouTube. FAA airport diagrams, d-TPP cycle 2611, effective 29 OCT 2026. Not for navigation.
The box at the top left lists the Salinas radio frequencies. ATIS, on 124.85, is a recorded broadcast. It gives the weather and the runway in use. Listen to it before you call. Then tell the controller the ATIS letter you have.
Call ground control on 121.7 before you taxi. The tower, on 119.525, clears you to take off and to land. The star after SALINAS TOWER means the tower is not open all the time. The Chart Supplement lists its hours in Zulu time.
Z means Zulu time, the time the FAA uses for all operations. From October to March, the tower hours are 1400 to 0300. The double dagger after the Z means one rule all year: subtract 8 hours for Salinas time.
That is 6 in the morning to 7 in the evening. From April to September, the hours are different. Check them before a summer flight. When the tower is closed, use the CTAF, 119.525, the same number as the tower.
Pilots then tell each other where they are and what they plan to do. So if you land after 7 in the evening from October to March, use the CTAF, not the tower. The Chart Supplement says the tower gives only limited service on parts of taxiway Bravo, between Delta and November. Taxi there with extra care.
Next, the frequency boxes at busy airports.
Before you fly, check the current airport diagram, the Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.
A discovery flight is actual flight training with a certified flight instructor at the Salinas Airport. Your hands on the controls, with the airport diagram on your knee.
