Class G Towered Airport?

[Huggyu2]

I saw a discussion elsewhere on Class G Towered Airports. The poster posed the question "what is the difference between a Class G airport with a tower and a Class D?" He said it wasn't weather services available, traffic, approaches, etc... and weather requirements don't come into play in designating the airspace. I don't know the answer. Do any of you?

 

[moonlight]

Seems to me that the only difference is that at one the tower is open, and the other, it isn't. Class G, by definition, is uncontrolled airspace (anyone else learn it as Class G = Go for it?). At airports with a part time tower, upon closing the airport itself becomes class G, although I believe the airspace around the airport may still remain class E, if the airport has approaches.

 

[CFIse]

I saw a discussion elsewhere on Class G Towered Airports. The poster posed the question "what is the difference between a Class G airport with a tower and a Class D?" He said it wasn't weather services available, traffic, approaches, etc... and weather requirements don't come into play in designating the airspace. I don't know the answer. Do any of you?

Well it is weather services available - since one (I can't recall the other if there is one) of the criteria for Class D airspace is having a qualified weather observer available. There is a tower airport in Florida where the airspace is class G (I used to use it as my example Lake something I think) but there are others, although not a huge number.

 

[cvsfly]

I saw a discussion elsewhere on Class G Towered Airports. The poster posed the question "what is the difference between a Class G airport with a tower and a Class D?" He said it wasn't weather services available, traffic, approaches, etc... and weather requirements don't come into play in designating the airspace. I don't know the answer. Do any of you?

I think the terminology needs to be looked at. Class G and Class G have specific definitions. A towered airport is class D when in operation. The requirement is for 2 way radio contact prior to operating there. The airspace may be also be Class G or Class E. Different VFR vis and cloud clearance requirements. Class E is most often co-located with a towered (class D) airport to the surface when that airport has IAPs, but a towered airport does not have to have IAPs. KSUA had a non-federal tower before they got any IAPs a few years ago (now has GPS IAPs). It was class G and class D - 2 different requirements, one weather, one operational/communications. When towered closed, it was just class G (up to 1200').

 

[cvsfly]

There are also some places that have Class E to the surface (old control zone) and not have a towered airport. Example: North AF Aux, SC.

 

[CFIse]

A towered airport is class D when in operation. The requirement is for 2 way radio contact prior to operating there. The airspace may be also be Class G or Class E. Different VFR vis and cloud clearance requirements. Class E is most often co-located with a towered (class D) airport to the surface when that airport has IAPs, but a towered airport does not have to have IAPs.

You seem a little confused.

First of all an airport with a tower does not have to be Class D airspace - it must meet certain criteria before it can be Class D - thus there are towered airports, with the tower in operation, that are Class G airspace.

Secondly - when airspace is Class D it's Class D, it's only Class D, it is not "also" some other class. Class D has it's own visibility and cloud requirements. When it is NOT Class D, i.e. when the tower is closed, the airspace will "revert" to a different class, that may be Class E or Class G, and of course often it will "revert" to 2 different classes, G at the surface and E at the usual transition altitudes.