SCANNING: End of an era for some aviation frequencies

The FAA proposes to shut down a national radio network for pilots

Summary of this article: This article discusses the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan to decommission a national radio network used by pilots. We encourage scanner listeners to monitor this network before it’s taken off the air. A complete list of hundreds of frequencies is included in the article.

There’s a saying that says all good things come to an end. A nationwide radio system set up by the Federal Aviation Administration in the 1980s to assist pilots is about to be dismantled.

The Mormon Mesa VORTAC aviation communications facility is located west of Mesquite, Nevada, along Interstate 15. Check below for the frequencies used at this site to assist pilots en route. | Photo by Chuck Gysi | N2DUP | editor and publisher

Because the radio network apparently has reached its end of life, there’s still an opportunity to easily tune in these frequencies in most areas of the United States before the system is shut down and sent to the scrap heap. We have the details and exact frequencies below. But first, let’s take a look at the news that’s coming from the FAA.