How to fly into a control towered airport

[Bill Greenwood]

New pilots should not make such a mountain out of just a hill when flying into a control zone or tower. It's not that big a deal. First, 25 miles away, tune in an listen to the ATIS. Get the name, ie Bravo, set the barometer into your altimeter, and get the winds and visualize them in relation to runways. Then tune in tower and Listen before you talk, so as to get an idea of what route most people are given. These radio frequencies are right there on your sectional, both next to the airport name and in the index. You do have a sectional, don't you, or if not you are likely and ipad genius and don't need any advice anyway. So get down to pattern alt and reasonable speed and call tower either about 15 miles out or over a known approach point, so know where you are.
If it is class B( TCA) airspace, there may be an approach control frequency to call before tower,and they may give you a transponder code.
So, " Metro tower, Bonanza 3100 Fox 15 west with Bravo." They will come back with something like "3100 Fox report Sloans Lake" or "report a 2 mile left base for rwy 29." Say "3100 Fox" and fly as told, then they will clear you to land usually. No big deal. MAKE A NORMAL LANDING WITH GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. And when leaving the runway call ground which is usually 121.9. 121,8, or 121.7.

One small point re the video at the start of this topic, the CFI must fly jets a lot because he keeps talking about "tail numbers". I am sure he means N numbers as most U S light piston airplanes don't have the N number on the tail, they have it on the side. I never heard the phrase Tail number until a few years ago.

Tower controllers are like dogs, there are some Golden Retrievers and there are a few that are like a Chiwawas and barking at everyone near them.
When you were a teenager, you might meet a girl's Parents who were friendly and you might meet some who regarded you like an opponent. Either way , you didn't give up on girls, did you?