"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:qI_bd.187839$wV.66243@attbi_s54...
What I like are the guys who obviously aren't carrying a sectional chart
(or
any other airport information) and insist on calling Unicom for an
"airport
advisory" -- despite the airport having a published AWOS frequency.

What if the wind is between two runways? Of course you're entitled
to use either, or neither, but if there's a temporary lull in the radio, or
non radio aircraft using one particular runway then surely it's better to
be given a heads up on which is the current preferred runway?

For example, at Winter Haven there's a 04-22 and a 11-29. 04-22 is
longer. So if the wind is between the two, usually 04-22 is the one used.
It's not written anywhere, but it's just local knowledge.

If the wind is variable, then one particular runway may be preferred,
maybe for noise reasons, maybe because someone is taxying out to
that runway to take off, or maybe that's the runway everyone else
is headed for while inbound. And it doesn't have to be the FBO that
replies. If no one's behind the desk and there's maybe one plane in
the pattern for a particular runway, not making calls on the radio
because he doesn't see or hear any other traffic, or maybe he's just
inbound and picked a particular runway, this person can tell the
person who asked what that runway is - so they're both singing from
the same song sheet.

Paul