John C. Tune Airport

Today was the first flight back with Adam. We spent about 10 minutes discussing how to enter the traffic pattern for John C. Tune Airport (JWN) and then we flew the DA20 (N223NH) there for some practice. John C. Tune Airport is one of the most popular, thus busiest, general aviation airports in Nashville. I assume it is because it is so close to the city.



We haven’t flowed there in the past because getting there from Smyrna can be a bit of a challenge.



In the above sectional, I have pointed out the location of JWN with a solid arrow and the Smyrna Airport in the outlined red arrow at the bottom. As the sectional shows with the dark magenta circle (actual color used on the chart), Nashville International Airport’s (BNA) airspace is directly between the two airports.



In theory, we could fly under/over the airspace. The green boxes highlight the altitude of the airspace. The bottom number (two zeros at the end) is the floor of the airspace in that area, and the top number is the ceiling of the airspace. “SFC” mean surface of the ground. For example, the airspace near JWN, goes from 2,400 feet to 4,600 feet. No pilot may enter this airspace without the permission of ATC. It is possible to request access, but then you I would be just one more plane, in an already crowded airspace, which ATC would have to keep track of. Flying over 4,600 feet is not particle, as it is such a short flight. Also flying under is not a good option, as I may encounter obstacles on the ground, especially in an urban area, that would make it difficult to fly that low.

The best solution is to just fly around the airspace. In this case, south of the airspace. The chart also shows possible obstacles on the ground (possible communications towers and such) that the pilot should be aware of. These I have circled them on the sectional in orange. Some of these towers in this area can reach altitude of 1,300 feet. The traffic pattern for JWN is 1,500 so it does require the pilot to pay attention to their surroundings.

Also, for this airport the traffic pattern is left (meaning all left turns) for runway 2 and right for runway 20. The wind was coming in at a heading of 360, which mean runway 2 was the best option. I entered the traffic pattern on a 45. As I approached this airport, I noticed there was 3 or 4 nearby aircrafts on the radio at any one given time. This was is the busiest I have ever flown at, which means I had to be extra vigilant in watching for other aircraft.

At one point I did notice a biplane traveling in the traffic pattern behind us that hadn’t seen us until I called out to them. I would estimate we were about 200 feet apart as we turning base. We had started our descend, so we were below them. With proper communication, it ended up not being a problem, but it hammered home the importance of keeping an eye for other aircrafts.

I was pleased with my landings and traffic pattern work. This was a challenging airport and I feel like I’m a better pilot for flying to it.

Flight time: 1.60 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $150.00, Instructor Fee - $72.00