Milford Sound Flight Service Station
Section 1:
1.1 Responsibilities
Milford Sound Flight Service is an Aerodrome Flight Information Service (AFIS) provided for the Milford Sound Aerodrome and CFZ. Milford Flight Service is responsible for providing weather, traffic, and providing relevant safety information to pilots below 11,000ft within the Milford Sound CFZ.
Milford Flight Service is an Event Only position. You must have approval from the Events Director to staff this position during a sanctioned event, or from the Operations Director at any other time. Other stations are not allowed to cross-couple this frequency in accordance with our Extended Services policy.
1.2 - Frequency and Callsign Information
| Callsign | NZMF_TWR |
| Primary Frequency | 118.200 MHz |
| RTF Designator | Milford Flight Service / Milford Traffic |
| Telephone Designator | Milford Flight Service |
1.3 Standard Operations-
The Milford Flight Service operator is not to give landing or take off clearances. They are only there to provide traffic and weather awareness to Pilots operating within the Milford Sound CFZ.
Milford Sound is an uncertified VFR airstrip where VFR operations are highly unlikely; as such, IFR proceudres have not been included. In the event that this is required, you should use the Paraparaumu FSS SOP for guidance.
1.4 Standard Phraseologies
1.4.1 Outbound/operating within the CFZ:
ELA - "Milford Traffic, ELA on the apron taxiing runway 29 for operation along the Harrison river and Pembroke Junction"
FSS - "ELA, Milford Flight Service. Runway 29, Surface Winds 290 at 10 knots, QNH1010. Traffic is FLC inbound 5 mile final.
ELA - "Milford Flight Service, ELA"
FSS - "ELA, Milford Flight Service"
ELA - "ELA, Cessna 172 on the apron, 2 POB, to operate along the Harrison River and Pembroke Junction, 3000ft."
ELA - "ELA, Runway 29. Surface wind 290 degrees 10, QNH 1001, traffic is a Jetranger operating in vicinity of Pembroke Junction, 4000ft.
ELA - "Runway 29, QNH 1001, Copy Traffic & Conditions, ELA."
ELA - "Milford Traffic, ELA taxis to holding point Runway 29 via the apron."
FSS - "ELA, Cessna 152 short finals runway 29 to land."
ELA - "Holding short, runway 29, ELA"
ELA - "Milford Traffic, ELA rolls runway 29 to operate along the Harrison River and Pembroke, 3000ft."
ELA - "Milford Traffic, ELA operating along the Harrison River and Pembroke, 3000ft."
From here, an AFIS should give further traffic information as it is reported and required and pass this to the relevant aircraft.
Pilots are welcome to use this frequency as a common frequency zone, similar to UNICOM. Think of it as being a supervised UNICOM. If two pilots are coordinating with each other, there is no need to step in and give information about the two aircraft - they already know about each other because they are in direct two-way communication.
1.4.2 Inbound traffic:
ELA - "Milford Flight Service, ELA"
FSS - "ELA, Milford Flight Service"
ELA - "ELA, Cessna 172, half a mile west of St Anne Point - 3500ft, 2 POB, to join Milford, full stop."
FSS - "ELA, runway 29, surface wind 290 degrees 10 knots, QNH 1001, no significant traffic."
ELA - "Runway 29, QNH1001, Copy Traffic & Conditions, ELA."
ELA - "Milford Traffic, ELA 1 mile west St Anne Point - 3400ft, joining left downwind runway 29."
ELA - "Milford Traffic, ELA downwind runway 29, full stop."
FSS - "ELA"
ELA -"ELA rolling through runway 29 to vacate right to the apron."
1.5 Handoff
As you are not techinically controlling, only advising, it is not necessary to hand people over to another Controller or UNICOM. If you notice a Pilot is out of your zone, you can advise them that they are out of the CFZ. If aircraft are heading west or south, they will typically change to UNICOM or Area South Sector. If the aircraft is leaving the CFZ to the north or east, they will typically change to Queenstown Approach.