What are the two broad categories of airport facilities in the United States?

• A. Towered and non-towered
• B. Controlled and uncontrolled
• C. Public and private
• D. Domestic and international

Answer: (A)

Towered and non-towered airports are categorized by whether an operating air traffic control tower is present. A towered airport has ATC facilities that manage takeoffs, landings, sequencing, and ground movements within controlled airspace, with pilots receiving instructions from controllers. A non-towered airport lacks a control tower; pilots use a common traffic advisory frequency to self-announce their positions and intentions and coordinate with other traffic, relying on self-separation and pilot awareness. Weather info often comes from automated sources, and advisory communications may come from Unicom or CTAF. This distinction mainly describes who provides traffic coordination at the airport.