Frontier flight 260 / KLAS

[Mike-KC8OWL]

Last week when Frontier 260 had to make the return to KLAS due to the engine cowling issue they were given the freq 126.975 as 'tower'. This is identified as a Metering frequency. Can anyone share what Metering is and why flight 260 would have been instructed to use that freq for tower rather than the normal 119.900 tower freq for 26L landing?

Thanks - Mike

 

[N9PBD]

Last week when Frontier 260 had to make the return to KLAS due to the engine cowling issue they were given the freq 126.975 as 'tower'. This is identified as a Metering frequency. Can anyone share what Metering is and why flight 260 would have been instructed to use that freq for tower rather than the normal 119.900 tower freq for 26L landing?

Thanks - Mike

Metering is actually a ground sequencing position at busy airports (not everybody uses them), and is normally contacted after clearance delivery. Metering picks up the flight strips and sequences them for their departures (so you don't have everybody trying to taxi out to the same runway, at the same time). They then usually tell the planes to monitor ground for their taxi call.

In this case, it appears they were using Metering as a convenient discrete tower frequency (maybe because the Metering position was closed at the time?) for the emergency.

My best guess, anyway.

 

[Mike-KC8OWL]

thanks Greg!

 

[bryan_herbert]

I've been meaning to update that listing -- 126.9750 is often referred to as DISCREET and is used by CCFD Red Dog to talk to aircraft in distress during In-Flight Emergencies.