Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Caernarfon Airport lies on the site of the former RAF Llandwrog in Gwynedd, North Wales, within sight of Snowdonia and the Menai Straits. It is a busy general aviation field offering flying training, pleasure flights and helicopter operations, and is also home to the Wales Air Ambulance and HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopters.
Caernarfon Airport is a general aviation aerodrome set in the heart of Snowdonia, on the coastal plain near Dinas Dinlle a few miles southwest of the town of Caernarfon. It is operated by Air Caernarfon Limited and combines flying training, pleasure flights and charter work with a significant emergency-services presence, making it an interesting and scenic destination for visiting pilots. An on-site aviation museum and cafe add to its appeal as a fly-in stop.
The airfield sits in Class G uncontrolled airspace on the coast of Gwynedd, close to the mountains of Snowdonia and overlooking the Menai Straits, roughly four nautical miles southwest of Caernarfon town near Dinas Dinlle.
Caernarfon has two physical runways, both hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 02/20 is the longer, with 02 measuring 3250 ft and 20 measuring 3494 ft. Runway 07/25 comprises 07 at 2868 ft and 25 at 2606 ft. Field elevation is 10 ft, and there is no ILS.
Caernarfon provides an air-ground radio service, callsign Caernarfon Radio, on 122.225 MHz. No instrument approaches or navaids are associated with the field.
Visiting pilots must obtain prior permission before arrival, as the airfield is strictly PPR. The operator publishes notices for visiting pilots covering wake turbulence and information on nearby wind turbines, which should be reviewed before flight. The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.
The Menai Straits and the town of Caernarfon with its castle are prominent landmarks near the airfield and are also popular routes for local pleasure flights. The surrounding peaks of Snowdonia to the east provide a further unmistakable visual reference for pilots approaching the field.
The airfield opened in July 1941 as RAF Llandwrog, a Flying Training Command station built with three runways arranged in a wartime triangle: 27/09, 21/03 and 14/32. It was home to No. 9 Air Gunners School RAF, training gunners on Whitley bombers with Lysander and Battle aircraft used for target towing, and later to No. 9 Air Observers School and its successor No. 9 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit, which trained navigators until the station closed for flying in June 1945. Civil light aircraft began using the site in growing numbers from the late 1960s, and the aerodrome gained a full operating licence in 1976. Today the airport holds a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P866) covering public transport flights and authorised instruction, with a single licensed runway, 07/25, and an unlicensed runway, 02/20; the original 14/32 runway is disused.
Caernarfon is a lively general aviation base offering fixed-wing PPL training through North Wales Flight Academy, microlight training through The Microlight School, and helicopter training with Geo Helicopters, alongside pleasure flights and charters. It hosts the Airworld Aviation Museum, complete with a helicopter simulator, and a cafe serving visitors throughout the week. The airfield is also one of the homes of the Wales Air Ambulance, which operates the Airbus H145 helicopter on behalf of the charity, and since July 2015 has hosted HM Coastguard search and rescue operations flown by Bristow Helicopters using the Sikorsky S-92. Prior permission is required for all visiting traffic.
