Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Colonel James Jabara Airport is a general aviation reliever field on the northeast side of Wichita, Kansas, named in honour of Korean War flying ace and first American jet ace, Colonel James Jabara. It offers a single long hard-surfaced runway with an ILS approach and full FBO support, making it a practical and well-equipped destination for visiting light aircraft and business jets alike.
Colonel James Jabara Airport is a public general aviation airport serving as a reliever field for the Wichita metropolitan area. It is named for Colonel James Jabara, a World War II and Korean War fighter pilot of Lebanese descent who became the first American jet ace. For the simulator pilot, the field offers a substantial single runway, an ILS approach, and a busy general aviation environment close to Wichita's other airfields, making it an interesting and accessible VFR or IFR destination.
The airport lies in Sedgwick County, Kansas, about nine miles northeast of downtown Wichita. It sits within a cluster of other Wichita-area airfields, including Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, Beech Factory Airport, Cessna Aircraft Field, McConnell Air Force Base, and Westport Airport, so pilots should expect a busy local flying environment and should be alert to similar runway headings among nearby fields, a factor that has caused at least one well-documented navigation error. Traffic in the area is worked by Wichita Approach/Departure.
The airport has one physical runway, 18/36, a hard-surfaced, lit runway measuring 6,067 feet in length. Runway 18 is equipped with an ILS approach. Field elevation is 1,411 feet.
Radio services include Wichita Approach/Departure on 134.8 MHz, an ASOS weather frequency on 134.025 MHz, a clearance delivery frequency on 125 MHz, and a CTAF/UNICOM frequency of 122.7 MHz for local traffic and airport advisories. Runway 18 is served by an ILS approach.
The airport is named in honour of Colonel James Jabara, a World War II and Korean War fighter pilot who became the first American jet ace. On 20 November 2013, a Boeing 747-400 Dreamlifter operated by Atlas Air, en route to nearby McConnell Air Force Base, mistakenly landed at Jabara Airport after the crew misidentified the airport and runway; the aircraft departed safely the following day and completed its short repositioning flight to McConnell. The National Transportation Safety Board's subsequent investigation attributed the incident to the flight crew's failure to properly identify the intended airport and runway, compounded by inadequate cross-checking of navigational and visual information.
Jabara Airport continues to operate as a general aviation reliever airport for Wichita, with 113 based aircraft recorded in 2021, comprising single- and multi-engine piston aircraft, jets, a helicopter, and one military aircraft. Clemens Aviation provides full-service fixed-base operator support at the field, including aircraft charter, management, sales, maintenance, and avionics work. The airport also hosts a technical education centre supporting the local aviation and manufacturing industry. A private medevac operator, LifeSave Transport, is based at the airport, running fixed-wing and ground operations from its own facility, though the airport's dedicated helipad has since been closed.
