Departure
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vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (KARR) is a busy general-aviation reliever field in Sugar Grove, Illinois, about 8 miles west of Aurora and roughly 50 miles west of Chicago. Owned and operated by the City of Aurora, it offers three hard-surfaced, lit runways, two instrument approaches, and a full range of general-aviation services, making it a practical and interesting VFR or IFR destination for simulator pilots exploring the Chicago area.
Aurora Municipal Airport is a public general-aviation airport in Sugar Grove, Illinois, owned and operated by the City of Aurora. Opened in April 1966, it is designated a reliever airport for Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports and handles a substantial volume of general aviation, business, and some air-taxi traffic. The field is also home to the Air Classics Museum of Aviation, which preserves aviation history, and it has two fixed-base operators offering fuel, maintenance, and flight training, making it a well-equipped and lively field for a simulator pilot to visit.
The airport sits in the village of Sugar Grove, Kane County, Illinois, about 8 miles west of Aurora and roughly 50 miles west of downtown Chicago. It lies just outside the Class B airspace associated with Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and is a little more than 25 miles southwest of O'Hare itself.
Aurora Municipal has three physical runways, all hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 09/27 is the longest at 6,477 feet and is equipped with an ILS. Runway 15/33 measures 5,466 feet and also has an ILS. Runway 18/36 is the shortest, at 3,145 feet.
Approach and departure control operates on 133.5 MHz. The airport's automated weather is broadcast on ASOS/ATIS at 125.85 MHz. Clearance delivery is on 121.7 MHz, which is also used for ground control. The tower and common traffic advisory frequency are both 120.6 MHz. A remote radio outlet identified as Kankakee Radio operates on 122.5 MHz, and UNICOM is available on 122.95 MHz.
Local noise-abatement procedure calls for pilots to keep aircraft on the north side of the airport when using runway 9/27, and on the west side when using runway 15/33, to minimise noise impact on the surrounding communities and to keep aircraft visible from the tower.
The airport is noted as the only airport in the Chicago area with direct tollway access, which can serve as a useful ground reference when orientating towards the field from the air.
Aurora Municipal Airport opened in April 1966 and has been owned and operated by the City of Aurora since its founding. It covers about 1,100 acres and was designated a reliever airport for Chicago O'Hare and Midway, helping to absorb general-aviation traffic from the busier Chicago-area fields. The airport is home to the Air Classics Museum of Aviation, dedicated to preserving aviation history. On 13 June 2011, the Liberty Belle, a B-17 Flying Fortress, suffered an engine fire shortly after departing Aurora and was put down in a cornfield near Oswego, Illinois; all seven people aboard survived.
The airport is served by two fixed-base operators, J.A. Air Center and Revv Aviation, which together provide fuel, general maintenance, hangars, courtesy cars and shuttles, conference rooms, and crew facilities, as well as flight training, aircraft rental, and charter services. As of 2022 the field had 197 based aircraft, comprising single- and multi-engine airplanes, jets, helicopters, and a glider, and recorded an average of around 210 aircraft operations per day. The airport has received state funding through the Rebuild Illinois program for infrastructure upgrades, and airport authorities have approved plans to further improve hangars and other facilities.
