Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (KAUS) is the principal commercial gateway to Austin, Texas, occupying the site of the former Bergstrom Air Force Base some five miles southeast of downtown. For a simulator pilot it offers two long parallel hard-surfaced runways with full ILS coverage and Class C-style controlled airspace typical of a major American airline hub.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport lies on the former Bergstrom Air Force Base site southeast of downtown Austin, Texas, and is owned and operated by the City of Austin. It replaced the old Robert Mueller Municipal Airport as the city's main airport when it opened to the public in 1999, and today handles a substantial mix of domestic and some international airline traffic. For a sim pilot it is an interesting destination for its long runways, full ILS approaches and busy Class C-style controlled environment, set against the backdrop of a fast-growing Texas city.
The airport sits roughly eight kilometres (about five miles) southeast of Downtown Austin, Texas, at coordinates 30.1945 N, 97.6699 W. It is a tower-controlled field with airline service, sitting within controlled airspace appropriate to a major hub (tagged as Class C airspace), and it retains customs and landing-rights facilities for international arrivals.
KAUS has two parallel physical runways aligned 18/36. The longer, 18R/36L, is 12,263 feet long with a hard surface, runway lighting and ILS on both ends. The parallel runway, 18L/36R, is 9,007 feet long, also hard-surfaced, lit and equipped with ILS on both ends. Field elevation is 495 feet.
Radio services at Austin-Bergstrom include Approach/Departure on 118.8 MHz, Clearance Delivery on 125.5 MHz, Ground on 121.7 MHz and Tower on 121.0 MHz. Weather information is available via ATIS on 124.4 MHz and ASOS on 128.875 MHz, and Unicom is published on 122.95 MHz. San Angelo Radio (flight service) can be reached on 122.55 MHz. All four runway ends (18L, 18R, 36L, 36R) are served by ILS approaches.
The airfield originated as a military base named in honour of Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, an Austin-born officer who died on 8 December 1941 while serving with the 19th Bombardment Group at Clark Field in the Philippines, the first Austin soldier killed in action during the Second World War. The US Army Air Force renamed the site in his honour, and it became Bergstrom Army Airfield in 1943 and then Bergstrom Air Force Base in 1948, remaining an active military installation until operations ceased in 1995. Following the base's closure, the land reverted to the City of Austin, which redeveloped it as the city's new commercial airport. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport opened to the public on 23 May 1999, replacing Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, and began operations with a runway of about 12,250 feet, among the longest commercial runways in the country at the time. The two runways were later dedicated to local political figures, with one honouring former President Lyndon Baines Johnson and the other honouring former Congressman J. J. "Jake" Pickle.
Austin-Bergstrom is now a busy commercial airport owned and operated by the City of Austin, serving airlines including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM and others, with routes across North America and to Europe. The main Barbara Jordan Terminal handles the bulk of scheduled traffic, including international arrivals, while a separate South Terminal serves low-cost carriers Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines. The airport's scale and airline traffic make it a realistic destination for simulator pilots wanting to practise arrivals and departures at a busy, ILS-equipped American hub.
