Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
West Memphis Municipal Airport is a city-owned, general-aviation reliever field on the Arkansas side of the Memphis metropolitan area, sitting just across the Mississippi River from downtown Memphis. Its single hard-surfaced runway, full ILS approach and full-service FBO make it a convenient and well-equipped destination for simulator pilots practising IFR approaches or short cross-country legs into the Memphis area.
West Memphis Municipal Airport (KAWM) is a public, city-owned general aviation airport in West Memphis, Arkansas, serving as a designated reliever airport for Memphis International Airport across the river in Tennessee. It caters to business jets, private aircraft and light freight and cargo operations, and offers a full-service fixed-base operation aimed at pilots using it as a convenient alternative to the busier Memphis airports. For a sim pilot, its single long, lit, ILS-equipped runway combined with proximity to Memphis's Class B airspace and river landmarks make it an interesting and approachable training or touring destination.
The airport lies in Crittenden County, Arkansas, about three miles west of the central business district of West Memphis, and roughly 10 nautical miles southwest of General DeWitt Spain Airport on the Tennessee side of the river. It sits close to the Memphis metropolitan area's airspace, and traffic to and from the field is worked by Memphis Approach and Memphis Departure. The field itself is non-towered, with pilots using the local CTAF/UNICOM frequency for self-announced arrivals and departures.
The airport has one physical runway, 17/35, a hard-surfaced strip 5,999 feet long. Both ends are lit, and runway 17 is equipped with an ILS approach for instrument arrivals.
Inbound and outbound traffic is worked by Memphis Approach on 119.1 MHz and Memphis Departure on 124.65 MHz. Clearance delivery is available on 121.7 MHz. The field's automated weather observation (ASOS) broadcasts on 118.175 MHz. As the airport is non-towered, the common traffic advisory frequency and UNICOM is 123.05 MHz, which is also the frequency published by the airport's own FBO for local calls.
West Memphis Municipal is a non-towered airport, so pilots operating in the vicinity should monitor and make position reports on the CTAF/UNICOM frequency of 123.05 MHz. Traffic to and from the field is coordinated with Memphis Approach and Departure given its proximity to the Memphis terminal area.
The Mississippi River and the Memphis skyline lie only a few miles to the east of the field, with landmarks such as the Hernando de Soto Bridge and Harahan Bridge providing useful visual cues for pilots transiting between downtown Memphis and West Memphis. The airport itself sits on the western edge of the city of West Memphis, roughly three miles from the town centre.
West Memphis Municipal Airport is owned by the City of West Memphis and has long been categorized by the Federal Aviation Administration as a reliever airport for Memphis International Airport, absorbing general aviation traffic from the wider Memphis metropolitan area. The airport covers 494 acres and, as of a 2021 twelve-month survey, recorded around 50,200 aircraft operations, averaging 137 per day, almost entirely general aviation.
Today the airport operates as a full-service FBO catering to business jets, private aircraft and light freight operations, marketed as a convenient alternative to landing directly in downtown Memphis, only about ten minutes away by road. Facilities include Phillips 66 into-plane fuelling with discounts, no landing fees, overnight hangar space, tie-downs, a ground power unit and a lavatory service cart, along with a private pilot lounge offering high-speed internet, weather and flight-planning computers, and on-site Doppler radar. Crew services include a courtesy van, rental cars and discounted local hotel rates. As of the most recent survey data, 92 aircraft were based at the field, comprising single and multi-engine piston aircraft, several jets and one helicopter.
