Departure
99%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Columbia Metropolitan Airport (KCAE) is the principal civil airport serving Columbia, South Carolina, sitting in unincorporated Lexington County to the airport's southwest of the city and operated by the Richland-Lexington Airport District. It combines scheduled passenger services with a significant UPS Airlines cargo hub, and its long, ILS-equipped runways and Class C tower environment make it a useful and instructive destination for a simulator pilot flying in the Midlands region.
Columbia Metropolitan Airport lies in West Columbia, South Carolina, and functions as the region's main commercial gateway as well as a regional freight hub for UPS Airlines. Operated by the Richland-Lexington Airport District, the field offers a full instrument approach environment and a mix of airline, cargo, general aviation and charter traffic, giving a simulator pilot a realistic taste of controlled Class C operations without the complexity of a major hub.
The airport sits in unincorporated Lexington County, southwest of downtown Columbia, with a West Columbia mailing address even though it lies outside that city's boundaries; it is surrounded by the city of Cayce and the towns of Springdale, Pine Ridge and South Congaree. Field elevation is 217 feet, at coordinates 33.9388 N, 81.1195 W. The airport operates within controlled airspace served by approach/departure control, and pilots should expect to work with radar and tower services typical of a Class C facility.
Columbia Metropolitan has two physical runways. Runway 11/29 is 8,587 feet long, has a hard surface, is lit, and is served by ILS on both ends. Runway 05/23 is also hard-surfaced and lit; the data show a length of 7,991 feet on the 05 threshold and 6,989 feet on the 23 threshold, with ILS available on runway 05.
Columbia Metropolitan uses a range of frequencies: Approach/Departure on 124.15 MHz, ATIS on 120.15 MHz, Clearance Delivery on 119.75 MHz, Ground on 121.9 MHz, Tower on 119.5 MHz, UNICOM on 122.95 MHz, and a radio outlet referenced as Anderson Radio on 122.65 MHz. The airport is equipped with ILS approaches, as noted in the runway data, supporting instrument arrivals in poor weather.
The airfield was built in 1940 as Lexington County Airport. The United States Army Air Corps began using the field that September, when the 105th Observation Squadron flew Douglas O-38 and North American O-47 aircraft from the site. Formal military control followed in 1941, and after the outbreak of American involvement in the Second World War the field became Columbia Army Air Base, training North American B-25 Mitchell crews. The 17th Bombardment Group arrived in February 1942, and it was here that combat crews were offered the chance to volunteer for what turned out to be the Doolittle Raid on Japan, although the raid crews did not actually train at Columbia itself. Training wound down during the summer of 1945, further units arrived from overseas to be inactivated in September and October, and the base was stood down by the U.S. Army Air Forces on 30 November 1945 before reverting to civil control. The Air Force Reserve briefly assigned the 350th Bombardment Squadron here in July 1947, though it was never fully equipped or staffed and was inactivated in June 1949. In 1947 the field, previously known as Lexington County Airport, took over as the area's principal civil airport from the space-constrained Owens Field nearer downtown, and was renamed Columbia Metropolitan Airport. A new terminal was built in the early 1950s, was destroyed by fire, and was rebuilt on the same site. In 1962 the Richland-Lexington Airport District was established, governed by a twelve-member commission drawn from Lexington and Richland counties and the City of Columbia, to operate the airport. Scheduled airline service developed over subsequent decades with carriers including Delta Air Lines, Eastern Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, Southern Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines, and later regional partners flying under United Express, American Eagle and other banners, linking Columbia to hubs such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, Chicago and New York.
Columbia Metropolitan continues to operate as Columbia's main commercial airport and serves as a regional cargo hub for UPS Airlines. Fixed-base operators provide charter services alongside the airline and cargo operations, and the airport has undertaken recent terminal and infrastructure work. A live camera overlooking the runways has been installed for remote plane spotting, which may be of interest to enthusiasts following simulator traffic at the field.
