Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, generally known as Colorado Springs Airport, sits on the city's southeast side, six miles from downtown, sharing its runways with the adjacent Peterson Space Force Base. It is Colorado's second-busiest commercial airport, offering a long, high-elevation runway system, full ATC and ILS approaches, making it a useful and instructive stop for simulator pilots flying in and out of the Front Range.
Colorado Springs Airport is a joint civil-military field owned and operated by the City of Colorado Springs, located on the city's southeast edge next to Peterson Space Force Base. It is the second-largest commercial airport in Colorado after Denver International, served by American, Delta, Southwest, United and, seasonally, Allegiant. For a simulator pilot it offers a high-altitude airfield with a very long primary runway, a full Class C control zone, an ILS approach, and the added interest of sharing its airspace and pavement with an active military installation.
The airport lies within Class C controlled airspace, reflecting its status as a busy joint civil-military field. It sits about six miles southeast of downtown Colorado Springs, immediately adjacent to Peterson Space Force Base, whose facilities occupy the north side of runway 13/31. Simulator pilots should expect to work with Springs Approach and Springs Departure when transiting or arriving in the area, and to be aware of Denver Radio for flight service. The FAA notes considerable hot-air balloon activity around Colorado Springs during the warmer months, as well as glider operations based at nearby Meadow Lake Airport and the Air Force Academy airfield, both of which a VFR pilot should watch for in the vicinity.
The airport has three physical runway pairs. 17L/35R is the longest, at 13,490 feet, hard-surfaced, lit, and equipped with an ILS. 17R/35L is 10,997 feet, hard-surfaced and lit, with an ILS serving the 35L direction. The third runway, 13/31, is also hard-surfaced and lit, with the 13 threshold measuring 8,254 feet and the 31 threshold 7,960 feet. Field elevation is 6,135 feet, making this a high-altitude airport that will affect true airspeeds, climb performance and density altitude planning.
Colorado Springs is a fully controlled field. Springs Approach and Springs Departure work on 118.5 MHz and 124 MHz respectively, with Springs Tower on 119.9 MHz and Ground on 121.7 MHz. The CTAF is 124.15 MHz, and UNICOM is available on 122.95 MHz. ATIS broadcasts on 125 MHz, and clearance delivery is on 134.45 MHz. Denver Radio, for flight service and en-route contact, is on 122.25 MHz. The field is equipped with ILS approaches, notably serving runways 17L/35R and 35L, supporting instrument arrivals in a variety of weather.
As a Class C, fully towered airport with airline service, all arriving and departing traffic operates under ATC instruction rather than a self-announced circuit; pilots should expect vectors or published arrival routings from Springs Approach and sequencing from the tower on 119.9 MHz. Simulator pilots flying VFR into the area should be prepared for radar service within the Class C zone and should monitor ATIS on 125 MHz before contact.
The airport is sited on the southeast side of Colorado Springs, close to Powers Boulevard, with Peterson Space Force Base immediately adjacent to the north of runway 13/31. Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods, both well known local landmarks, lie to the west of the city and can assist with general orientation when inbound from that direction, though pilots should rely on ATC guidance for the Class C approach itself.
The airport traces its origins to 1927, when it opened on 640 acres seven miles east of the city with two gravel runways. Small carriers flew an occasional passenger and mail route linking Cheyenne, Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo through the 1930s, and in 1937 Continental Airlines began a Denver-El Paso service calling at Colorado Springs. Braniff Airways added a Denver-Colorado Springs-Pueblo-Amarillo route in 1943. The first municipal terminal, built in an art deco style, opened in 1942, shortly before the field was taken over by the military ahead of the Second World War; the city regained control after the war. A new terminal was built on the west side of the runways in 1966 and expanded through the 1980s. By 1991 the airport had three 150-foot-wide runways, including one measuring 13,501 feet, then the longest in Colorado until Denver International's 16,000-foot runway opened in 2003. A new 280,000-square-foot terminal, designed by the Van Sant Group at a cost of 140 million dollars, opened in October 1994 two miles east of the old site. In 1996 the original 1941 passenger terminal, together with two hangars and a caretaker's residence, all by then within Peterson Air Force Base, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places and now form the Peterson Air and Space Museum. The airport's busiest year came in 1996, when Western Pacific Airlines briefly operated a hub there with 33 daily departures to 20 destinations, before relocating to Denver later that year. Frontier Airlines served the airport at various points through the 2010s, and Southwest Airlines began operations in March 2021, boosting commercial traffic.
Colorado Springs Airport remains a joint civil-military operation, sharing its runway system with the adjacent Peterson Space Force Base, home to Space Base Delta 1 and the Air Force Reserve's 302nd Airlift Wing. On the civil side, the airport is served year-round by American, Delta, Southwest and United, with seasonal service from Allegiant. Runway 17R/35L underwent a pavement rehabilitation project beginning in May 2021, including new asphalt, lighting and navigation equipment. Simulator pilots should note the airport's Class C status, its full ATC service, and the FAA's caution regarding frequent hot-air balloon activity around the city in warmer months, as well as glider traffic near Meadow Lake Airport and the Air Force Academy airfield in the vicinity.
