Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport lies on the banks of the Potomac River in Arlington County, Virginia, barely four nautical miles from the US Capitol, making it the closest airport to the nation's capital. Operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and a hub for American Airlines, it is one of the busiest and most tightly controlled fields in the United States, sitting within Class B airspace close to the heart of Washington, D.C. For the simulator pilot it offers a classic river approach past national landmarks into a historic, heavily used commercial airport.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA/DCA) is a public airport in Arlington County, Virginia, about five miles from downtown Washington, D.C. It is owned by the federal government and operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which also runs Washington Dulles International some 25 miles to the west. Reagan National is a hub for American Airlines and is also home to Coast Guard Air Station Washington. Part of the original 1941 terminal remains in use today as Terminal 1, giving the field a strong sense of aviation history alongside its status as one of the busiest single-runway-dominant airports in the country.
The airport sits within Class B airspace in the immediate vicinity of Washington, D.C., reflecting its position at the centre of one of the most tightly regulated airspace regions in the United States. It is located in Arlington County, Virginia, on the west bank of the Potomac River near the Crystal City and National Landing areas, close to Gravelly Point and only a few miles from the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol. Washington Dulles International Airport lies roughly 25 miles to the west and shares ownership and operation under the same authority.
Reagan National has three physical runways. The main runway, 01/19, is 7173/7172 feet long, hard-surfaced, lit and equipped with an ILS, and is the busiest runway in the country. Runway 15/33 is 5201/5200 feet, hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 04/22 is 5001/4798 feet, also hard-surfaced and lit. Field elevation is 10 feet.
Radio services include Washington Ground on 121.7 MHz and 257.6 MHz, and Washington Tower on 119.1 MHz, 134.35 MHz and 257.6 MHz. Approach control is available on 119.85 MHz and 124.2 MHz, with departure on 118.95 MHz and 125.65 MHz, and clearance delivery on 128.25 MHz. A separate UNICOM frequency of 122.95 MHz is listed for helicopters, along with a weather advisory service on 132.65 MHz. Runway 01/19 is equipped with an ILS.
As a Class B, ATC-controlled airport, arrivals and departures at Reagan National are sequenced by Washington Tower and approach control rather than flown as a conventional VFR circuit. Following safety concerns in early 2025, an extended restriction was placed on helicopter operations along the route near the airport while fixed-wing traffic was launching from runway 15/33, underscoring the close mixing of helicopter and airline traffic in this airspace and the need for careful attention to published routings when operating nearby.
Useful visual references for locating and approaching the airport include the Potomac River, which runs directly alongside the airfield, Gravelly Point immediately to the north, and the National Mall and U.S. Capitol a few miles further upriver. The airport's position on reclaimed land and dredged fill in the tidal Potomac makes the river itself the most prominent guide for a pilot tracking inbound toward the field.
The site's aviation history predates Reagan National itself: Hoover Field opened nearby in 1926, followed in 1927 by the neighbouring Washington Airport, the two merging in 1930 to form Washington-Hoover Airport. That field proved inadequate, hemmed in by high-tension wires, a smokestack and a rubbish dump. Congress lifted a prohibition on federal airport development in 1938, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a recess appropriation of 15 million dollars to build a new airport, with construction beginning in 1940 under a company led by John McShain. Washington National Airport opened on 16 June 1941, shortly before the United States entered the Second World War, with wartime equipment including a captured Japanese Zero displayed to the public. In 1998 Congress renamed the airport in honour of the 40th president, Ronald Reagan. The terminal and South Hangar Line were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Reagan National remains a major hub for American Airlines and serves over one hundred nonstop destinations. It has no immigration or customs facilities, so international services are limited to routes with US Customs and Border Protection preclearance, chiefly airports in Canada and the Caribbean. The airport also hosts Coast Guard Air Station Washington. It is consistently one of the busiest airports in the country, and its main runway, 01/19, is the busiest single runway in the United States. Prior permission is required for general aviation operations.
