Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK) is a city-owned general aviation field on the northern edge of Frederick, Maryland, best known as the home of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association headquarters. Its two lit asphalt runways, one served by an ILS, and a control tower overseeing Class D airspace make it a well-equipped stop for visiting pilots just outside the Washington DC Special Flight Rules Area.
Frederick Municipal Airport is a publicly owned general aviation airport in the city of Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland, operated by the City of Frederick. It is designated by the Federal Aviation Administration as a reliever airport for Baltimore/Washington International, and is described by its operator as the second busiest airport in Maryland and the preferred executive airport for the National Capital Region. The field is home to the headquarters of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), which gives it particular interest for visiting pilots, alongside a mix of business aviation, flight training and personal flying.
The airport sits within Class D airspace, established alongside its control tower on 1 May 2012 after a federally funded tower project. It is conveniently located outside the Washington DC Special Flight Rules Area, which simplifies transit planning compared with fields closer to the capital. Traffic is worked by Potomac Approach/Departure and a Potomac clearance delivery frequency, reflecting the airport's position within the wider Washington-Baltimore terminal environment.
Frederick Municipal Airport has two paved, lit runways. Runway 05/23 is 5,182 feet long, with an ILS serving Runway 23. Runway 12/30 is 3,548 feet long. Both runways have hard surfaces suitable for a wide range of general aviation and light business aircraft.
Frederick Tower operates on 132.4 MHz, which also serves as the field's CTAF, with UNICOM available on 122.95 MHz. The ATIS/AWOS broadcast is on 124.875 MHz. Potomac Approach/Departure works arriving and departing traffic on 126.75 MHz, and Potomac Clearance Delivery is available on 126.9 MHz. A navigation reference associated with Leesburg is listed on 109 MHz.
Arriving pilots should expect to operate within Class D airspace and establish contact with Frederick Tower on 132.4 MHz, obtaining the current ATIS on 124.875 MHz beforehand. Specific circuit heights and noise abatement procedures are not detailed in the available material, so pilots should follow standard tower instructions and published charts for the field.
Construction of Frederick Municipal Airport began on 26 March 1946, replacing the earlier Detrick Field, which subsequently became Fort Detrick and lost its aeronautical role. The airport opened on 17 April 1946 with the arrival of a Stinson aircraft, though it was not available for general use until grading and paving of the runways was completed. It was formally dedicated on 1 May 1949, with plaques unveiled honouring Frederick County residents who served in the Second World War and Lieutenant William T. Delaplaine III, the first Frederick County pilot to lose his life in that war. From 1970 the airport hosted the Experimental Aircraft Association's east coast fly-in. In October 2010 the airport received 4.8 million dollars in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to build and staff a control tower, which was commissioned on 1 May 2012 together with the airport's Class D airspace. On 23 October 2014 a Cirrus SR22 on descent struck a helicopter near the airport, killing all three people aboard the involved aircraft; a National Transportation Safety Board investigation primarily attributed the accident to pilot error but also noted shortcomings in the air traffic controller's handling of multiple aircraft, and a subsequent lawsuit against the tower's operating contractor resulted in a 17 million dollar jury award to the families of the two helicopter pilots.
Frederick Municipal Airport today supports general aviation, business travel and flight training, and serves as an FAA-designated reliever airport for Baltimore/Washington International, with the operator citing more than 90,000 annual aircraft operations. It is home to the AOPA headquarters, and on-field services include 100LL and Jet-A fuel, aircraft sales and maintenance, oxygen, a pilot lounge, and the Airways Inn restaurant. Flight training and rental are offered by Frederick Flight Center and Bravo Flight Training, with helicopter flight training and rental provided by Advanced Helicopter Concepts.
