Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Sioux Falls Regional Airport, better known to generations of aviators as Joe Foss Field, is the principal airport serving Sioux Falls, South Dakota, combining scheduled airline traffic with a resident Air National Guard fighter wing. Its long, ILS-equipped runways and full radar and tower service make it a straightforward and interesting destination for simulator pilots flying into the northern Great Plains.
Sioux Falls Regional Airport, operating under the name Joe Foss Field, sits at Sioux Falls in eastern South Dakota. The field is a joint civil-military facility, hosting airline services alongside the South Dakota Air National Guard's 114th Fighter Wing, known as the Fighting Lobos. For a simulator pilot the airport offers a good mix of traffic types, long paved runways, and an ILS approach, making it a useful and realistic waypoint for cross-country flights across the upper Midwest.
The airport lies at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at an elevation of 1424 feet, with the field centred at approximately 43.582 north, 96.7419 west. Traffic is worked by Sioux Falls Approach and Departure control, indicating the field sits within surveillance and control coverage appropriate to its mix of airline and military jet operations.
The airfield has three physical runways. Runway 03/21 is the longest, a hard-surfaced, lit strip of 8987 feet on the 03 threshold and 8986 feet on the 21 threshold, and is served by an ILS. Runway 15/33 is also hard-surfaced and lit, at 7986 feet. A shorter hard-surfaced, lit runway, 09/27, measures 3134 feet and is suited to lighter traffic.
Sioux Falls Approach and Departure operates on 125.8 MHz, with ATIS broadcast on 126.6 MHz. Sioux Falls Tower, which also serves as the CTAF, is on 118.3 MHz, and Sioux Falls Ground operates on 121.9 MHz. A remote radio outlet at Huron is available on 122.2 MHz, and Unicom is on 122.95 MHz. An ILS approach is available to runway 03/21.
The airport carries the name Joe Foss Field in honour of Joe Foss, a South Dakota native who became a Marine Corps fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient during the Second World War and later served as Governor of South Dakota. The site originated as Sioux Falls Army Air Base, and its military heritage continues today through the presence of the South Dakota Air National Guard's 114th Fighter Wing, nicknamed the Fighting Lobos, which flies from the field alongside civil airline operations.
Sioux Falls Regional Airport today functions as a dual-use civil and military airport, providing scheduled airline services to the city while remaining the home station of the 114th Fighter Wing of the South Dakota Air National Guard. The combination of a full-service control tower, approach control, and long instrument-equipped runways makes it a capable and busy field for both airline and fighter traffic.
