Departure
92%
vs 95% ▼ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Fort Worth Spinks Airport (KFWS) is a city-owned, public-use aerodrome some 14 nautical miles south of downtown Fort Worth, Texas, sitting on the northern edge of Burleson at the junction of Interstate 35W and Highway 1187. It is a Class D reliever field for Fort Worth Meacham International and Dallas-Fort Worth International, with a long lit hard runway offering an ILS approach alongside a shorter turf strip, making it a useful and historically interesting stop for visiting VFR pilots.
Fort Worth Spinks Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport serving Fort Worth, Burleson and Mansfield in Tarrant County, Texas. It is the newest of the three airports owned by the City of Fort Worth and functions as a reliever field for both Fort Worth Meacham International Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The field is named after Maurice Hunter "Pappy" Spinks, a well-known aerobatic pilot and promoter, which gives it a distinct character among the region's general aviation airports, combining a modern instrument-equipped hard runway with a grass strip that recalls its aerobatic heritage.
The airport lies within Class D airspace and is located about 14 nautical miles south of Fort Worth's central business district, in Tarrant County, on the northern edge of Burleson. It sits at the intersection of Interstate 35W and Highway 1187, placing it within easy reach of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex while remaining clear of the airspace of the larger DFW and Meacham fields it supports as a reliever.
Spinks has two physical runways. Runway 18R/36L is 5,981 feet long with a hard surface and is lit, with an ILS serving runway 36L. Runway 18L/36R is a shorter 3,919-foot grass strip without lighting. Field elevation is 692 feet.
Approach and departure control is provided on 135.975 MHz. The control tower operates on 124.625 MHz, which also serves as the CTAF, with ground control on 119.475 MHz. An AWOS-3 automated weather observation is available on 120.025 MHz, and unicom is on 122.7 MHz. Flight service can be reached on 121.725 MHz. An ILS approach is available to runway 36L.
The airport is readily identified from the intersection of Interstate 35W and Highway 1187, which lies at the field. Its position on the northern edge of Burleson and its distance of roughly 14 nautical miles south of downtown Fort Worth provide useful reference points when navigating toward the field from the metroplex.
The airport takes its name from Maurice Hunter "Pappy" Spinks, a noted aerobatic competitor and promoter and an aviation manufacturer who built the nearby Oak Grove Airport, parts of which were later absorbed into the present airfield. Pappy was a patron of the Aerobatic Club of America and was recalled by fellow aerobatic pilots as a rough-edged old millionaire who had made his fortune during the Vietnam War as a vendor to nearby Bell Helicopter. Oak Grove Airport closed on 28 May 1989, the same day Spinks Airport opened to take its place.
Fort Worth Spinks Airport covers 822 acres and continues to serve as a busy general aviation reliever for Meacham and DFW. Harrison Aviation operates as the field's fixed-base operator from a 7,400 square foot terminal building that also houses the airport manager's offices. In the year ending April 2024 the airport recorded 91,160 aircraft operations, averaging 250 per day, with traffic almost entirely general aviation. At that time 276 aircraft were based at the field, comprising single-engine and multi-engine aeroplanes, jets, helicopters and a glider, reflecting a broad mix of flying activity.
