Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Gerald R. Ford International Airport is the principal commercial airport of West Michigan, sited in Cascade Charter Township some 13 miles southeast of downtown Grand Rapids. It is a large, tower-controlled Class C field with three substantial paved runways and full ILS coverage, offering the visiting simulator pilot a well-equipped, historically significant destination named for the 38th President of the United States.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport (KGRR) serves Grand Rapids, Michigan, as the region's main commercial gateway and the second-busiest airport in the state after Detroit Metropolitan. It is owned by the Kent County Board of Commissioners and managed by the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority. For a simulator pilot the field offers a realistic mix of scheduled airline traffic, three long runways, ILS approaches and a full-service control tower, making it an engaging destination for airliner and general aviation flights alike.
The airport lies in Cascade Charter Township, approximately 13 miles (21 km) southeast of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. It sits within Class C airspace, reflecting its status as a busy commercial hub, and pilots approaching the field should expect to be worked by Grand Rapids Approach/Departure control before being handed to the tower.
Gerald R. Ford International has three physical runways. The main parallel pair, 08R/26L, is 9,988 feet long, hard-surfaced and lit, with ILS serving both directions. A secondary parallel runway, 08L/26R, is 4,961 feet long, hard-surfaced and lit. The crosswind runway, 17/35, is 8,516 feet long, hard-surfaced and lit, with an ILS on runway 35. Field elevation is 784 feet.
Grand Rapids Approach/Departure operates on 124.6 MHz (north sector) and 128.4 MHz (south sector). Grand Rapids Tower works the field on 135.65 MHz, which also serves as the CTAF. Ground control is on 121.8 MHz, and clearance delivery is available on 119.3 MHz. The ATIS broadcasts on 118.725 MHz. UNICOM is on 122.95 MHz, and a remote Lansing radio outlet is available on 122.25 MHz. The airport is equipped with ILS approaches, including to runways 08R, 26L and 35.
The airport's origins trace back to November 1919, when Grand Rapids' first airport broke ground four miles south of downtown, operated by the Kent County Board of Supervisors; this followed the area's first recorded landing, a Wright biplane at the Comstock Park State Fairgrounds on September 10, 1911. The first scheduled air service in the United States began from this field on July 26, 1926, flying to Dearborn aboard a Ford-Stout monoplane named Miss Grand Rapids. Between 1938 and 1939 the Works Progress Administration funded runway additions, widening, fencing, lighting and terminal improvements. As the original site became landlocked by the mid-1950s, the county began building an entirely new airport in Cascade Township in 1959; this present-day facility opened on November 23, 1963, and was formally dedicated on June 6, 1964, with an 08/26 runway of 6,600 feet and an 18/36 runway of 3,400 feet. The first scheduled jet service, a United Airlines Boeing 737-200 from Chicago O'Hare, arrived on April 28, 1968. The airport was renamed Kent County International Airport in January 1977 with the opening of a U.S. Customs Service office, and was renamed again in December 1999 in honour of Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States, who had represented the Grand Rapids area in Congress from 1949 to 1973. On January 2, 2007, a U.S. Air Force VC-25 brought the remains of President Ford back to his namesake airport ahead of burial at his presidential museum in Grand Rapids.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport remains West Michigan's principal commercial airport, handling scheduled service from multiple major carriers and recording an all-time high of over 4.3 million passengers in 2024. It has previously served as a focus city for Allegiant Air and has hosted international service to Toronto. The airfield continues to operate as a busy, tower-controlled Class C facility with three long, lit, hard-surfaced runways and ILS approaches, making it well suited to a wide range of simulated airline and general aviation operations.
