Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Wilmington International Airport (KILM) lies just north of Wilmington, North Carolina, in unincorporated Wrightsboro, and offers a sim pilot two long, lit, hard-surfaced runways served by ILS approaches. Operated by the Wilmington Airport Authority under New Hanover County ownership, it blends scheduled airline traffic with general aviation, charter and military touch-and-go training, giving it a busy, varied character for a field of its size.
Wilmington International Airport serves southeastern North Carolina from a site just north of the city of Wilmington in unincorporated Wrightsboro. It is owned by New Hanover County and leased to the Wilmington Airport Authority, and combines scheduled commercial services with a significant general aviation, charter and military presence. For a sim pilot it is an interesting destination for its long paved runways, full ILS coverage, and its history as a wartime and Space Shuttle contingency field.
The airport sits just north of Wilmington, North Carolina, in the unincorporated community of Wrightsboro, and is served by an approach/departure control facility with two published frequencies (118.25 MHz and 135.75 MHz), reflecting controlled airspace around the field. Ground movement is coordinated on 121.9 MHz, with a remote Raleigh radio outlet also available on 122.55 MHz for en-route and flight-following contact in the area.
Wilmington International has two physical runways. Runway 06/24 is 8,002 feet long, hard-surfaced, lit, and equipped with ILS on both directions. Runway 17/35 comprises two hard-surfaced, lit strips of slightly different length, 7,405 feet on runway 17 and 7,345 feet on runway 35, with ILS provided on runway 35. Field elevation is 23 feet.
Wilmington Tower operates on 119.9 MHz, which also serves as the CTAF. ATIS is broadcast on 124.975 MHz, and ground/clearance delivery is on 121.9 MHz. Approach and departure control is split between 118.25 MHz and 135.75 MHz. UNICOM is available on 122.95 MHz, and a Raleigh radio outlet can be reached on 122.55 MHz. The field is equipped with ILS approaches to runway 06, runway 24 and runway 35.
The airfield was named Bluethenthal Field on Memorial Day, 30 May 1928, in honour of Arthur Bluethenthal, a former All-American football player and decorated World War I pilot who was the first North Carolinian to die in that war. During the Second World War it was used by the United States Army Air Forces Third Air Force for anti-submarine patrols and training with P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft, and the Army expanded the site with three new 7,000-foot runways before deeding it back to New Hanover County after the war at no cost. In the 1950s it became the New Hanover County Airport, gained the word International in 1988, and was renamed Wilmington International Airport on 17 December 1997. Piedmont Airlines began scheduled service in February 1948, using Wilmington as one of its initial crew bases, and the airport later saw US Airways and American Eagle services to hubs including Charlotte, LaGuardia, Reagan National and Chicago O'Hare. ILM was one of four East Coast airports designated as an emergency abort landing site for the Space Shuttle, its 8,016-foot runway meeting the reduced braking-distance requirement of 7,500 feet. The field has also hosted touch-and-go training by United States Air Force VIP aircraft, including the Boeing VC-25 (Air Force One), C-32 and C-40.
Wilmington International today handles a mix of scheduled airline traffic, general aviation, charter operations and military flying. The airport is home to two fixed-base operators, several private and public hangars, and Air Wilmington charter services, which operate from a dedicated building. A 24-hour U.S. Customs and Border Protection ramp, built in 2008, supports international private and charter flights. General aviation and other non-scheduled arrivals should expect to require prior permission.
