Departure
93%
vs 95% ▼ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Los Alamos Airport is a county-owned public-use field perched at 7,123 feet on a mesa above the town of Los Alamos, New Mexico, a short distance from Los Alamos National Laboratory. Its single runway and unusual one-way traffic pattern, dictated by restricted airspace and terrain rather than wind, make it a distinctive and demanding destination for visiting VFR pilots.
Los Alamos Airport, county-owned and open to the public, sits on a mesa about one nautical mile east of downtown Los Alamos, New Mexico. Built to serve the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, it remains closely tied to the community and the national laboratory it grew up alongside. For a simulator pilot, its high elevation, mountain surroundings, gusty crosswinds and unusual mandatory one-way operation make it a genuinely challenging and rewarding approach.
The airfield lies within Albuquerque Center's airspace, with area traffic worked by Albuquerque ARTCC on 132.8 MHz. Restricted airspace sits immediately to the south of the runway, and a noise-sensitive residential area lies just to the west, both of which shape how the field is flown. The airport is located about one nautical mile east of the central business district of Los Alamos, on high ground associated with the surrounding national laboratory site.
Los Alamos has a single physical runway, 09/27, 5,988 feet long, with a hard (asphalt) surface and runway lighting. There is no ILS at the field.
Traffic works Albuquerque Center on 132.8 MHz for en-route and area services. The airport has an automated weather observing station (AWOS-3) on 124.175 MHz, and CTAF/UNICOM is provided on 123.0 MHz for local traffic advisories and airport information.
Los Alamos employs a non-standard, strictly one-way traffic pattern: all takeoffs, regardless of wind, are flown to the east on runway 9, and all landings, regardless of wind, are made to the west on runway 27. This arrangement is driven by the restricted airspace south of the runway and the noise-sensitive residential area to the west, rather than by prevailing wind. Pilots should expect gusty crosswinds, particularly in spring, and should be prepared for rugged terrain off the east end of the runway, which contributes to the field's reputation as a challenging airport to land at.
The airport sits on a mesa about one nautical mile east of the Los Alamos town centre, making the built-up area of Los Alamos itself a useful reference when inbound. The proximity of Los Alamos National Laboratory facilities and the surrounding mountainous, forested terrain are notable landmarks for orientation, alongside the rugged high ground beyond the east end of the runway that pilots should be mindful of during the eastbound departure.
The airport was built in 1947 by the Atomic Energy Commission as part of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory's infrastructure, with ownership transferred to the county in 2008. Scheduled airline service to Albuquerque began when the airport opened in 1947 and continued for decades under a succession of carriers: Carco Airlines flying Beechcraft Bonanzas through 1969, Ross Aviation operating de Havilland Twin Otters and occasional Dash 7s through 1995, followed by Peacock Air, Mesa Airlines, Rio Grande Air, New Mexico Airlines, and finally Boutique Air, whose Pilatus PC-12 service ended on April 30, 2016. No airline currently serves Los Alamos, and in November 2017 the county council opted to promote the use of Santa Fe Regional Airport rather than seek a replacement carrier.
Los Alamos Airport today is a general aviation field, with FAA figures for the year to April 2022 recording about 13,640 operations, the great majority general aviation, and 46 based aircraft, mostly single-engine types plus one helicopter. Visiting pilots have access to a 24-hour flight planning room with an internet-connected computer, telephone and free WiFi, a 24-hour bathroom, self-serve 100LL fuel available around the clock, a courtesy car, and a nearby bus stop.
