Departure
93%
vs 95% ▼ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Coles County Memorial Airport is a general aviation field lying midway between Mattoon and Charleston in east-central Illinois, offering a full-length ILS-equipped runway and a long history as a scheduled airline stop. Today it serves local flying clubs, a fixed-base operator and light traffic, with Champaign Approach providing radar service and a self-announce CTAF for arrivals and departures.
Coles County Memorial Airport sits in open farmland between the twin communities of Mattoon and Charleston in Coles County, Illinois, and is owned and operated by the Coles County Airport Authority. It offers a fully instrumented main runway with an ILS approach, a second hard-surfaced runway, and a short turf strip, making it a versatile general aviation destination for visiting sim pilots. The field is also notable for its long association with the Civil Air Patrol and youth aviation training through the Johnson Flight Academy, and it hosts an annual air show with static displays and helicopter rides.
The airport lies approximately five miles east of Mattoon and six miles west of Charleston, within Coles County, Illinois. Approach and departure control in the vicinity is provided by Champaign Approach/Departure on 132.85 MHz. As a non-towered field, the surrounding airspace is typical of rural Illinois general aviation aerodromes, with traffic self-coordinating on the local CTAF.
The airport has three physical runways. The primary runway, 11/29, is 6,473 feet long, hard-surfaced and lit, with runway 29 served by an ILS approach. The secondary runway, 06/24, is 5,784 feet long, also hard-surfaced and lit. A third, shorter runway, 18/36, is a 1,100-foot grass strip without lighting, suited to light aircraft in calm conditions.
Champaign Approach/Departure can be contacted on 132.85 MHz for arrivals and departures requiring radar service. The field's automated weather observation is broadcast on 109.4 MHz, which is also the frequency associated with St Louis Radio and with the MTO VOR/DME navaid used for the ILS approach to runway 29. For traffic advisories and airfield operations, pilots should use the CTAF/UNICOM frequency of 122.7 MHz.
Coles County Memorial Airport is uncontrolled, so pilots are expected to self-announce their intentions on the CTAF/UNICOM frequency of 122.7 MHz when inbound, in the pattern, or departing. Champaign Approach can be used for additional traffic advisories when workload permits.
The airport's position between Mattoon to the west and Charleston to the east provides a useful visual cue when navigating towards the field, with the runway complex set amid farmland roughly midway between the two towns.
The airport traces its origins to 1953 and became a hub for scheduled airline service in 1955, when Ozark Air Lines began operating Douglas DC-3 flights from the field; this service continued until Ozark ceased operations in 1980. American Eagle subsequently flew passengers to Chicago O'Hare International Airport until 1991, while Midway Connection offered service to Chicago Midway International Airport. Scheduled commercial service finally ended in 2000, when Great Lakes Airlines, flying under the United Express brand, discontinued its route to Chicago O'Hare via Purdue University Airport in West Lafayette, Indiana. The main runway was originally built in 1974 and underwent a complete reconstruction in 2015, during which the runway was closed for nearly three months, though helicopters and agricultural aircraft continued to operate from the field. In 2023 the airport received the Frank G. Brewer Memorial Aerospace Award from the Civil Air Patrol in recognition of its work in youth aerospace education, reflecting its long-standing partnership with the Civil Air Patrol and the Johnson Flight Academy.
The airport remains an active general aviation facility, home to the fixed-base operator Coles County Aviation and the Airport Steakhouse Restaurant. It supports a small based fleet of light aircraft and helicopters and continues to host youth aviation programmes through its Civil Air Patrol affiliation and the Johnson Flight Academy. An annual air show, featuring aerial performances, static displays and helicopter rides, draws visitors to the field each year.