Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Myrtle Beach International Airport (KMYR) sits on the site of the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, three miles southwest of the city centre in Horry County, South Carolina. It is a busy Class C commercial and general aviation field with a single long runway served by ILS approaches at both ends, and it is also home to flight training operations, making it a rewarding but demanding destination for a simulator pilot to work into controlled airspace.
Myrtle Beach International Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport operated by the Horry County Department of Airports, lying on the grounds of the decommissioned Myrtle Beach Air Force Base a few miles southwest of downtown Myrtle Beach. It handles significant commercial airline traffic alongside general aviation and flight training, and its single very long runway with ILS at both ends, combined with Class C airspace, gives a sim pilot a genuine mix of airline-style procedures and coastal South Carolina scenery.
The airport lies within Class C airspace, requiring two-way radio contact with air traffic control before entry. It is situated about three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Myrtle Beach, in Horry County, South Carolina, close to the Atlantic coast. It is designated a US Customs user-fee airport, reflecting its role as a point of entry for international arrivals.
The airport has a single physical runway, 18/36, measuring 9,512 feet and hard-surfaced, fully lit, and equipped with ILS at both ends. Field elevation is 20 feet. Approach lighting comprises a MALSR on runway 18 and a MALSF on runway 36, with high-intensity runway lighting (HIRL) along the full length.
Frequencies published for the field are: Tower 128.45 MHz (also used as CTAF), Ground 120.3 MHz, Approach/Departure 119.2 MHz, Clearance Delivery, ATIS 123.925 MHz, AWOS 124.5 MHz, a second AWOS (CLD) on 119.7 MHz, and UNICOM 122.95 MHz. Both runway ends have ILS approaches available for instrument arrivals.
Air traffic control operates daily from 0600 to 2100 local; outside these hours pilots should contact MYR Operations on the CTAF frequency of 128.45 MHz prior to landing between 2300 and 0600, and can activate the MALSR/MALSF approach lighting and HIRL runway lighting via the CTAF when the tower is closed. Sightseeing helicopters operate in close proximity to the airport and runway at or below 1,200 feet; their routes and holding points remain clear of the runway centrelines, and pilots should be alert to this local helicopter traffic.
A helicopter landing pad is located about 700 feet south-southeast of the approach end of runway 36, and helicopter arrivals and departures should be expected in that area. Gulls are noted as present on and in the vicinity of the airport, a hazard worth watching for on approach and departure. The field's position near the Grand Strand coastline is itself a useful visual reference when inbound from the sea.
The airport occupies land from a former army base transferred to civilian use in 1948, though the City of Myrtle Beach opted not to develop it, and funds instead supported the nearby Horry County Jetport until it relocated onto the northeast part of the base under a joint civilian-military arrangement. Myrtle Beach Air Force Base and the civil airport shared the main runway until the Air Force base closed in 1993 following the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure round, after which the runway and flight line were transferred to the Horry County Department of Airports. The airport became an international airport in 1996 with the opening of a new international terminal, served as the hub for Hooters Air between 2003 and 2006, and has since seen various airline entries and exits, including American Eagle service to Raleigh-Durham in the early 1990s, AirTran to Atlanta until 2006, and Direct Air until its 2012 collapse. In July 2022 it was announced that LIFT Academy would begin flight training operations at the field.
Myrtle Beach International remains a full-service commercial airport with scheduled airline service alongside general aviation activity, and since 2022 has hosted flight training operations run by LIFT Academy. As a US Customs user-fee airport, customs service is available on a limited schedule, with prior permission required and a fee charged for arrivals outside those hours.