Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Orcas Island Airport (KORS) is a small public airfield on Orcas Island in Washington's San Juan Islands, sitting a mile north of the village of Eastsound. Owned by the Port of Orcas, it is a busy general-aviation gateway to the islands, with a single hard-surfaced runway and no instrument approach, making it very much a VFR destination for the simulator pilot exploring the Pacific Northwest.
Orcas Island Airport serves the island community of Eastsound in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. It is operated by the Port of Orcas, a public port district governed by an elected board of commissioners. The field handles a significant mix of general aviation, air taxi and scheduled commuter traffic linking the islands with the mainland, and its scenic island setting and lack of instrument approaches make it a rewarding VFR workout for simulator pilots.
The airport lies about one nautical mile north of the central business district of Eastsound on Orcas Island, in San Juan County, Washington. It sits within the airspace overseen by Whidbey Approach/Departure, reflecting its proximity to the Whidbey Island area, and operates as an uncontrolled field relying on pilot self-announcement rather than a tower.
Orcas Island Airport has a single physical runway, 16/34, 2,890 feet long with a hard surface and runway lighting for night operations. There is no ILS or other instrument approach published for the field.
Pilots should monitor the CTAF on 128.25 MHz for traffic advisories in the absence of a tower. An automated weather observing system (AWOS) broadcasts on 135.425 MHz. Whidbey Approach/Departure can be contacted on 118.2 MHz for approach and departure services in the surrounding airspace.
The village of Eastsound, immediately south of the field, is the main visual landmark for locating the airport. A windsock near Mount Baker Road helps confirm wind direction on approach, and the runway ends are oriented toward Sucia Island and the Canadian coast range to the north and toward wooded terrain along the western airport perimeter to the west.
Air transit on Orcas Island traces back to Harold Ferris, a ship captain and owner of the Kangaroo House, who built the island's first airstrip. That original strip grew over time into what is now Orcas Island Airport, which today continues the island's long tradition of air links to the rest of the San Juans and the mainland. In February 2018 NorthStar Air Tours began a route from Orcas Island to Victoria International Airport with a stopover at Friday Harbor, at the time noted as the shortest international flight in North America.
The airport remains a hub of general and commercial aviation for Orcas Island, situated within walking distance of Eastsound's shops and restaurants. It is owned and operated by the Port of Orcas, whose commissioners meet publicly each month, and the port has been undertaking capital improvement projects at the field in recent years. Recorded activity has included both general aviation and scheduled air-taxi and commuter flights, with historical FAA figures showing dozens of based aircraft, underlining its role as a well-used regional airfield rather than a quiet backwater strip.