Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Richmond International Airport (KRIC) is a joint civil-military field at Sandston, Virginia, about seven miles southeast of downtown Richmond, and is the busiest airport in central Virginia. It offers a full set of hard-surfaced, lit runways and an ILS approach, making it a straightforward destination for simulator pilots flying under Class C control in the Potomac area.
Richmond International Airport lies at Sandston in Henrico County, Virginia, a short distance southeast of downtown Richmond. It is owned and operated by the Capital Region Airport Commission and combines scheduled civil airline traffic with a military presence, having grown out of the former Richmond International Airport Air National Guard Station. For a simulator pilot it offers a well-equipped Class C field with a long primary runway, ILS approaches and a busy but manageable traffic mix of airliners, cargo aircraft and general aviation.
KRIC sits within Class C airspace and is worked by Potomac Approach/Departure for arrivals and departures. The airport is located in Sandston, an unincorporated community in Henrico County, roughly seven miles southeast of Richmond's city centre. It is tagged as a Class C, customs-handling airport with landing rights, reflecting its role as an international gateway for the Richmond region.
KRIC has three physical runway pairs, all hard-surfaced and lit. The main runway, 16/34, is the longest at the field, with the 34 end recorded at 9,001 ft and the 16 end at 7,496 ft; it is equipped with an ILS. The second runway, 02/20, runs to about 6,606-6,607 ft, with an ILS serving runway 02. The third runway, 07/25, is 5,313 ft in each direction. Field elevation is 161 ft.
Richmond is served by Potomac Approach/Departure on 118.2 MHz. The airport ATIS broadcasts on 119.15 MHz, with Clearance Delivery on 127.55 MHz, Ground on 121.9 MHz and Tower on 121.1 MHz. Unicom is available on 122.95 MHz. An ILS is available for the main runway 16/34 and for runway 02, supporting instrument approaches into the field.
The airport traces its origins to 1927, when it was dedicated as Richard Evelyn Byrd Flying Field in honour of the aviator Richard E. Byrd, brother of the then Governor of Virginia, Harry F. Byrd; Charles Lindbergh attended the dedication ceremony. Richmond Mayor John Fulmer Bright was instrumental in establishing the field even though it lay in Henrico County rather than the city itself. The airport later became a joint civil-military facility, absorbing the former Richmond International Airport Air National Guard Station, whose property passed to the Department of the Army in support of Army Reserve and Virginia Army National Guard activities. In 1975 the Virginia General Assembly established the Capital Region Airport Commission, made up of representatives from the City of Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico, to own and operate the airport going forward.
Richmond International Airport remains a joint civil-military airport under the ownership and operation of the Capital Region Airport Commission, serving the Greater Richmond Region with a substantial programme of scheduled airline and cargo traffic alongside general aviation and military use. It functions as a Class C, customs-capable international airport, and its Air National Guard heritage continues in the form of Army Reserve and Virginia Army National Guard activity on the field. The airport is recorded as the home base for a number of general aviation pilots, reflecting an active local flying community alongside its commercial operations.