Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Sacramento International Airport is the principal airport serving California's capital, sitting within Class C airspace some 10 miles northwest of downtown Sacramento. It offers a pair of long, parallel hard-surfaced runways with full ILS coverage, making it a straightforward destination for both airline traffic and general aviation flights under IFR or VFR.
Sacramento International Airport (KSMF) is a major international gateway for the Sacramento metropolitan area, owned by the County of Sacramento and operated by the Sacramento County Airport System. For a simulator pilot it offers the appeal of a large, busy Class C field with long parallel runways, an active tower and approach environment, and a mix of airline, cargo and general aviation traffic.
The airport lies within Class C controlled airspace and is located in Sacramento, California, roughly 10 to 11 miles northwest of downtown Sacramento. Approach and departure control in the area is provided by NORCAL Approach/Departure.
Sacramento International has two parallel hard-surfaced runways, both lit. Runway 17L/35R is 8,604 feet long, with an ILS serving runway 17L. Runway 17R/35L is 8,599 feet long, with ILS approaches available to both 17R and 35L.
NORCAL Approach/Departure can be reached on 125.25 MHz (also listed as 25.91 MHz). The ATIS broadcasts on 126.75 MHz. Clearance delivery is on 121.1 MHz, ground on 121.7 MHz, and the tower, callsign Capitol Tower, operates on 125.7 MHz. UNICOM is available on 122.95 MHz. The field is equipped with ILS approaches to runways 17L, 17R and 35L.
Sacramento International Airport opened on October 21, 1967, as Sacramento Metropolitan Airport, built on the airfield known as Sacramento Metropolitan Field. It was the first purpose-built public-use airport west of the Mississippi, opening with a single 8,600-foot runway on the west side of the field, the alignment that now corresponds to runway 17R/35L. Air service to Sacramento had previously been handled by Sacramento Municipal Airport, now Sacramento Executive Airport. The airport's original carriers were Pacific Air Lines, Pacific Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Western Airlines and West Coast Airlines. Through the 1980s the airport grew steadily, adding an in-flight catering facility in 1980, an FAA Flight Inspection Field Office in 1985, a second air cargo facility in 1985, and a second, eastern runway in 1987; the new runway's opening was marked by the landing of a Concorde. In 1998 the airport's new Terminal A opened alongside a consolidated rental car facility, and the field was renamed Sacramento International Airport, though true international flights did not begin until 2002 when Mexicana started nonstop service to Guadalajara. The airport was formally designated a port of entry on October 5, 2006.
Sacramento International continues to operate as the primary commercial airport for the Sacramento region, handling a substantial mix of domestic and limited international airline traffic alongside general aviation and cargo movements. The airport has been undergoing significant infrastructure investment as part of a long-term expansion programme intended to modernise terminal and airfield facilities.