Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (KSPI) is a civil-military field serving Springfield, Illinois, some three miles northwest of the city centre and jointly used by scheduled airline traffic, general aviation and the Illinois Air National Guard's 183rd Fighter Wing. With three long, lit runways and ILS approaches, it offers a well-equipped destination for VFR and IFR training flights alike within Class C airspace.
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, generally known locally as Springfield Airport, is a combined civil and military aerodrome in Sangamon County, Illinois, owned and operated by the Springfield Airport Authority. It sits about three miles northwest of downtown Springfield and hosts a mix of scheduled airline services, general aviation traffic and the 183rd Fighter Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard. For a simulator pilot the airport offers three substantial hard-surfaced runways, ILS approaches and a control tower, making it a useful and interesting stop for both VFR and instrument practice in the Illinois flatlands.
KSPI lies within Class C airspace, reflecting its status as a towered field with scheduled airline operations and a resident Air National Guard wing. The airport is in Sangamon County, Illinois, roughly three miles northwest of downtown Springfield. Springfield Approach/Departure provides the surrounding terminal radar service, and a remote radio outlet for St Louis Radio is also listed for the area.
The airport has three physical runways. Runway 04/22 is 7,990/7,989 feet, hard-surfaced and lit, with an ILS. Runway 13/31 is 7,382 feet, hard-surfaced and lit, with an ILS serving runway 31. Runway 18/36 is 5,302 feet, hard-surfaced and lit.
Springfield Tower operates on 121.3 MHz, which also serves as the CTAF. Ground control is on 121.9 MHz, clearance delivery on 121.7 MHz, and ATIS broadcasts on 127.65 MHz. Springfield Approach/Departure works air traffic entering and leaving the Class C airspace on 118.6 MHz. Unicom is available on 131.42 MHz, and a remote communications outlet for St Louis Radio is published on 122.25 MHz. The Air National Guard unit based at the field uses 27.217 MHz for its own operations. Instrument approaches are available, with ILS procedures serving runways 04, 22 and 31.
The airport was dedicated in November 1947 as Capital Airport, replacing an earlier, inadequate facility that had already cost Springfield its airline service when American Airlines and Chicago & Southern Airlines cancelled flights in 1938 and 1939. Construction of the new airport began soon after those cancellations but was delayed by the Second World War. The original field had three 5,300-foot runways, a service apron, a temporary passenger terminal and T-hangars for 38 aircraft. Two Illinois National Guard units moved onto the airport in 1946, and one of them remains there today as the 183rd Fighter Wing, based at the adjoining Capital Airport Air National Guard Station. The airport underwent a significant terminal upgrade beginning in 2018 with federal Airport Improvement Program funding, alongside work on general aviation facilities, roadways and parking. Traffic fell sharply during the coronavirus pandemic before recovering with the help of federal CARES Act support, and the airport was named Illinois' top primary airport in 2020. In 2021 the airport received state funding to rehabilitate parking and roadways and began building a new crosswind runway to improve operations in a wider range of wind conditions; the old runway 18-36 was removed in 2022 as part of this redevelopment. The airport has also broken ground on a solar energy farm intended to supply the bulk of its power needs from renewable sources, as part of a broader effort to prepare for electric-powered aircraft operations.
The airport remains an active mixed-use facility, combining scheduled commercial services from carriers such as Allegiant Air, American Eagle and Breeze Airways with general aviation, air taxi and military flying. It hosts an FBO offering fuel, general aircraft maintenance, hangars, courtesy cars, a crew lounge and conference facilities. Around 93 aircraft are based at the field, comprising mostly single-engine piston types alongside multi-engine aircraft, jets, helicopters, a glider and an ultralight. The 183rd Fighter Wing continues to operate from the adjoining Air National Guard station on the airport property.