Departure
99%
vs 95% ▲ 4
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
St Simons Island Airport (KSSI), also known as McKinnon St Simons Island Airport, is a general aviation field on the Georgia coast, sited just north of the town of St Simons Island. It offers two paved runways, a full-service FBO and straightforward VFR access for visiting pilots, with no operating control tower.
St Simons Island Airport, historically named Malcolm McKinnon Airport and now generally known as McKinnon St Simons Island Airport, is a general aviation aerodrome serving the town of St Simons Island on the Georgia coast. It has no scheduled airline service and functions as a base for private and business flying, with a full-service Fixed Base Operator on the field. For a sim pilot it offers a relaxed coastal VFR destination with two runways, non-towered procedures and interesting local traffic considerations shared with a nearby island strip.
The airport lies in uncontrolled airspace and falls under the overlying Jacksonville Center. It is located about one mile north of the town of St Simons Island, Georgia. Jekyll Island Airport (09J) is four nautical miles south and shares the same CTAF frequency, while Brunswick Golden Isles Airport is seven nautical miles to the northwest and is the recommended field for training flights rather than St Simons Island.
St Simons Island has two paved, lit physical runways. Runway 04/22 is the longer of the two, with the 04 threshold giving 4801 feet of hard surface and the 22 threshold 4673 feet. Runway 16/34 is 3313 feet of hard surface in both directions. Neither runway is equipped with an ILS.
Weather is available on the field ASOS at 118.525 MHz. Traffic advisories and airport operations are handled on the CTAF/UNICOM frequency 123.05 MHz, which is shared with the nearby Jekyll Island Airport (09J). Jacksonville Center can be reached on 126.75 MHz for en-route or approach guidance in the area.
St Simons Island is non-towered, and all VFR traffic is expected to fly a standard left-hand traffic pattern. Runway 22 is preferred in light or variable wind conditions, or where crosswinds are a factor. Pilots departing runway 34 are cautioned to exercise extreme care, since the approach end of runway 04 is not visible from the approach end of runway 34. All arrivals and departures, including aircraft flying instrument approaches, are requested to report ten miles from the airport, along with intentions and position reports, on the St Simons CTAF of 123.05 MHz.
The nearby Jekyll Island Airport, four nautical miles to the south, is a useful reference point and shares the same CTAF, so pilots should expect and listen for traffic there as well as at St Simons Island itself. Brunswick Golden Isles Airport, seven nautical miles to the northwest, is another prominent landmark in the local area and is the field recommended for pattern training rather than St Simons Island.
The airport has also been known as Malcolm McKinnon Airport, a name it carried in connection with a former Naval Air Station on St Simons Island, and this naval and civil history is reflected in the keywords associated with the site, including NAS St Simons Island and Brunswick.
Today the airport operates as a general aviation facility with a full-service Fixed Base Operator, flight planning facilities and ramp-side amenities for visiting pilots. Training flights are specifically encouraged to use Brunswick Golden Isles Airport, seven nautical miles to the northwest, rather than operate at St Simons Island.