Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Tulsa International Airport is a busy civil-military field on the northeastern edge of Tulsa, Oklahoma, combining scheduled airline traffic with a substantial military and aerospace-industrial presence. For a visiting VFR pilot it offers three well-lit hard-surfaced runways, full ATC services and an instrument approach, set within Class C airspace just five miles from Downtown Tulsa.
Tulsa International Airport (KTUL) lies on the northeastern edge of Tulsa, Oklahoma, about five miles from the downtown area. It is a civil-military field, serving as a hub for Omni Air International, the global maintenance headquarters for American Airlines, and home to the Oklahoma Air National Guard's 138th Fighter Wing at the co-located Tulsa Air National Guard Base. The mix of airline, cargo, military and general aviation traffic, together with the aerospace manufacturing activity around the field, makes it an interesting and busy destination for a simulator pilot flying into the region.
The airport sits within Class C airspace and is served by its own approach and departure control. It is located in Tulsa County, five miles northeast of Downtown Tulsa. The field is a large, controlled airport with full air traffic control services, customs facilities and landing rights for international arrivals.
Tulsa International has three physical runway pairs, all hard-surfaced and lit. The main runway, 18L/36R, is 9,996 feet long and equipped with an ILS. Runway 08/26 is 7,365 feet long. Runway 18R/36L is 6,104 feet long, with an ILS serving the 18R approach direction. Field elevation is 646 feet.
Tulsa International is served by a full suite of radio frequencies. Approach and departure control operates on 119.1 MHz, with ATIS on 124.9 MHz and clearance delivery on 134.05 MHz. Ground control uses 121.9 MHz and the tower operates on 118.7 MHz. UNICOM is available on 122.95 MHz. Additional frequencies serve the Air National Guard operations (141.9 MHz) and Army National Guard operations (46.9 MHz), and a remote radio outlet for McAlester Flight Service is listed on 122.2 MHz. An ILS is available for both runway 18L and runway 18R.
Pilots flying into Tulsa should be aware of a known hazard when landing to the west on runway 26: a drag racing strip near the airport shares the same orientation as the runway and lies on the final approach path, and has been noted by the FAA as a potential source of confusion during approach.
A drag racing strip aligned with runway 26 lies close to the airport on the final approach for that runway and is a notable, if potentially confusing, visual feature for pilots approaching from the west. The Tulsa Air and Space Museum, on the northwest side of the airport, is another identifiable landmark near the field.
Tulsa's aviation history predates the current airport: aviator Duncan A. McIntyre opened an early airfield in the city in 1919, later establishing McIntyre Field at Admiral Place and Sheridan Avenue, which Charles Lindbergh visited in September 1927. The present airport was financed through a novel "stud horse note" scheme organised by oilman and aviation booster William G. Skelly, raising $172,000 to purchase 390 acres. It opened on 3 July 1928, and the City of Tulsa purchased it the following year, naming it Tulsa Municipal Airport and placing it under the Park Board; Charles W. Short served as Airport Director from 1929 to 1955. Early growth was rapid: in 1930 the airport briefly claimed to be the busiest in the world, handling more passengers in February and April of that year than Croydon, Berlin Tempelhof or Paris Le Bourget. A more elaborate Art Deco terminal, designed by Frederick V. Kershner, opened in 1932 and served the airport for over two decades. During the Second World War, Air Force Plant No. 3 was built on the airport's southeast side, where Douglas Aircraft manufactured aircraft; the plant was later used by McDonnell Douglas and Rockwell International, and subsequently Boeing, for manufacturing and repair work. The airport was renamed Tulsa International Airport in 1963.
Tulsa International today functions as a large, multi-use airport handling airline, cargo, business, general aviation and military traffic. It hosts the Oklahoma Air National Guard's 138th Fighter Wing at the adjoining Air National Guard Base and serves as American Airlines' global maintenance headquarters. Spirit AeroSystems builds Boeing and Gulfstream aircraft components on and near the field, sharing part of the former Air Force Plant No. 3 building with IC Bus Corporation, which assembles school buses there. The Tulsa Air and Space Museum, established in 1998, sits on the northwest side of the airport and is of interest to visiting pilots and enthusiasts.