Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Cecil Airport (KVQQ) lies some 15 miles west of downtown Jacksonville, Florida, on the site of the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field. It is a Jacksonville Aviation Authority field with a huge 12,500-foot main runway, an ILS approach, and a mix of military, cargo and general aviation traffic, and since 2010 it has also operated as a licensed commercial spaceport.
Cecil Airport is a public airport owned and operated by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, occupying the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field in southwest Jacksonville, Florida. It handles a broad mix of military, corporate, general aviation and air cargo traffic, and is home to Florida Army National Guard helicopter and fixed-wing units as well as the US Coast Guard's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON). For the simulator pilot it is notable for its unusually long runways, inherited from its naval jet-fighter past, and for its status as one of the small number of licensed commercial spaceports in the United States.
Cecil Airport sits in the southwest quadrant of Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, roughly 15 miles west of the city's downtown area, with frontage on Interstate 10. Traffic in the vicinity is worked by Jacksonville Approach/Departure, reflecting the airport's position within the wider Jacksonville terminal area alongside Jacksonville International Airport (JAX).
Cecil Airport has three physical runways. The main runway, 18L/36R, is 12,508 feet long with a hard surface, lit, and served by an ILS on runway 36R. Runway 18R/36L is 8,000 feet long with a hard surface. Runway 09R/27L is 7,982 feet long, hard-surfaced and lit. Field elevation is 72 feet.
Jacksonville Approach/Departure works arriving and departing traffic on 123.8 MHz. The airport's ATIS broadcasts on 125.275 MHz. Ground movements are handled on 121.625 MHz, with the tower and CTAF both published on 126.1 MHz. UNICOM is available on 122.95 MHz. Instrument approach guidance is provided by an ILS to runway 36R.
Cecil operates as a controlled aerodrome with its own tower frequency, which also serves as the CTAF on 126.1 MHz, so pilots should expect to work air traffic control for arrival, departure and circuit sequencing rather than relying on self-announced procedures.
The airport lies close to Interstate 10, which runs along its frontage and provides a useful line feature for pilots inbound from the Jacksonville area; the field is situated about 15 miles west of downtown Jacksonville in the southwest part of Duval County.
Cecil Airport occupies the site of Naval Air Station Cecil Field, which opened in 1941 and, at 22,939 acres, was the largest military base in the Jacksonville area. It served as home to all Atlantic Fleet F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter squadrons and S-3 Viking sea control squadrons before closing as a naval air station in 1999 following the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decision. Its long, wide runways are a direct legacy of this front-line naval aviation role. In 2010 Cecil became the United States' eighth licensed commercial spaceport, and the first in Florida authorised to fly space vehicles that take off and land horizontally; the Jacksonville Aviation Authority has since applied to certify the airport for spacecraft landings as well as launches.
Today Cecil Airport is run by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority as a general aviation, military and cargo field. A fixed-base operator on the field sells fuel and offers hangars, courtesy cars and related services. The airport hosts the Florida State College Jacksonville aviation programme's training hangar, with Sunrise Aviation providing flight training, alongside major aerospace tenants such as Logistic Services International, Boeing and Flightstar Aircraft Services undertaking maintenance and overhaul work for military aircraft. The Florida Army National Guard's primary Army Aviation Support Facility, operating CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Blackhawk, UH-72 Lakota and C-12 Huron aircraft, and the US Coast Guard's HITRON unit flying the MH-65C Dolphin, are also based here. In September 2024 ground was broken on a new hypersonic aircraft testing facility on the airport, and Cecil continues to operate as a licensed commercial spaceport.
