N E S W 187°
18 / 36
RWY 18/36
HDG 187°
LEN 6,101 ft
Colonel James Jabara Airport

Runway 18 at KAAO

Runway 18/36 at Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO) in Wichita is a 6,101 ft, lighted, concrete runway oriented 187°/007°. The runway is 100 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 786 landings and 851 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 3.5°, touchdowns averaging 849 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 86 kt, a 2.2 kt average crosswind component, a 11.0 kt average headwind.

Last 30 Days
1637 Operations
851 Deps / 786 Arrs

Runway 18/36 at Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO) in Wichita is a 6,101 ft, lighted, concrete runway oriented 187°/007°. The runway is 100 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 786 landings and 851 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 3.5°, touchdowns averaging 849 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 86 kt, a 2.2 kt average crosswind component, a 11.0 kt average headwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

786 landings observed on Runway 18 in the last 30 days, alongside 851 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 14:00 with 11 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 849 ft from the threshold on Runway 18.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at KAAO have prevailed from the south-southeast (150°), accounting for roughly 21% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 8.6 kt with peak gusts to 52 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 2.2 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 18 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 3.5° on Runway 18, steeper than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 18 over the last 30 days. Each value is shown only when at least 10 valid samples were available; sparse cells are hidden rather than estimated.

Avg approach slope
3.5°
Avg touchdown GS
86 kts
Avg touchdown zone
849 ft
Avg headwind
11.0 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

00:00 1 landings
02:00 1 landings
03:00 2 landings
04:00 3 landings
05:00 1 landings
07:00 1 landings
11:00 1 landings
12:00 2 landings
13:00 2 landings
14:00 11 landings
15:00 1 landings
16:00 7 landings
17:00 2 landings
18:00 2 landings
19:00 2 landings
20:00 3 landings
22:00 3 landings
23:00 5 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 18 grouped by hour-of-day (UTC).

Approach Types and Categories

Aircraft approach runways using different procedures based on weather conditions, visibility, and available navigation equipment. An Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach provides precision horizontal and vertical guidance using ground-based radio signals, enabling aircraft to land in low visibility conditions. Visual approaches require pilots to maintain visual contact with the runway and surrounding terrain, typically used during clear weather. Area Navigation (RNAV) approaches use GPS technology to guide aircraft along specific flight paths.

Approach Categories Explained

Category (CAT) classifications define minimum visibility and decision height requirements for instrument approaches. Higher categories enable operations in lower visibility conditions.

CAT I
Decision Height: 200 ft
Visibility: 550m
CAT II
Decision Height: 100 ft
Visibility: 300m
CAT III
Decision Height: 0-50 ft
Visibility: 0-200m
Visual
Clear of Clouds
Visibility: 5 km

Wind and Environmental Factors

Wind conditions directly impact runway operations, influencing approach difficulty, landing performance, and runway selection. Runway 18 benefits from favorable wind alignment, with prevailing winds creating minimal crosswind components for most operations. Average wind speeds of 12 knots pose no operational constraints for commercial aircraft.

24-Hour Wind Pattern

23:00
185° at 10 kts, gusting 13 kts
10 kts
00:00
200° at 10 kts, gusting 13 kts
10 kts
02:00
162° at 10 kts, gusting 22 kts
10 kts
03:00
162° at 10 kts, gusting 22 kts
10 kts
04:00
162° at 10 kts, gusting 22 kts
10 kts
05:00
167° at 10 kts, gusting 25 kts
10 kts
07:00
196° at 9 kts, gusting 26 kts
9 kts
11:00
187° at 8 kts, gusting 24 kts
8 kts
12:00
187° at 8 kts, gusting 24 kts
8 kts
13:00
196° at 10 kts, gusting 24 kts
10 kts
14:00
204° at 12 kts, gusting 20 kts
12 kts
15:00
204° at 12 kts, gusting 20 kts
12 kts
16:00
196° at 12 kts, gusting 20 kts
12 kts
17:00
195° at 13 kts, gusting 13 kts
13 kts
18:00
190° at 14 kts, gusting 22 kts
14 kts
19:00
187° at 12 kts, gusting 13 kts
12 kts
20:00
187° at 12 kts, gusting 13 kts
12 kts
22:00
185° at 11 kts, gusting 13 kts
11 kts
METAR
190° at 14 kts, gusting 21 kts
14 kts

Wind patterns show typical diurnal variation with stronger winds during midday hours.

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
187°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 1637 operations recorded over the past 30 days, derived from global ADS-B flight broadcasts. Coverage may be incomplete in areas with limited ground-station reception, and statistics may vary with weather and traffic volume.