N E S W 315°
31 / 13
RWY 31/13
HDG 315°
LEN 4,602 ft
Iowa Falls Municipal Airport

Runway 31 at KIFA

Runway 31/13 at Iowa Falls Municipal Airport (KIFA) in Iowa Falls is a 4,602 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 315°/135°. The runway is 75 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 37 landings and 30 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 3.6°, touchdowns averaging 4,097 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 103 kt, a 3.9 kt average crosswind component.

Last 30 Days
67 Operations
30 Deps / 37 Arrs

Runway 31/13 at Iowa Falls Municipal Airport (KIFA) in Iowa Falls is a 4,602 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 315°/135°. The runway is 75 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 37 landings and 30 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 3.6°, touchdowns averaging 4,097 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 103 kt, a 3.9 kt average crosswind component.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

37 landings observed on Runway 31 in the last 30 days, alongside 30 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 16:00 with 13 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 4,097 ft from the threshold on Runway 31.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at KIFA have prevailed from the west-northwest (300°), accounting for roughly 15% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 8.5 kt with peak gusts to 56 kt. Strong winds (≥20 kt) occur on about 5% of observations — pilots flying into runway 31 should plan for occasional gusty conditions.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 3.9 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 31 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 3.6° on Runway 31, steeper than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 31 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
3.6°
Avg touchdown GS
103 kts
Avg touchdown zone
4,097 ft
Avg headwind
0.6 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

01:00 4 landings
12:00 5 landings
13:00 8 landings
14:00 6 landings
15:00 8 landings
16:00 13 landings
18:00 4 landings
21:00 2 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 31 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 31 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

15:00
175° at 5 kts, gusting 8 kts
5 kts
16:00
265° at 6 kts, gusting 11 kts
6 kts
18:00
80° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts
14:00
189° at 5 kts, gusting 10 kts
5 kts
13:00
176° at 4 kts, gusting 10 kts
4 kts
01:00
128° at 4 kts, gusting 2 kts
4 kts
12:00
220° at 5 kts, gusting 16 kts
5 kts
21:00
137° at 5 kts, gusting 8 kts
5 kts
METAR
190° at 7 kts, gusting 0 kts
7 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
315°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 67 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.