N E S W 154°
15 / 33
RWY 15/33
HDG 154°
LEN 5,000 ft
Madison Municipal Airport

Runway 15 at KMDS

Runway 15/33 at Madison Municipal Airport (KMDS) in Madison is a 5,000 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 154°/334°. The runway is 75 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 13 landings and 21 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 2.8°, touchdowns averaging 11,332 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 110 kt, a 4.6 kt average crosswind component, a 8.0 kt average headwind.

Last 30 Days
34 Operations
21 Deps / 13 Arrs

Runway 15/33 at Madison Municipal Airport (KMDS) in Madison is a 5,000 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 154°/334°. The runway is 75 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 13 landings and 21 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 2.8°, touchdowns averaging 11,332 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 110 kt, a 4.6 kt average crosswind component, a 8.0 kt average headwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

13 landings observed on Runway 15 in the last 30 days, alongside 21 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 13:00 with 10 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 11,332 ft from the threshold on Runway 15.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at KMDS have prevailed from the south-southeast (150°), accounting for roughly 19% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 9.7 kt with peak gusts to 52 kt. Strong winds (≥20 kt) occur on about 7% of observations — pilots flying into runway 15 should plan for occasional gusty conditions.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 4.6 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 15 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 2.8° on Runway 15, consistent with the standard 3° glide path.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 15 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
2.8°
Avg touchdown GS
110 kts
Avg touchdown zone
11,332 ft
Avg headwind
8.0 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

00:00 3 landings
13:00 10 landings
14:00 7 landings
15:00 4 landings
18:00 5 landings
22:00 8 landings
23:00 8 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 15 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 15 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

14:00
137° at 9 kts, gusting 21 kts
9 kts
23:00
185° at 10 kts, gusting 0 kts
10 kts
13:00
189° at 10 kts, gusting 8 kts
10 kts
15:00
190° at 13 kts, gusting 20 kts
13 kts
00:00
101° at 3 kts, gusting 3 kts
3 kts
18:00
200° at 9 kts, gusting 11 kts
9 kts
22:00
173° at 11 kts, gusting 12 kts
11 kts
METAR
240° at 8 kts, gusting 0 kts
8 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
154°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 34 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.