N E S W 253°
26 / 08
RWY 26/08
HDG 253°
LEN 5,252 ft
Mountain Empire Airport

Runway 26 at KMKJ

Runway 26/08 at Mountain Empire Airport (KMKJ) in Marion/Wytheville is a 5,252 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 253°/073°. The runway is 75 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 17 landings and 12 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 2.4°, a typical touchdown ground speed of 135 kt, a 2.0 kt average crosswind component.

Last 30 Days
29 Operations
12 Deps / 17 Arrs

Runway 26/08 at Mountain Empire Airport (KMKJ) in Marion/Wytheville is a 5,252 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 253°/073°. The runway is 75 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 17 landings and 12 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 2.4°, a typical touchdown ground speed of 135 kt, a 2.0 kt average crosswind component.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

17 landings observed on Runway 26 in the last 30 days, alongside 12 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 15:00 with 15 arrivals on the recent sample.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at KMKJ have prevailed from the west-southwest (240°), accounting for roughly 38% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 5.4 kt with peak gusts to 47 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 2.0 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 26 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 2.4° on Runway 26, shallower than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 26 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
2.4°
Avg touchdown GS
135 kts
Avg headwind
0.6 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

00:00 3 landings
12:00 4 landings
13:00 5 landings
15:00 15 landings
16:00 8 landings
20:00 10 landings
21:00 5 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 26 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 26 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

21:00
254° at 3 kts, gusting 8 kts
3 kts
12:00
321° at 2 kts, gusting 5 kts
2 kts
20:00
127° at 4 kts, gusting 10 kts
4 kts
15:00
179° at 4 kts, gusting 8 kts
4 kts
13:00
251° at 3 kts, gusting 6 kts
3 kts
16:00
184° at 6 kts, gusting 15 kts
6 kts
00:00
240° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
253°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 29 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.