N E S W 328°
34 / 16
RWY 34/16
HDG 328°
LEN 5,810 ft
Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport

Runway 34 at KROA

Runway 34/16 at Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (KROA) in Roanoke is a 5,810 ft, lighted, asph-g runway oriented 328°/148°. The runway is 150 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 243 landings and 61 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 3.0°, touchdowns averaging 5,786 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 105 kt, a 2.5 kt average crosswind component.

Last 30 Days
304 Operations
61 Deps / 243 Arrs

Runway 34/16 at Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (KROA) in Roanoke is a 5,810 ft, lighted, asph-g runway oriented 328°/148°. The runway is 150 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 243 landings and 61 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 3.0°, touchdowns averaging 5,786 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 105 kt, a 2.5 kt average crosswind component.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

243 landings observed on Runway 34 in the last 30 days, alongside 61 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 14:00 with 9 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 5,786 ft from the threshold on Runway 34.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at KROA have prevailed from the west (270°), accounting for roughly 16% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 4.4 kt with peak gusts to 50 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 2.5 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 34 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 3.0° on Runway 34, 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 34 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
3.0°
Avg touchdown GS
105 kts
Avg touchdown zone
5,786 ft
Avg headwind
-0.3 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

00:00 1 landings
01:00 2 landings
03:00 2 landings
09:00 2 landings
10:00 2 landings
12:00 1 landings
13:00 1 landings
14:00 9 landings
15:00 3 landings
16:00 4 landings
17:00 2 landings
18:00 6 landings
19:00 5 landings
20:00 3 landings
23:00 7 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 34 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 34 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

20:00
151° at 1 kts, gusting 2 kts
1 kts
23:00
320° at 7 kts, gusting 0 kts
7 kts
03:00
277° at 4 kts, gusting 4 kts
4 kts
09:00
285° at 4 kts, gusting 18 kts
4 kts
10:00
291° at 3 kts, gusting 2 kts
3 kts
12:00
311° at 3 kts, gusting 5 kts
3 kts
16:00
175° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
18:00
125° at 6 kts, gusting 18 kts
6 kts
19:00
147° at 6 kts, gusting 18 kts
6 kts
00:00
310° at 7 kts, gusting 0 kts
7 kts
01:00
210° at 4 kts, gusting 18 kts
4 kts
13:00
190° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts
14:00
169° at 4 kts, gusting 9 kts
4 kts
15:00
197° at 6 kts, gusting 14 kts
6 kts
17:00
112° at 3 kts, gusting 4 kts
3 kts
METAR
100° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
328°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 304 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.