N E S W 318°
30 / 12
RWY 30/12
HDG 318°
LEN 2,621 ft
San Carlos Airport

Runway 30 at KSQL

Runway 30/12 at San Carlos Airport (KSQL) in San Carlos is a 2,621 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 318°/138°. The runway is 75 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 3,116 landings and 3,420 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 3.8°, touchdowns averaging 1,656 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 72 kt, a 8.2 kt average crosswind component, a 9.5 kt average headwind.

Last 30 Days
6536 Operations
3420 Deps / 3116 Arrs

Runway 30/12 at San Carlos Airport (KSQL) in San Carlos is a 2,621 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 318°/138°. The runway is 75 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 3,116 landings and 3,420 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 3.8°, touchdowns averaging 1,656 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 72 kt, a 8.2 kt average crosswind component, a 9.5 kt average headwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

3,116 landings observed on Runway 30 in the last 30 days, alongside 3,420 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 23:00 with 39 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 1,656 ft from the threshold on Runway 30.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at KSQL have prevailed from the west (270°), accounting for roughly 22% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 3.5 kt with peak gusts to 129 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Moderate Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 8.2 kt at touchdown — measured against runway 30 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 3.8° on Runway 30 — steeper than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 30 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
3.8°
Avg touchdown GS
72 kts
Avg touchdown zone
1,656 ft
Avg headwind
9.5 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

22:00 11 landings
23:00 39 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 30 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 30 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

22:00
280° at 12 kts, gusting 0 kts
12 kts
23:00
276° at 13 kts, gusting 18 kts
13 kts
METAR
270° at 18 kts, gusting 27 kts
18 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
318°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 6536 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.