N E S W 221°
21 / 03
RWY 21/03
HDG 221°
LEN 6,824 ft
Coffs Harbour Airport

Runway 21 at YCFS

Runway 21/03 at Coffs Harbour Airport (YCFS) in Coffs Harbour is a 6,824 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 221°/041°. The runway is 148 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 247 landings and 311 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 322 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 102 kt, a 6.3 kt average crosswind component, a 13.7 kt average headwind.

Last 30 Days
558 Operations
311 Deps / 247 Arrs

Runway 21/03 at Coffs Harbour Airport (YCFS) in Coffs Harbour is a 6,824 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 221°/041°. The runway is 148 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 247 landings and 311 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 322 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 102 kt, a 6.3 kt average crosswind component, a 13.7 kt average headwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

247 landings observed on Runway 21 in the last 30 days, alongside 311 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 06:00 with 8 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 322 ft from the threshold on Runway 21.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at YCFS have prevailed from the south-southwest (210°), accounting for roughly 27% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 8.7 kt with peak gusts to 45 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Moderate Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 6.3 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 21 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 2.8° on Runway 21, 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 21 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
102 kts
Avg touchdown zone
322 ft
Avg headwind
13.7 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

00:00 6 landings
01:00 1 landings
02:00 4 landings
03:00 5 landings
04:00 1 landings
05:00 5 landings
06:00 8 landings
07:00 5 landings
08:00 1 landings
09:00 1 landings
10:00 6 landings
13:00 1 landings
21:00 1 landings
22:00 1 landings
23:00 4 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 21 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 21 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

23:00
212° at 10 kts, gusting 0 kts
10 kts
00:00
212° at 14 kts, gusting 0 kts
14 kts
01:00
210° at 17 kts, gusting 0 kts
17 kts
02:00
202° at 19 kts, gusting 29 kts
19 kts
03:00
186° at 19 kts, gusting 0 kts
19 kts
05:00
176° at 19 kts, gusting 32 kts
19 kts
06:00
188° at 18 kts, gusting 0 kts
18 kts
08:00
170° at 20 kts, gusting 0 kts
20 kts
09:00
230° at 12 kts, gusting 0 kts
12 kts
10:00
230° at 12 kts, gusting 0 kts
12 kts
07:00
216° at 14 kts, gusting 0 kts
14 kts
13:00
230° at 13 kts, gusting 0 kts
13 kts
04:00
190° at 22 kts, gusting 32 kts
22 kts
21:00
240° at 10 kts, gusting 0 kts
10 kts
22:00
240° at 10 kts, gusting 0 kts
10 kts
METAR
180° at 11 kts, gusting 0 kts
11 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
221°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 558 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.