N E S W 187°
18 / 36
RWY 18/36
HDG 187°
LEN 10,000 ft
Avalon Airport

Runway 18 at YMAV

Runway 18/36 at Avalon Airport (YMAV) in Melbourne is a 10,000 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 187°/007°. The runway is 148 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 188 landings and 139 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 2.0°, touchdowns averaging 967 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 133 kt, a 4.0 kt average crosswind component.

Last 30 Days
327 Operations
139 Deps / 188 Arrs

Runway 18/36 at Avalon Airport (YMAV) in Melbourne is a 10,000 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 187°/007°. The runway is 148 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 188 landings and 139 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 2.0°, touchdowns averaging 967 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 133 kt, a 4.0 kt average crosswind component.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

188 landings observed on Runway 18 in the last 30 days, alongside 139 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 05:00 with 12 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 967 ft from the threshold on Runway 18.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at YMAV have prevailed from the west (270°), accounting for roughly 24% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 9.4 kt with peak gusts to 48 kt. Strong winds (≥20 kt) occur on about 6% of observations — pilots flying into runway 18 should plan for occasional gusty conditions.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 4.0 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 18 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 2.0° on Runway 18, shallower than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 18 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
2.0°
Avg touchdown GS
133 kts
Avg touchdown zone
967 ft
Avg headwind
0.8 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

00:00 1 landings
01:00 1 landings
03:00 1 landings
04:00 5 landings
05:00 12 landings
06:00 7 landings
07:00 1 landings
08:00 2 landings
09:00 6 landings
10:00 3 landings
12:00 2 landings
13:00 1 landings
20:00 1 landings
21:00 4 landings
23:00 3 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 18 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 18 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

04:00
214° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
05:00
192° at 7 kts, gusting 0 kts
7 kts
06:00
187° at 7 kts, gusting 0 kts
7 kts
21:00
205° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
23:00
280° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts
00:00
280° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
01:00
280° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts
03:00
250° at 1 kts, gusting 0 kts
1 kts
09:00
239° at 3 kts, gusting 3 kts
3 kts
10:00
301° at 4 kts, gusting 3 kts
4 kts
13:00
100° at 2 kts, gusting 2 kts
2 kts
07:00
254° at 3 kts, gusting 3 kts
3 kts
08:00
254° at 3 kts, gusting 3 kts
3 kts
12:00
340° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
20:00
290° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
METAR
350° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
187°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 327 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.