Airport information
- FAA LID
- 53U
- Coordinates
- 48.0611, -114.0014
- Elevation
- 3,060 ft MSL
- Magnetic variation
- 18E
- Sectional chart
- GREAT FALLS
- Airport use
- Public
- Control tower
- No
- ARTCC
- SALT LAKE CITY (ZLC)
- Flight service (FSS)
- GREAT FALLS
- NOTAM facility
- GTF
- Attendance
- UNATNDD
- Segmented circle
- No
- Wind indicator
- yes
- Activated
- 1976/06
- Distance from city
- 3 NE
Weather
METAR observed
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TAF forecast
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Sun & FAA night 2026-06-21
| Event | Local (MDT) | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Morning civil twilight Loggable night ends | 04:55 AM | 10:55Z |
| Sunrise | 05:36 AM | 11:36Z |
| Sunset | 09:39 PM | 03:39Z |
| Evening civil twilight Loggable night begins | 10:21 PM | 04:21Z |
Plan a flight from 53U
Night operations
- Pilot-controlled lighting
- Usually keyed on CTAF 122.9 — confirm the click sequence in the Chart Supplement ↗
FAA night windows (civil twilight, loggable night §1.1, currency §61.57) are in the live weather panel above.
Traffic pattern
- Landing
- Rwy 15 · 153°
- Pattern
- left (turns left)
- TPA
- 4,100 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL)
- CTAF
- 122.9
Enter the left downwind for Rwy 15 at 4,100 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL) on a 45°. TPA estimated at 1,000 ft AGL (not charted for this field).
Runway 15/33
3,500 ft × 95 ft · Turf (Good)- Heading
- 153° mag · 171° true
- Traffic pattern
- Left
- Approach obstacle
- Trees, 100 ft, 477 ft from threshold, 400 ft R of centerline — 4:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
- Heading
- 333° mag · 351° true
- Traffic pattern
- Left
- Approach obstacle
- Trees, 100 ft, 600 ft from threshold, 115 ft L of centerline — 6:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
| Runway | Length | Your margin |
|---|---|---|
| 15/33 | 3,500 ft |
Nearby navigation aids
| NavAid | Type | Freq | Radial / Dist magnetic |
|---|---|---|---|
| FCA · Kalispell | VOR-DME | 113.20 | r125° / 11.5 NM |
Chart Supplement FAA A/FD
Open PDF ↗Preview Chart Supplement
VFR sectional
Services
- Bottled oxygen
- NONE
- Bulk oxygen
- NONE
- Airframe service
- MAJOR
- Powerplant service
- MAJOR
- Parking
- tiedowns
Ownership & management
Remarks FAA
- CALL FOR RPRS: 406-253-5688
- PROVIDED COMPATIBLE INGRESS/EGRESS ARE ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO AVOID CONGESTED AREAS AND ASSUME SAFETY TO PERSONS AND PROPERTY ON THE SURFACE.
- SNOW REMOVAL MAY BE DELAYED CALL FOR CONDITIONS 406-257-5994.
- RWY 15 +100 FT TREES 1570 FT FM END OF RWY ON CNTRLN; RWY 33 +80 FT TREES 1500 FT FM END OF RWY; RWY 15 +15 FT ROAD 250 FT FM END OF RWY ON CNTRLN.
- TREES IN TRANSITION SFC BOTH SIDES OF RY FULL LENGTH.
- FREE BICYCLES FOR ARPT USE LCTD IN STORAGE SHED. TO ACCESS USE EMERG FREQ ON LOCK.
- RWY 33 +50 FT TREE ON CNTRLN 500 FT FM END OF RWY AT 10:1.
- FOR CD CTC SALT LAKE ARTCC AT 801-320-2568.
- DEP PROC STRAIGHT OUT THRU TPA OF 4072 FT MSL (1000 FT AGL).
- 15/33 NSTD MARKINGS - WHITE CONES MARK FULL RY LENGTH. RED TRAFFIC CONES MARK EACH RY THRESHOLD WITH 100 FOOT DISPLACED THRESHOLD
Nearby airports
Weather is live from the Aviation Weather Center; airport facility data is from the FAA NASR (28-day cycle). For planning and education only; always verify against official sources. Open 53U in a full tool: METAR/TAF decoder, crosswind calculator, sun & night times, or the density altitude calculator. Planning from here? Find the nearest airport with fuel or an approach, or check whether an IFR alternate is required.
About 53U
Ferndale Airfield (53U) is an airport in Bigfork, MT, at 3,060 ft MSL. It has 1 runway, the longest 3,500 ft, with no control tower (pilot-controlled). This page shows live METAR/TAF weather, runway crosswinds, frequencies, navaids, and FAA charts for 53U, refreshed from the Aviation Weather Center and FAA NASR.
Does 53U have a control tower?
No. Ferndale Airfield is a non-towered (pilot-controlled) airport; use the published CTAF/UNICOM on the Comms & NavAids tab.
What is the longest runway at 53U?
Ferndale Airfield has 1 runway; the longest is 3,500 ft. See the Runways tab for headings, surface, and lighting.
Where is 53U?
Ferndale Airfield is in Bigfork, MT, at an elevation of 3,060 ft MSL. Coordinates: 48.0611, -114.0014.
Fly out of 53U often?
Save 53U as your home base in the SkyReady app for a one-tap Go/No-Go readiness brief, weather alerts, and automatic FAA currency — free to log.