Columbia Metropolitan Airport
CAE · KCAE · Columbia, SC · 236 ft elevation · var 7W · Towered
Airport information
- ICAO / IATA
- KCAE / CAE
- Coordinates
- 33.9382, -81.1230
- Elevation
- 236 ft MSL
- Magnetic variation
- 7W
- Sectional chart
- CHARLOTTE
- Airport use
- Public
- Control tower
- Yes
- ARTCC
- JACKSONVILLE (ZJX)
- Flight service (FSS)
- ANDERSON
- NOTAM facility
- CAE
- Attendance
- ALL ALL
- Beacon
- white-green (SS-SR)
- Segmented circle
- No
- Wind indicator
- lighted
- Activated
- 1942/06
- Distance from city
- 5 SW
Weather
METAR observed
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TAF forecast
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Sun & FAA night 2026-06-21
| Event | Local (EDT) | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Morning civil twilight Loggable night ends | 05:45 AM | 09:45Z |
| Sunrise | 06:14 AM | 10:14Z |
| Sunset | 08:39 PM | 00:39Z |
| Evening civil twilight Loggable night begins | 09:08 PM | 01:08Z |
Plan a flight from KCAE
Night operations
- Airport lighting
- SS-SR
- Rotating beacon
- white-green · SS-SR
- Pilot-controlled lighting
- Usually keyed on CTAF 122.95 — confirm the click sequence in the Chart Supplement ↗
Runway lighting aids — 05: 4-light PAPI (right) + MALSR · 23: 4-light PAPI (left) · 11: 4-light PAPI (left) + ALSF2 · 29: 4-light PAPI (left) + MALSR.
FAA night windows (civil twilight, loggable night §1.1, currency §61.57) are in the live weather panel above.
Traffic pattern
- Landing
- Rwy 05 · 052°
- Pattern
- left (turns left)
- TPA
- 1,200 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL)
- CTAF
- 122.95
Enter the left downwind for Rwy 05 at 1,200 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL) on a 45°. TPA estimated at 1,000 ft AGL (not charted for this field).
Runway 05/23
8,001 ft × 150 ft · ASPH-CONC (Excellent)- Heading
- 052° mag · 45° true
- Markings
- precision
- VGSI
- 4-light PAPI (right) (3°)
- Approach lights
- MALSR
- Instrument landing
- ILS · CAT I · LOC 108.95 (GJC) · GS 3.00°
- Traffic pattern
- Left
- Heading
- 232° mag · 225° true
- Markings
- precision
- VGSI
- 4-light PAPI (left) (3°)
- Traffic pattern
- Left
- Approach obstacle
- Tree, 45 ft, 1,575 ft from threshold, 100 ft L of centerline — 33:1 slope to clear
- Displaced threshold
- 1,000 ft
Runway 11/29
8,601 ft × 150 ft · Concrete (Excellent)- Heading
- 112° mag · 105° true
- Markings
- precision
- VGSI
- 4-light PAPI (left) (3°)
- Approach lights
- ALSF2
- Instrument landing
- ILS/DME · CAT IIIB · LOC 110.3 (CAE) · GS 3.00°
- Traffic pattern
- Left
- Heading
- 292° mag · 285° true
- Markings
- precision
- VGSI
- 4-light PAPI (left) (3°)
- Approach lights
- MALSR
- Instrument landing
- ILS · CAT I · LOC 108.3 (VYK) · GS 3.00°
- Traffic pattern
- Left
| Runway | Length | Your margin |
|---|---|---|
| 05/23 | 8,001 ft | |
| 11/29 | 8,601 ft |
Communication frequencies
| Service | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A/D | 124.15 | APP/DEP |
| ATIS | 120.15 | |
| CLD | 119.75 | CLNC DEL |
| GND | 121.9 | |
| RDO | 122.65 | ANDERSON RDO |
| TWR | 119.5 | |
| UNIC | 122.95 | UNICOM |
Nearby navigation aids
| NavAid | Type | Freq | Radial / Dist magnetic |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAE · Columbia | VORTAC | 114.70 | r327° / 6 NM |
| MMT · Mc Entire | VORTAC | 113.20 | r278° / 16 NM |
| EDS · Edisto | VOR-DME | 111.40 | r341° / 31.8 NM |
| SSC · Shaw | TACAN | 110.10 | r271° / 32.8 NM |
Airport diagram
Open PDF ↗Preview diagram
Procedures at a glance
⚠ Hot spots published at this airport — review the hot-spot chart before you taxi ↗Approaches9
Minimums & Hot Spots
Chart Supplement FAA A/FD
Open PDF ↗Preview Chart Supplement
VFR sectional
Services
- Fuel available
- 100LL, Jet A
- Bottled oxygen
- HIGH
- Bulk oxygen
- HIGH
- Airframe service
- MAJOR
- Powerplant service
- MAJOR
- Parking
- tiedowns, hangars
- Other services
- Air freight, Avionics, Cargo, Charter, Instruction, Rental, Aircraft sales
Ownership & management
Remarks FAA
- ARPT EXISTED PRIOR TO 1958.
- FEE FOR COML ACFT OVER 15000 LBS.
- OPRN OF ULTRALIGHT VEHICLES PROHIBITED.
- SPORTS COMPLEX WITH NMRS FLOOD LGTS APRXLY 6500 FT FROM APCH END RWY 11.
- NOISE ABATEMENT PROC: NO TURNS BLW 1000 FT FOR TURBINE ENG ACFT UNLESS DCTD BY ATC.
- ACFT LNDG WITH EXPLOSIVES OBTAIN PPR FM ARPT OPS 803-822-5050.
- HELIPAD H1 LOCATED NORTH OF TAXILANE E, EAST OF TWY E3.
- DUE TO PROXIMITY AND RWY ALNMT AIRCREWS HAVE MISTAKEN CUB (RWY 13/31) FOR CAE (RWY 11/29) WHICH IS 6 MILES NE.
- FOR PPR OR OTHER AFLD RELATED QUESTIONS PLEASE CALL ARPT OPS AT 803-822-5050.
- ARPT DIST.
- INTERIM POCS (UNTIL KREULEN ONBOARD): FRANK MURRAY, VP PLANNING AND ENGINEERING 803-822-7817 GREGG HORNSBY, INTERIM CEO 803-822-5015
- PCR VALUE: 750/R/A/W/T
- PCR VALUE: 740/R/A/W/T
- RWY 05 200 FT BY 200 FT BLAST PAD.
- RWY 11 220 FT BY 400 FT BLAST PAD; RWY 29 220 FT BY 400 FT BLAST PAD.
- ALSF2 ALSO OPERS AS SSALR.
- RWY 05/23 CNTR 75 FT IS CONC, ENTIRE LEN OF RWY.
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 KCAE 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 KCAE
Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE · KCAE) is an airport in Columbia, SC, at 236 ft MSL. It has 2 runways, the longest 8,601 ft, with a control tower. This page shows live METAR/TAF weather, runway crosswinds, frequencies, navaids, and FAA charts for KCAE, refreshed from the Aviation Weather Center and FAA NASR.
Does KCAE have a control tower?
Yes. Columbia Metropolitan Airport has an operating FAA control tower. Check the Comms & NavAids tab for tower and ground frequencies.
What is the longest runway at KCAE?
Columbia Metropolitan Airport has 2 runways; the longest is 8,601 ft. See the Runways tab for headings, surface, and lighting.
Where is KCAE?
Columbia Metropolitan Airport is in Columbia, SC, at an elevation of 236 ft MSL. Coordinates: 33.9382, -81.1230.
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