Pierce County-Thun Field

PLU · KPLU · Puyallup, WA · 538 ft elevation · var 15E · Non-towered

Overview Weather Runways Comms & NavAids Charts Services & info

Airport information

ICAO / IATA: KPLU
Coordinates: 47.1039, -122.2870
Elevation: 538 ft MSL
Magnetic variation: 15E
Sectional chart: SEATTLE
Airport use: Public
Control tower: No
Weather station: AWOS-3 · 128.575 · ☎ 253-848-2748
ARTCC: SEATTLE (ZSE)
Flight service (FSS): SEATTLE · 1-800-WX-BRIEF
NOTAM facility: PLU
Attendance: ALL 0800-1400
Beacon: white-green (SS-SR)
Segmented circle: Yes
Wind indicator: lighted
Activated: 1945/09
Distance from city: 5 S

Weather

METAR observed

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TAF forecast

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Sun & FAA night 2026-06-22

Event	Local (PDT)	UTC
Morning civil twilight Loggable night ends	04:34 AM	11:34Z
Sunrise	05:14 AM	12:14Z
Sunset	09:08 PM	04:08Z
Evening civil twilight Loggable night begins	09:49 PM	04:49Z

Loggable night (§1.1)

09:49 PM → 04:34 AM

Night currency (§61.57)

10:08 PM → 04:14 AM

Plan a flight from KPLU

Destination (ICAO)

TAS (kt)Burn (gph)Reserve (hr)Wind from (°)Wind (kt)

Night operations

Airport lighting: SEE RMK
Rotating beacon: white-green · SS-SR
Pilot-controlled lighting: ACTVT REIL RWYS 17 & 35; PAPI RWYS 17 & 35 AND MIRL RWY 17/35 -CTAF. on 122.7 — Chart Supplement ↗

Runway lighting aids — 17: 4-light PAPI (left) · 35: 4-light PAPI (right).

FAA night windows (civil twilight, loggable night §1.1, currency §61.57) are in the live weather panel above.

Traffic pattern

Landing runway

LEFT traffic

Landing: Rwy 17 · 165°
Pattern: left (turns left)
TPA: 1,500 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL)
CTAF: 122.7

Enter the left downwind for Rwy 17 at 1,500 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL) on a 45°. TPA estimated at 1,000 ft AGL (not charted for this field).

Runway 17/35

3,651 ft × 60 ft · Asphalt (Good)

Edge lights: Med.

Heading: 165° mag · 180° true
Threshold elev: 537 ft
Markings: nonprecision
VGSI: 4-light PAPI (left) (4°)
Traffic pattern: Left
Approach obstacle: Trees, 75 ft, 2,800 ft from threshold — 34:1 slope to clear
Threshold crossing height: 53 ft
TDZ elevation: 538 ft
End lights: REIL

Heading: 345° mag · 0° true
Threshold elev: 535 ft
Markings: nonprecision
VGSI: 4-light PAPI (right) (4°)
Traffic pattern: Left
Approach obstacle: Road, 13 ft, 242 ft from threshold — 3:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
Threshold crossing height: 53 ft
TDZ elevation: 538 ft
End lights: REIL

Will it fit? Your aircraft's required runway length (from the POH) — checked against every runway here

ft · ≥1.5× comfortable, under 1.25× tight · saved across airports

Runway	Length	Your margin
17/35	3,651 ft

Communication frequencies

Tower & ground

ASOS/AWOS	128.575
Clearance	121.85
CTAF	122.7
UNICOM	122.7

Approach & departure · “Seattle”

App/Dep	126.5

ATC assigns the exact frequency (in your clearance or on handoff) — which one depends on your SID (departing) or STAR (arriving).

By procedure & sector (1 frequencies)

Frequency	Used by
377.15	APCH/P DEP/P

Source: FAA NASR (current 28-day cycle).

Nearby navigation aids

NavAid	Type	Freq	Radial / Dist magnetic
TCM · Mcchord	VORTAC	109.60	r087° / 8.1 NM
SEA · Seattle	VORTAC	116.80	r158° / 19.9 NM
OLM · Olympia	VORTAC	113.40	r053° / 26.4 NM

Procedures at a glance

Lowest mins: RNAV (GPS) · vertical guidance Diverse Vector Area ↗ Takeoff mins / ODP ↗ Non-std alternate mins ↗

Approaches1

RNAV (GPS) RWY 35 ↗

Minimums & Hot Spots

Chart Supplement FAA A/FD

Open PDF ↗

Preview Chart Supplement

VFR sectional

Open KPLU on the VFR sectional (SkyVector) ↗

Services

Fuel available: 100LL
Bottled oxygen: LOW
Bulk oxygen: NONE
Airframe service: MAJOR
Powerplant service: MAJOR
Parking: tiedowns
Other services: Avionics, Instruction, Rental

Ownership & management

Owner

PIERCE COUNTY

9850 - 64TH ST. W., UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA

253-798-2421

Manager

DENNIS SMITH

16915 103RD AVE E, PUYALLUP, WA

253-798-8551

Remarks FAA

ESTABD PRIOR TO 15 MAY 1959.
ULTRALIGHTS PROHIBITED.
NOISE SENSITIVE ALL QUADRANTS.
FOR CD CTC SEATTLE APCH AT 206-214-4723.
ACTVT REIL RWYS 17 & 35; PAPI RWYS 17 & 35 AND MIRL RWY 17/35 -CTAF.
PILOTS BRING OWN TIE-DOWNS.
FUEL AVBL 24 HOURS WITH CREDIT CARD.

Nearby airports

3B8 · Shady Acres Airport (4 NM)86WA · Kapowsin FieldPrivate (6 NM)KTCM · McChord Air Force BasePrivate (8 NM)KZ10 · Fort Lewis Road / Pacemaker Landing Zone Airport (8 NM)WN42 · Flying H Ranch AirportPrivate (8 NM)02WA · Cawleys South Prairie AirportPrivate (8 NM)

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 KPLU 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 KPLU

Pierce County-Thun Field (PLU · KPLU) is an airport in Puyallup, WA, at 538 ft MSL. It has 1 runway, the longest 3,651 ft, with no control tower (pilot-controlled). This page shows live METAR/TAF weather, runway crosswinds, frequencies, navaids, and FAA charts for KPLU, refreshed from the Aviation Weather Center and FAA NASR.

Does KPLU have a control tower?

No. Pierce County-Thun Field is a non-towered (pilot-controlled) airport; use the published CTAF/UNICOM on the Comms & NavAids tab.

What is the longest runway at KPLU?

Pierce County-Thun Field has 1 runway; the longest is 3,651 ft. See the Runways tab for headings, surface, and lighting.

Where is KPLU?

Pierce County-Thun Field is in Puyallup, WA, at an elevation of 538 ft MSL. Coordinates: 47.1039, -122.2870.

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