William M Tuck Airport

W78 · South Boston, VA · 420 ft elevation · var 8W · Non-towered

Overview Weather Runways Comms & NavAids Charts Services & info

Airport information

FAA LID: W78
Coordinates: 36.7100, -78.8480
Elevation: 420 ft MSL
Magnetic variation: 8W
Sectional chart: WASHINGTON
Airport use: Public
Control tower: No
Weather station: AWOS-3 · 119.425 · ☎ 434-575-0332
ARTCC: WASHINGTON (ZDC)
Flight service (FSS): LEESBURG
NOTAM facility: DCA
Attendance: UNATTENDED
Beacon: white-green (SS-SR)
Segmented circle: No
Wind indicator: lighted
Access: Military landing rights
Activated: 1949/09
Distance from city: 3 E

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	05:26 AM	09:26Z
Sunrise	05:57 AM	09:57Z
Sunset	08:37 PM	00:37Z
Evening civil twilight Loggable night begins	09:08 PM	01:08Z

Loggable night (§1.1)

09:08 PM → 05:26 AM

Night currency (§61.57)

09:37 PM → 04:57 AM

Plan a flight from W78

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 MIRL RY 01/19 & REIL RYS 01 & 19 - CTAF. PAPI RYS 01 & 19 OPER CONT. on 122.8 — Chart Supplement ↗

Runway lighting aids — 01: 2-light PAPI (left) · 19: 2-light PAPI (left).

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 01 · 005°
Pattern: left (turns left)
TPA: 1,220 ft MSL · 800 AGL
CTAF: 122.8

Enter the left downwind for Rwy 01 at 1,220 ft MSL · 800 AGL on a 45°.

Runway 01/19

4,011 ft × 75 ft · Asphalt (Good)

Edge lights: Med. Weight bearing: Single wheel 12.5k.

Heading: 005° mag · 357° true
Threshold elev: 383 ft
Markings: nonprecision
VGSI: 2-light PAPI (left) (3°)
Traffic pattern: Left
Approach obstacle: Trees, 28 ft, 481 ft from threshold, 265 ft L of centerline — 10:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
Threshold crossing height: 59 ft
TDZ elevation: 410 ft
End lights: REIL

Heading: 185° mag · 177° true
Threshold elev: 420 ft
Markings: nonprecision
VGSI: 2-light PAPI (left) (3°)
Traffic pattern: Left
Approach obstacle: Tree, 42 ft, 861 ft from threshold, 100 ft R of centerline — 15:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
Threshold crossing height: 41 ft
TDZ elevation: 420 ft
End lights: REIL

Runway 05/23

2,700 ft × 200 ft · GRS

Heading: 058° mag · 50° true

Heading: 238° mag · 230° true

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
01/19	4,011 ft
05/23	2,700 ft

Communication frequencies

Tower & ground · “South Boston”

ASOS/AWOS	119.425
CTAF	122.8
UNICOM	122.8
Flight service	122.1R · 124.05 (LOW)

By procedure & sector (1 frequencies)

Frequency	Used by
352.0	SOUTH BOSTON RCAG (LOW)

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

Nearby navigation aids

NavAid	Type	Freq	Radial / Dist magnetic
SBV · South Boston	VORTAC	110.40	r080° / 8.3 NM
DAN · Danville	VOR	113.10	r076° / 25 NM
LYH · Lynchburg	VORTAC	109.20	r155° / 37.6 NM

Chart Supplement FAA A/FD

Open PDF ↗

Preview Chart Supplement

VFR sectional

Open W78 on the VFR sectional (SkyVector) ↗

Services

Fuel available: 100LL
Bottled oxygen: NONE
Bulk oxygen: NONE
Airframe service: MINOR
Powerplant service: MINOR
Parking: tiedowns
Other services: Instruction

Ownership & management

Owner

COUNTY OF HALIFAX

PO BOX 699, HALIFAX, VA

434-476-3300

Manager

JASON JOHNSON

PO BOX 699, HALIFAX, VA

434-476-3300

Remarks FAA

IN OPERATION PRIOR 1959
WILDLIFE ON & INVOF RYS.
SELF-FUELING WITH A CREDIT CARD.
RWY 06/24 CLSD TO ACFT WITH AIRSPEED 50 KT OR MORE.
FOR CD CTC WASHINGTON ARTCC AT 703-771-3587.
ACTVT MIRL RY 01/19 & REIL RYS 01 & 19 - CTAF. PAPI RYS 01 & 19 OPER CONT.
5 FT BRUSH 150 FT LEFT AND RIGHT OF RWY CNTRLN.
RY 06 OUTLINED WITH YELLOW CONES.
RY 24 OUTLINED WITH YELLOW CONES.

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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 W78 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 W78

William M Tuck Airport (W78) is an airport in South Boston, VA, at 420 ft MSL. It has 2 runways, the longest 4,011 ft, with no control tower (pilot-controlled). This page shows live METAR/TAF weather, runway crosswinds, frequencies, navaids, and FAA charts for W78, refreshed from the Aviation Weather Center and FAA NASR.

Does W78 have a control tower?

No. William M Tuck Airport is a non-towered (pilot-controlled) airport; use the published CTAF/UNICOM on the Comms & NavAids tab.

What is the longest runway at W78?

William M Tuck Airport has 2 runways; the longest is 4,011 ft. See the Runways tab for headings, surface, and lighting.

Where is W78?

William M Tuck Airport is in South Boston, VA, at an elevation of 420 ft MSL. Coordinates: 36.7100, -78.8480.

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