William B Bolton Airport

Y87 · Empire, MI · 944 ft elevation · var 4W · Non-towered

Overview Weather Runways Comms & NavAids Charts Services & info

Airport information

FAA LID: Y87
Coordinates: 44.7914, -86.0032
Elevation: 944 ft MSL
Magnetic variation: 4W
Sectional chart: GREEN BAY
Airport use: Public
Control tower: No
ARTCC: MINNEAPOLIS (ZMP)
Flight service (FSS): LANSING · 1-800-WX-BRIEF
NOTAM facility: LAN
Attendance: UNATNDD
Segmented circle: Yes
Wind indicator: yes
Activated: 1948/08
Distance from city: 3 SE

Weather

METAR observed

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TAF forecast

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Sun & FAA night 2026-06-22

Event	Local (EDT)	UTC
Morning civil twilight Loggable night ends	05:21 AM	09:21Z
Sunrise	05:58 AM	09:58Z
Sunset	09:34 PM	01:34Z
Evening civil twilight Loggable night begins	10:11 PM	02:11Z

Loggable night (§1.1)

10:11 PM → 05:21 AM

Night currency (§61.57)

10:34 PM → 04:58 AM

Plan a flight from Y87

Destination (ICAO)

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

Night operations

Airport lighting: SEE RMK
Pilot-controlled lighting: ACTVT LIRL RWY 17/35 - CTAF. LIRL RWY 17/35 OTS NOV-APR. on 122.9 — Chart Supplement ↗

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 09
Pattern: left (turns left)
TPA: 1,900 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL)
CTAF: 122.9

Enter the left downwind for Rwy 09 at 1,900 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL) on a 45°. TPA estimated at 1,000 ft AGL (not charted for this field).

Runway 09/27

2,235 ft × 150 ft · Turf (Fair)

Heading: n/a
Threshold elev: 940 ft
Traffic pattern: Left
Approach obstacle: Brush, 17 ft, 50 ft from threshold, 33 ft L of centerline — 2:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
Displaced threshold: 217 ft

Heading: n/a
Threshold elev: 929 ft
Traffic pattern: Left
Approach obstacle: Road, 15 ft, 33 ft from threshold, 125 ft L/R of centerline — 2:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
Displaced threshold: 270 ft

Runway 17/35

2,600 ft × 50 ft · Asphalt (Fair)

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

Heading: 167° mag · 163° true
Threshold elev: 937 ft
Markings: basic
Traffic pattern: Left
Approach obstacle: Trees, 10 ft, 200 ft from threshold, 125 ft L/R of centerline
Declared TORA/TODA/ASDA/LDA: — / — / — / 2,400 ft
Displaced threshold: 200 ft

Heading: 347° mag · 343° true
Threshold elev: 928 ft
Markings: basic
Traffic pattern: Left
Approach obstacle: Brush, 16 ft, 380 ft from threshold, 21 ft R of centerline — 11:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
Declared TORA/TODA/ASDA/LDA: — / — / — / 2,400 ft
Displaced threshold: 182 ft

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
09/27	2,235 ft
17/35	2,600 ft

Communication frequencies

Tower & ground

CTAF	122.9

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

Nearby navigation aids

NavAid	Type	Freq	Radial / Dist magnetic
TVC · Traverse City	VORTAC	114.60	r293° / 20.7 NM
MBL · Manistee	VOR-DME	111.40	r024° / 33.1 NM

Chart Supplement FAA A/FD

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Preview Chart Supplement

VFR sectional

Open Y87 on the VFR sectional (SkyVector) ↗

Services

Bottled oxygen: NONE
Bulk oxygen: NONE
Airframe service: NONE
Powerplant service: NONE
Parking: tiedowns, hangars

Ownership & management

Owner

EMPIRE VILLAGE/TWP

PO BOX 204, EMPIRE, MI

231-326-5466

Manager

LANCE ROMAN

PO BOX 204, EMPIRE, MI

231-326-5194

Remarks FAA

ESTABD BFR 1959.
CAMPGROUND ADJACENT TO ARPT; CALL 231-326-5285.
RWY 35 WIND SOCK 110 FT EAST OF RWY CNTRLN.
FOR CD CTC MINNEAPOLIS ARTCC AT 651-463-5588.
DEER, BIRDS & WILDLIFE ON & INVOF ARPT.
ACTVT LIRL RWY 17/35 - CTAF. LIRL RWY 17/35 OTS NOV-APR.
EMPIRE VILLAGE OFC 231-326-5466, EMPIRE TWP OFC 231-326-5182.
CLSD DEC-MAR & WHEN SN COVD EXC FOR SKI EQUIPPED ACFT, NO SN REMOVAL.
+9 FT FENCE, 90 FT DIST, 125 FT L/R.
+15 FT ROAD, 105 FT DIST, 125 FT L/R.
RWY & DTHR MKD WITH 3 FT YELLOW CONES.
RWY & DTHR MKD WITH 3 FT YELLOW CONES.
CTLG OBSTN EXCEEDS A 45 DEG SLP.
APCH RATIO 20:1 TO DTHR.
APCH RATIO 20:1 TO DTHR OVR 88 FT TREES, 1760 FT DIST, 100 FT R.
UNEVEN ROLLING TRRN.

Nearby airports

4M0 · Lake Ann Airway Estates Airport (7 NM)28MI · Miller-Herrold AirportPrivate (10 NM)KFKS · Frankfort Dow Memorial Field (13 NM)Y88 · Green Lake Airport (15 NM)7Y2 · Thompsonville Airport (16 NM)KTVC · Cherry Capital Airport (18 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 Y87 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 Y87

William B Bolton Airport (Y87) is an airport in Empire, MI, at 944 ft MSL. It has 2 runways, the longest 2,600 ft, with no control tower (pilot-controlled). This page shows live METAR/TAF weather, runway crosswinds, frequencies, navaids, and FAA charts for Y87, refreshed from the Aviation Weather Center and FAA NASR.

Does Y87 have a control tower?

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

What is the longest runway at Y87?

William B Bolton Airport has 2 runways; the longest is 2,600 ft. See the Runways tab for headings, surface, and lighting.

Where is Y87?

William B Bolton Airport is in Empire, MI, at an elevation of 944 ft MSL. Coordinates: 44.7914, -86.0032.

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