| Los Alamos Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: LAM – ICAO: KLAM | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | County of Los Alamos | ||
| Location | Los Alamos, New Mexico | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 7,171 ft / 2,185.7 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 9/27 | 5,550 | 1,692 | Asphalt |
Los Alamos Airport (IATA: LAM, ICAO: KLAM), also known as Los Alamos County Airport, is a public general aviation airport located in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA. It was built in 1947 by the Atomic Energy Commission as part of Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, but the laboratory transferred the facility to county ownership in 1963.
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Los Alamos Airport covers 87 acres and has one runway:
As of 2008, there were 62 aircraft based at the field, all but two of which were single-engine airplanes. The airfield sees an average of 36 operations per day.
Because of the restricted airspace immediately to the south of the runway, and the noise-sensitive residential area just west of the runway, Los Alamos Airport employs a non-standard traffic pattern. All takeoffs, regardless of wind conditions, are to the east on runway 9. All landings, regardless of wind, are to the west on runway 27. Unlike many airports, the orientation of the runway at Los Alamos was chosen due to geographic necessity rather than preferential wind alignment. Pilots will frequently encounter a gusty crosswind at this airfield, particularly in spring. This fact, combined with the rugged terrain off the east end of the runway, has given LAM a reputation for being a challenging airport to land at.
Los Alamos Airport has numerous services available for local and visiting pilots: