Columbia Metropolitan Airport

CAE · KCAE · Columbia, SC · Towered · Print kneeboard

Elevation
236 ft MSL
Longest runway
8,601 ft 11/29
Runways
2
Mag var
7W
Airport diagram FAA airport diagram for KCAE FAA airport diagramView full size ↓

Nearby now

Loading…

Weather

METAR observed

Loading current weather…

TAF forecast

Loading forecast…

Sun & FAA night2026-08-04 · night begins 08:50 PM
EventLocal (EDT)UTC
Morning civil twilight
Loggable night ends
06:11 AM10:11Z
Sunrise06:38 AM10:38Z
Sunset08:23 PM00:23Z
Evening civil twilight
Loggable night begins
08:50 PM00:50Z
Loggable night (§1.1)
08:50 PM → 06:11 AM
Night currency (§61.57)
09:23 PM → 05:38 AM

Plan a flight from KCAE

Past 24 hours category · wind · ceiling · visibility trends

Loading station history…

Winds aloft NOAA forecast · 3,000 to 53,000 ft

Loading winds aloft…

Advisories

NOTAMs

Loading NOTAMs…

Pilot reports

Loading PIREPs…

Airspace hazards

Checking advisories…

Runways

5,000 ftNMNxw 022°downwind 292°base 202°final 112°45° entry11232905

RWY 11LEFT traffic

Heading
112° mag · 105° true
Dimensions
8,601 × 150 ft
TPA
1,200 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL) · standard
Surface
Concrete
Lights
4-light PAPI (left) (3°) + ALSF2
ILS
ILS/DME · CAT IIIB · LOC 110.3 (CAE) · GS 3.00°
CTAF
122.95
More details — RWY 11
Threshold elev
229 ft
Markings
precision
Threshold crossing height
71 ft
TDZ elevation
236 ft
Declared TORA/TODA/ASDA/LDA
8,601 / 8,601 / 8,601 / 8,601 ft
End lights
centerline, TDZ

Condition: Excellent. Edge lights: High. Surface: Grooved. Weight bearing: Single wheel 120k, Double wheel 239k, Dual tandem 478k, Double dual tandem 700k.

Pattern side: FAA NASR · TPA standard 1,000 ft AGL (not charted) · layout: FAA runway-end coordinates

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

Prefer one flat page? Full runway details for KCAE → · New to pattern entries? The 45° entry, explained → · Teaching here? Print the KCAE kneeboard →

Comms & NavAids

Communication frequencies

Before taxi

“Columbia”
ATIS
120.15
Clearance — primary
119.75

Taxi & takeoff

“Columbia”
Ground — primary
121.9
Tower — primary
119.5

Departure & arrival

“Columbia”
App/Dep
124.15 110-289 · initial contact 133.4 290-109 · initial contact

Also

UNICOM
122.95
Flight service
122.1R
Emergency
121.5

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

By procedure & sector (7 frequencies)
FrequencyUsed by
124.15CLASS C (110-289)
133.4CLASS C (290-109)
243.0EMERG
257.8LCL/P
285.6APCH/P DEP/P IC (290-109) · CLASS C (290-109)
338.2APCH/P DEP/P IC (110-289) · CLASS C (110-289)
348.6GND/P

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

Instrument landing systems

RWY 05 · RWY 11 · RWY 29
RunwayILS
RWY 05ILS · CAT I · LOC 108.95 (GJC) · GS 3.00°
RWY 11ILS/DME · CAT IIIB · LOC 110.3 (CAE) · GS 3.00°
RWY 29ILS · CAT I · LOC 108.3 (VYK) · GS 3.00°

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

Nearby navigation aids

CAE 114.70 · MMT 113.20 · SSC 110.10
NavAidTypeFreq · chRangeRadial / Dist magnetic
CAE · Columbia VORTAC 114.70 · 94X High r327° / 6 NM
MMT · Mc Entire VORTAC 113.20 · 79X Low r281° / 16 NM
SSC · Shaw TACAN 110.10 · 38X r274° / 32.8 NM

Prefer one flat list? All KCAE frequencies →

Charts & procedures

Airport
Approaches
Minimums
Airport

Lowest minimums here: ILS with vertical guidance · VFR sectional →

Airport info

From the field

Do you run KCAE, or an FBO, flight school, or shop on it? Claim your listing to keep fuel, fees, hours, and services current.

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
Tower hours
24 hours
Airspace
Class C
Weather station
ASOS · 120.15 · ☎ 803-369-6879
ARTCC
JACKSONVILLE (ZJX)
Flight service (FSS)
ANDERSON · 122.1R · 1-800-WX-BRIEF
FSS outlet
RCO → Anderson Radio (24)
NOTAM facility
CAE
Attendance
ALL ALL
Beacon
white-green (SS-SR)
Segmented circle
No
Wind indicator
lighted
FAR 139 class
I B
GPS MON airport
Yes
Activated
1942/06
Distance from city
5 SW

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 under Sun & FAA night in the Weather section.

Services fuel · repairs · oxygen · attendance
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 2 contacts
Owner
RICHLAND LEXINGTON
3250 AIRPORT BLVD, SUITE 10, WEST COLUMBIA, SC
803-822-5000
Manager
CHRISTOPHER WHITE A.A.E
3250 AIRPORT BLVD, SUITE 10, WEST COLUMBIA, SC
803-822-5078
Remarks FAA · 16 notes

General

  • 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.

Runways

  • 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.
  • RWY 05/23 CNTR 75 FT IS CONC, ENTIRE LEN OF RWY.

Lighting

  • ALSF2 ALSO OPERS AS SSALR.

Contact

  • ARPT DIST.
  • INTERIM POCS (UNTIL KREULEN ONBOARD): FRANK MURRAY, VP PLANNING AND ENGINEERING 803-822-7817 GREGG HORNSBY, INTERIM CEO 803-822-5015
Embed KCAE weather on your site free widget for schools, clubs & FBOs

Live METAR, flight category, and favored runway for KCAE — paste this into your website's HTML. It updates automatically and stays free.

<iframe src="https://skyready.app/embed/airport?icao=KCAE" title="KCAE live weather — SkyReady" width="100%" height="300" style="border:1px solid #dce5f2;border-radius:12px;max-width:420px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font:14px system-ui;margin:6px 0 0"><a href="https://skyready.app/airport/kcae">KCAE live weather &amp; runways by SkyReady</a></p>

More widgets — crosswind, E6B, density altitude — on the embed page.

Nearby airports

Loading nearby conditions…

Also nearby: SC13 Darden Airport (private) (7 NM) · 2SC8 Gaston Airport (private) (9 NM) · 6J0 Lexington County Airport (11 NM) · 9SC Whiteplains Airport (12 NM) · SC45 Gilbert International Airpark (private) (13 NM)

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. See the Comms & NavAids section 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 section 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.

Fly out of KCAE often?

Save KCAE as your home base in the SkyReady app for a one-tap Go/No-Go readiness brief, weather alerts, and automatic FAA currency — free to log.

Get the appSoon

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.