Three Forks Airport
9S5 · Three Forks, Montana · Gallatin County · map
Three Forks Airport is a public-use airport owned by Gallatin County, 1 mile southeast of Three Forks, Montana, 4,089 feet above sea level. Its one runway, 03/21, is 5,099 feet of asphalt. It has fuel (100LL avgas) and about 29 general-aviation aircraft based on the field by the FAA's count. The FAA counts about 11,030 takeoffs and landings a year.
Quick answers answers refresh every morning
What is the airport code for Three Forks Airport?
Its FAA code is 9S5.
Where is Three Forks Airport?
It is 1 mile southeast of Three Forks, Montana, 4,089 feet above sea level.
How long is the runway at Three Forks Airport?
Its one runway, 03/21, is 5,099 feet long, asphalt.
Does Three Forks Airport have a control tower?
No, it has no control tower.
What fuel can you buy at Three Forks Airport?
The FAA's airport file lists 100LL avgas.
Are there flight schools at Three Forks Airport?
One flight school, flying club or college flight programme is based within about 15 miles of it: Three Forks Flying Club INC. Compare them
Where are the nearest FAA examiners to Three Forks Airport?
4 pilot examiners and 8 aviation medical examiners work within 50 nautical miles. See them by name
Weather and planning now, the forecast, warnings, pilot reports, winds aloft, restrictions
Fetching the weather now, the forecast, the warnings in force, pilot reports and the winds aloft for Three Forks Airport…
Wind map live wind over the area, from Windy.com
Colours show wind speed, the moving lines its direction; drag the time bar for the coming days. Map and forecast by Windy.com.
The airport facts, runways, radio, fuel and services, the FAA's remarks
The airport
- Codes
- FAA 9S5
- Kind
- Airport · open to the public · publicly owned
- Owner
- Gallatin County
- Elevation
- 4,089 feet above sea level
- Control tower
- No control tower
- Attended
- around the clock
- Lights
- runway lights see the remarks below; beacon sunset to sunrise
- Fuel and services
- 100LL avgas; the services card below
- On the chart
- Great Falls sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 16E
- In the FAA's files since
- June 1949
Runway
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/21 | 5,099 × 60 ft | Asphalt, good | Medium-intensity lights |
- Runway 03: PAPI, two lights on the left
- Runway 21: PAPI, two lights on the left
Radio frequencies
| Common traffic advisory (CTAF) · UNICOM | 122.8 | · Automated UNICOM. |
Fuel and services as reported to the FAA
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas
- Repairs
- airframe and engine: major repairs
- Parking
- hangars, tie-downs
- Also here
- crop spraying, flight instruction, parachute jumping
Nearest fields reporting jet fuel: Bozeman Yellowstone International (19 nm east), Ennis Big Sky Airport (36 nm south), Ruby Valley Field (37 nm southwest), Bert Mooney Airport (39 nm west).
The FAA's file records what is sold and done at the field, as the airport manager reports it, not who sells it or the price; fuel sellers (FBOs) are not named in any public file. Airports selling jet fuel in Montana · avgas.
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file, spelled out
- Airport established prior to 1959.
- Activate runway end identifier lightss runway 03 and 21; PAPI runway 03 and 21; medium-intensity runway lights runway 03/21 - the common traffic frequency
- Ultralight act on and in the vicinity of airport.
- Automated UNICOM.
- Fuel 24 hour credit card service available.
- Occasional aerobatic maneuvers in the vicinity of airport.
- Upon departure, all aircraft must reach 500 feet altitude prior to making any turns.
- Use runway 21 for noise abatement winds permitting.
Flights and activity in the air now, the airlines, based aircraft, takeoffs and landings
Activity now checking the volunteer receiver network…
Within ten miles
- Looking…
Arrivals and departures, last hour
- Looking…
From the volunteer receiver network, a few minutes behind at most; aircraft whose owners asked the FAA not to be displayed are left out; no person is named. Open the live map here.
Based aircraft as counted for the FAA, fiscal year 2024
Based aircraft, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| single-engine | 26 |
| multi-engine | 1 |
| other | 2 |
The FAA's count is the general-aviation aircraft kept on the field (singles, twins, business jets, helicopters) from its Terminal Area Forecast, the latest year with an actual count; airline fleets are never counted as based anywhere, so a big airline airport shows a small number. The register section below shows how many aircraft are registered to owners in town, a different measure again.
Takeoffs and landings a year about 11,030, the FAA's fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024)
Takeoffs and landings, as a table
| a year | |
|---|---|
| air taxi and commuter | 30 |
| general aviation, travelling | 3,000 |
| general aviation, local | 7,000 |
| military | 1,000 |
Local flights stay in the traffic pattern or nearby, often practice; travelling flights arrive from or leave for somewhere else. Counts at airports without a tower are the FAA's estimates. How this compares nationally: Airports by the numbers.
Who flies and works here aircraft registered in town, the companies, the examiners nearby
Aircraft registered in Three Forks from the FAA register
35 aircraft are registered to owners in Three Forks, Montana: 25 piston singles, 4 weight-shift and powered parachutes, 2 turboprops, 2 helicopters, 1 piston twin. Not every one of them is based at this airport; the based-aircraft count above is the FAA's figure for this airport alone.
Companies and organisations in town with two or more aircraft:
Individuals are counted, not named (the site's policy at this time). All aircraft registered in Montana.
Who works here from the FAA's certificate lists and the register
Flight schools, flying clubs and college flight programmes based within about 15 miles:
- Three Forks Flying Club INC 1 aircraft · Three Forks Three Forks Flying Club is a flying club based in Three Forks, Montana, founded in 1950 and incorporated in 1970.
Repair stations in Three Forks:
Companies in the same town as this airport, and schools within about 15 miles of it (each placed at the main public airport of its town, or at the town's centre); not every one of them works from this field. All operators · all repair stations · all flight schools · all FBOs.
Examiners and inspectors nearby designated by the FAA · within 50 nautical miles
4 pilot examiners (the FAA's designated pilot examiners, who give the practical tests for pilot certificates) are based within 50 nautical miles: 4 for private pilot, 3 for commercial and instrument, 2 for flight instructor, 1 for type ratings; 3 for airplanes, 3 for multi-engine airplanes, 1 for helicopters, 1 for gliders. Also nearby: 8 aviation medical examiners, 1 mechanic examiner, 1 airworthiness representative (maintenance), 1 airworthiness representative (manufacturing), 2 engineering representatives, 1 training center examiner, 2 administrative pilot examiners.
- Gregory Bruce Mecklenburg private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor, commercial pilot; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes, gliders · Bozeman, MT (19 nm) · (406) 580-5412 · [email protected]
- Jeffrey Cook private pilot, type ratings, commercial pilot, private pilot (proficiency); helicopters · Bozeman, MT (19 nm) · (406) 579-1195 · [email protected]
- Peta Sarah Sheridan private pilot, commercial and instrument, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Bozeman, MT (19 nm) · (360) 635-2324 · [email protected]
- Abraham Lloyd Fandrich private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Clancy, MT (39 nm) · (406) 431-0045 · [email protected]
All 20 nearby, by kind, with contact details
What each kind does
- DPE: Designated Pilot Examiner: gives the practical tests (checkrides) for pilot certificates and ratings.
- AME: Aviation Medical Examiner: a doctor who issues the medical certificates pilots must hold.
- DME: Designated Mechanic Examiner: tests candidates for the mechanic certificate (airframe and powerplant).
- DAR-T: Designated Airworthiness Representative, maintenance: issues airworthiness certificates and approvals for aircraft in service.
- DAR-F: Designated Airworthiness Representative, manufacturing: issues airworthiness certificates for newly built aircraft and parts.
- DER-T: Designated Engineering Representative: approves engineering data for repairs and alterations on the FAA's behalf.
- DCTO-E: Designee at a certificated training organisation.
- Admin-PE: Administrative Pilot Examiner: handles certificate paperwork rather than flight tests.
Designees are listed with the name and contact details the FAA publishes for them on its designee locator (read October 10, 2026): the FAA lists them so that pilots, mechanics and companies can find them. Private individuals are not named, the site's policy at this time. A designee who would rather not appear here can ask us through the contact address on the About page. Each designee is placed at the main public airport of the town the FAA lists (or the nearest one to its zip code), so "nearby" means the town, not an exact address. All examiners by state.
Safety record the NTSB's cases at or near this airport
Accidents and incidents at or near this airport NTSB records · 11 since 1982, 0 fatal
Cases the NTSB recorded with this as the nearest airport, newest first. Each opens the full report in plain English. The country as a whole: Where accidents happen.
Nearby within 30 nautical miles
Connections how this airport links to the rest of the register
- Aircraft registered in Three Forks 35 aircraft · 25 piston singles, 4 weight-shift and powered parachutes, 2 turboprops
- Headwaters Flying Service LLC 5 aircraft in town
- Montana Air Tankers LLC 2 aircraft in town
- Ejs Enterprises INC 2 aircraft in town
- Three Forks Flying Club INC 1 aircraft · flying club
- Mountain Wave Aviation LLC · repair station
- NTSB accidents and incidents at or near this airport 11 since 1982 · 0 fatal
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,119 since 1982 · 164 in the last ten years
- Nearby landing places within 30 nautical miles 8 airports, heliports and seaplane bases
- Public-use airports in Montana 127 landing places
- Montana 6,044 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/airport/9S5.json.
Facts from the FAA's airport file effective October 29, 2026, written out in plain English; weather from the National Weather Service's aviation weather service; registered aircraft from the FAA register as of October 28, 2026; accidents from the NTSB's public database. Owners are shown only when they are an organisation; no person is named. Check the official sources before a flight: this page is for understanding an airport, not for planning one.