Bowman Field
LOU · KLOU · Louisville, Kentucky · Jefferson County · map
Bowman Field is a public-use airport owned by the Regional Airport Auth, 5 miles southeast of Louisville, Kentucky, 546 feet above sea level. It has 2 runways; the longest, 06/24, is 4,358 feet of asphalt. It has a control tower, fuel (100LL avgas, Jet A) and about 235 based aircraft. The FAA counts about 144,855 takeoffs and landings a year. About 156 passengers boarded flights here in the FAA's fiscal year 2024.
Weather right now KLOU · observed 11:53 am EDT (15:53 UTC), 31 minutes ago
IFR instrument conditions
- Wind from the northwest (310°) at 5 knots
- Visibility 10 miles or more
- Sky: overcast at 600 feet
- Temperature 62°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter 29.96 inHg
No terminal forecast is issued for this station. The nearest forecast is usually at the closest larger airport.
The codes as issued (METAR and TAF)
METAR KLOU 111553Z 31005KT 10SM OVC006 17/16 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP143 T01670161
From the National Weather Service's aviation weather service, refreshed every few minutes; times are local to the airport with UTC in brackets. For a flight, get your briefing from Flight Service or an approved provider.
Flight planning warnings, pilot reports, winds aloft, restrictions · for planning, not a briefing
1 warning in force over this field:
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to cig blw 010 vis blw 3sm pcpn br).
12 pilot reports within 100 nautical miles in the last three hours, the nearest three:
- COL4 at 0 ft, 0 nm east, 10:53 am EDT (14:53 UTC): a broken layer above 900 ft.
- C195 at 0 ft, 0 nm east, 10:04 am EDT (14:04 UTC): a broken layer above 900 ft.
- B752 at 0 ft, 5 nm southwest, 12:03 pm EDT (16:03 UTC): a routine report.
Winds aloft at the nearest forecast point (GSP, 260 nm southeast), for use 14:00–21:00 UTC: 3,000 ft: 240° at 20 kt; 6,000 ft: 280° at 17 kt, 9 °C; 9,000 ft: 260° at 26 kt, 8 °C; 12,000 ft: 240° at 37 kt, 7 °C; 18,000 ft: 230° at 43 kt, -5 °C.
No temporary flight restriction within 50 nautical miles.
The full picture: all warnings and reports, winds to 39,000 ft, radar and forecast charts
From the government's aviation weather service and the FAA's restriction list, refreshed every few minutes. This is for planning; the legal briefing comes from Flight Service or the FAA's own tools. Ordinary notices to air missions (closed runways, lights out) are not shown: the FAA's notice search is not open to sites like this one at this time.
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.
The airport
- Codes
- FAA LOU · ICAO KLOU
- Kind
- Airport · open to the public · publicly owned
- Owner
- Regional Airport Auth
- Elevation
- 546 feet above sea level
- Control tower
- A control tower · 7:00 am to 10:00 pm
- Attended
- every day, 7:00 am to 10:00 pm
- Lights
- runway lights see the remarks below; beacon sunset to sunrise
- Fuel and services
- 100LL avgas, Jet A; the services card below
- On the chart
- St Louis sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 4W
- In the FAA's files since
- April 1940
Runways 2
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06/24 | 4,358 × 75 ft | Asphalt, excellent | Medium-intensity lights |
| 15/33 | 3,580 × 75 ft | Asphalt, good | Medium-intensity lights |
- Runway 06: PAPI, two lights on the left, threshold displaced 848 ft, 3,469 ft available for landing, tree 29 ft high 202 ft from the end
- Runway 24: PAPI, two lights on the left, threshold displaced 310 ft, 3,856 ft available for landing, tree 13 ft high 378 ft from the end
- Runway 15: PAPI, two lights on the left, threshold displaced 206 ft, 3,373 ft available for landing, fence 10 ft high 187 ft from the end
- Runway 33: PAPI, two lights on the left, threshold displaced 342 ft, 3,125 ft available for landing, road 22 ft high 388 ft from the end
Radio frequencies
| Common traffic advisory (CTAF) · Tower · VFR and adzy | 119.5 | Bowman |
| UNICOM | 122.95 | |
| ATIS (recorded airport information) | 124.15 | Bowman |
| Clearance delivery | 118.9 | Bowman |
| Ground | 121.8 | Bowman |
| Approach and departure | 132.075 | Bowman |
| Louisville and rco | 122.2 | Louisville · Communications provided by Louisville radio on frequency 122.2 (Louisville rco). |
Automated weather (ASOS), by phone 502-473-0693.
Based aircraft as counted for the FAA, fiscal year 2024
Based aircraft, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| single-engine | 195 |
| multi-engine | 29 |
| jets | 6 |
| helicopters | 5 |
Takeoffs and landings a year about 144,855, the FAA's fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024)
Takeoffs and landings, as a table
| a year | |
|---|---|
| airline | 2 |
| air taxi and commuter | 6,241 |
| general aviation, travelling | 52,054 |
| general aviation, local | 86,286 |
| military | 272 |
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.
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.
Aircraft registered in Louisville from the FAA register
625 aircraft are registered to owners in Louisville, Kentucky: 212 piston singles, 198 airliners and large jets, 127 business jets, 46 balloons, 19 piston twins. 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 Kentucky.
Fuel and services as reported to the FAA
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas, Jet A
- Repairs
- airframe and engine: major repairs
- Parking
- hangars, tie-downs
- Oxygen
- bottled oxygen (high- and low-pressure), bulk oxygen (high- and low-pressure)
- Also here
- air ambulance, avionics, charter flights, flight instruction, aircraft rental, aircraft sales
Other fields with jet fuel nearby: Louisville Muhammad Ali International (5 nm southwest), Clark Regional (9 nm northwest), Samuels Field (26 nm south).
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 Kentucky · avgas.
Who works here from the FAA's certificate lists and the register
Flight schools, flying clubs and college flight programmes in Louisville, by their names on the register:
- Flight Club 502 INC 11 aircraft
- Double Eagle Flyers LLC 3 aircraft Double Eagle Aviation is a Part 61 flight school offering flight instruction from Private Pilot through Certified Flight Instructor and Certified Flight Instructor Instrument levels.
- Bowman Field Flying Club INC 1 aircraft Bowman Eagles Flying Club is a flying club based at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky that operates taildragger aircraft exclusively.
- Feathered Flyers LLC 1 aircraft
- Flight Club 502 1 aircraft
- Stratospheric Flyers Group INC 1 aircraft
Charter operators and airlines based in Louisville:
- Privateflite Aviation LLC 7 aircraft on the certificate Private FLITE is a private jet charter broker that arranges chartered flights worldwide through a network of approved aircraft operators.
- FliteAccess, LLC. 7 aircraft on the certificate FliteAccess is a charter operator based in Louisville, Kentucky, serving Louisville, Lexington, Cincinnati, and beyond.
Repair stations in Louisville (12 of 13, all of them):
- Aerotech of Louisville, LLC.
- Aircraft Component Services INC
- Aviation Services INC
- Aviation Technology INC
- Barfield INC
- Cargo Repair LLC
- Central American Airways Flying Service INC
- Cliff Cherry Machine CO.
- Goodrich Corporation Wheel and Brake Services
- Radiance Engineering LLC
- Satco INC
- T.T. Repairs, LLC.
Companies in the same town as this airport; 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
6 pilot examiners (the FAA's designated pilot examiners, who give the practical tests for pilot certificates) are based within 50 nautical miles: 6 for private pilot, 6 for commercial and instrument, 4 for airline transport pilot, 6 for flight instructor, 2 for sport pilot; 6 for airplanes, 4 for multi-engine airplanes, 1 for seaplanes, 1 for helicopters, 1 for balloons. Also nearby: 8 aviation medical examiners, 2 mechanic examiners, 2 airworthiness representatives (maintenance), 27 aircrew program designees.
- James Kiper private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, sport pilot, instructor renewals, ground instructor; airplanes · Louisville Aviation/Air Base One · Louisville, KY (5 nm) · (502) 552-0078 · stevekiper@msn.com
- Matthew Ryan Torgerson private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, instructor renewals; airplanes, balloons · Louisville, KY (5 nm) · (502) 445-7947 · matttorgerson77@gmail.com
- Randall Sizemore private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, commercial pilot, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes, helicopters · Air Base 4 · Louisville, KY (5 nm) · (502) 291-6971 · randysizemoreusa@gmail.com
- Stephen Michael Graham private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, sport pilot, instructor renewals, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Kentucky Flight Training Center · Louisville, KY (5 nm) · (502) 641-2738 · stephen200602@gmail.com
- William Robert Mcdonald private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Kentucky Flight Training Center · Louisville, KY (5 nm) · (954) 325-8775 · wmcdonald@ameriflight.com
- Paul Skjeveland private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes · Deer Run Airpark · Campbellsburg, KY (29 nm) · (507) 382-2742 · flyingroosterllc@gmail.com
All 45 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.
- APD: Aircrew Program Designee: an airline's own check pilot who gives the FAA's tests to the airline's pilots.
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.
Accidents and incidents at or near this airport NTSB records · 37 since 1982, 4 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
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file, spelled out
- Existed prior to 1959.
- Activate medium-intensity runway lights runway 06/24 and 15/33 - the common traffic frequency.
- 8 feet fence 108 feet from runway end; 956 feet from dthr. Road 159 feet from runway end; 1007 feet from dthr.
- +8 feet fence 188 feet from runway end; 394 feet from dthr.
- Controlling obstruction exceeds a 45 degrees slp.
- Controlling obstruction exceeds a 45 degrees slp
- Clear 53:1 approach to dthr.
- Clear 33:1 approach to dthr.
- 6 feet path and golf carts.
- Stage 3 compliance required for turbojet; prior permission required ovr 30000 LB gross weight - amgr.
- Training operations NA when the control tower closed.
- Obstructions and trees in all approach surfaces.
Connections how this airport links to the rest of the register
- Aircraft registered in Louisville 625 aircraft · 212 piston singles, 198 airliners and large jets, 127 business jets
- United Parcel Service CO 235 aircraft in town
- C C & e I LLC 50 aircraft in town
- Skycab Balloon Promotions INC 14 aircraft in town
- Flight Club 502 INC 11 aircraft in town
- Privateflite Aviation LLC 7 aircraft on the certificate · charter operator
- FliteAccess, LLC. 7 aircraft on the certificate · charter operator
- Flight Club 502 INC 11 aircraft · flying club
- Double Eagle Flyers LLC 3 aircraft · flight school
- Bowman Field Flying Club INC 1 aircraft · flying club
- Aerotech of Louisville, LLC. · repair station
- Aircraft Component Services INC · repair station
- Aviation Services INC · repair station
- Aviation Technology INC · repair station
- NTSB accidents and incidents at or near this airport 37 since 1982 · 4 fatal
- Accidents and incidents in Kentucky 702 since 1982 · 112 in the last ten years
- Nearby landing places within 30 nautical miles 8 airports, heliports and seaplane bases
- Public-use airports in Kentucky 60 landing places
- Kentucky 2,979 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/airport/LOU.json.
Facts from the FAA's airport file effective October 1, 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 9, 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.