Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 Airport
PMD · KPMD · Palmdale, California · Los Angeles County · map
Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 Airport is a public-use airport owned by Usaf, 3 miles northeast of Palmdale, California, 2,542 feet above sea level. It has 3 runways; the longest, 07/25, is 12,002 feet of concrete. It has a control tower. The FAA counts about 16,915 takeoffs and landings a year.
Quick answers answers refresh every morning
What is the airport code for Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 Airport?
Its FAA code is PMD, and its ICAO code is KPMD.
Where is Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 Airport?
It is 3 miles northeast of Palmdale, California, 2,542 feet above sea level.
How long is the longest runway at Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 Airport?
The longest of its 3 runways, 07/25, is 12,002 feet long.
Does Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 Airport have a control tower?
Yes, it has a control tower.
Are there flight schools at Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 Airport?
One flight school, flying club or college flight programme is based within about 15 miles of it: Capper Flying Club INC. Compare them
Where are the nearest FAA examiners to Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 Airport?
22 pilot examiners and 28 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 Palmdale Usaf Plant 42 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 PMD · ICAO KPMD
- Kind
- Airport · open to the public · owned by the Air Force
- Owner
- Usaf
- Elevation
- 2,542 feet above sea level
- Control tower
- A control tower · operates 1330-0600z++.
- Attended
- every day, 1:30 pm to 0600z++
- Lights
- runway lights see the remarks below; beacon sunset to sunrise
- Fuel and services
- no fuel reported; the services card below
- Notes
- landing fee
- On the chart
- Los Angeles sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 12E
Runways 3
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07/25 | 12,002 × 200 ft | Concrete, good | High-intensity lights |
| 04/22 | 12,001 × 150 ft | Concrete, good | High-intensity lights |
| 072/252 | 6,000 × 75 ft | Concrete, excellent |
- Runway 07: PAPI, four lights on the left
- Runway 25: ILS, PAPI, four lights on the left, right-hand traffic pattern
- Runway 04: PAPI, four lights on the left, right-hand traffic pattern
- Runway 22: PAPI, four lights on the left
Radio frequencies
| Common traffic advisory (CTAF) · Tower | 123.7 | Palmdale |
| ATIS (recorded airport information) | 118.275 | Palmdale |
| Ground | 121.9 | Palmdale |
| Approach and departure | 124.55 | Palmdale |
| Emergency | 121.5 | Palmdale |
Automated weather (ASOS), by phone 661-272-3798.
Fuel and services as reported to the FAA
The FAA's record lists no fuel or services for this airport.
Nearest fields reporting jet fuel: General WM J Fox Airfield (9 nm northwest), Mojave Air & Space Port/Rutan Field (26 nm north), Whiteman Airport (28 nm southwest), Hollywood Burbank Airport (29 nm southwest).
Nearest fields reporting avgas: General WM J Fox Airfield (9 nm northwest), Agua Dulce Airport (14 nm southwest), Rosamond Skypark Airport (16 nm north), Mojave Air & Space Port/Rutan Field (26 nm north).
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 California · avgas.
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file, spelled out
- Estabd prior to 5/15/59.
- Offical business only. Military airport. Civil use requires Usaf approval and DD form 2400/01/02.
- Misc: indus instln - no trnspn, lodging or nml service available on site.
- PAPI runway 04, 07, 22, and 25 operates continuously.
- Primly trmg 747-707-727.
- Pattern altitude ohd 1957 feet. Rectangular 1457 feet. Exp right traffic runway 04, 25.
- Closed fed holidays.
- Other times closed to all traffic without written apvl.
- Chief of Usaf airfield operations.
- Runway used as a military assault strip.
- 1000 feet asphalt ovrn each end; ovrn poor condition emergency use only.
- Unusable beyond 5.0 NM.
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
No based-aircraft count is published for this airport.
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 16,915, the FAA's fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024)
Takeoffs and landings, as a table
| a year | |
|---|---|
| air taxi and commuter | 9 |
| general aviation, travelling | 4,531 |
| general aviation, local | 998 |
| military | 11,377 |
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 Palmdale from the FAA register
47 aircraft are registered to owners in Palmdale, California: 37 piston singles, 3 piston twins, 3 gliders, 2 balloons, 1 electric aircraft. Not every one of them is based at this airport; the based-aircraft count above is the FAA's figure for this airport alone.
Individuals are counted, not named (the site's policy at this time). All aircraft registered in California.
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:
- Capper Flying Club INC 1 aircraft · Lancaster, 11 miles away
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
22 pilot examiners (the FAA's designated pilot examiners, who give the practical tests for pilot certificates) are based within 50 nautical miles: 21 for private pilot, 17 for commercial and instrument, 9 for airline transport pilot, 12 for flight instructor, 1 for sport pilot, 3 for type ratings; 19 for airplanes, 11 for multi-engine airplanes, 2 for helicopters. Also nearby: 5 sport aviation examiners, 28 aviation medical examiners, 12 mechanic examiners, 6 airworthiness representatives (maintenance), 4 airworthiness representatives (manufacturing), 19 engineering representatives, 1 parachute rigger examiner, 37 training center evaluators, 5 training center examiners.
- Robin Leabman private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · MH Aviation · Lancaster, CA (9 nm) · (747) 767-1711 · [email protected]
- Sean Kaveney private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes · Barnes Aviation · Lancaster, CA (9 nm) · (818) 618-4419 · [email protected]
- Brian Petschauer private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, commercial pilot; helicopters · Atlantic Aviation (KBUR) · Burbank, CA (29 nm) · (818) 590-4441 · [email protected]
- Bryan Estiveira de Ataide Ferrell private pilot; airplanes · Van Nuys, CA (32 nm) · (818) 205-8873 · [email protected]
- Jonathan Orourke private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Hot Shot Aviation · Van Nuys, CA (32 nm) · (818) 860-1074 · [email protected]
- Mark Boss private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, instrument instructor, sport pilot, type ratings, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Van Nuys, CA (32 nm) · (818) 389-4918 · [email protected]
- Mark Thomas Hulsey private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, type ratings, private pilot (proficiency), instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Van Nuys, CA (32 nm) · (928) 486-4334 · [email protected]
- James Mason Reid private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Brackett Field / KPOC- Mt Sac Aviation (Collge Aviation ) · La Verne, CA (36 nm) · (909) 973-7213 · [email protected]
All 139 nearby, by kind, with contact details
What each kind does
- DPE: Designated Pilot Examiner: gives the practical tests (checkrides) for pilot certificates and ratings.
- SAE: Sport Aviation Examiner: gives the tests for sport pilot certificates and light-sport aircraft.
- 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.
- DPRE: Designated Parachute Rigger Examiner: tests candidates for the parachute rigger certificate.
- TCE: Training Center Evaluator: gives tests at a simulator training center.
- DCTO-E: Designee at a certificated training organisation.
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 · 3 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 Palmdale 47 aircraft · 37 piston singles, 3 piston twins, 3 gliders
- Capper Flying Club INC 1 aircraft · flying club
- NTSB accidents and incidents at or near this airport 3 since 1982 · 0 fatal
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,069 since 1982 · 1,087 in the last ten years
- Nearby landing places within 30 nautical miles 8 airports, heliports and seaplane bases
- Public-use airports in California 244 landing places
- California 27,658 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/airport/PMD.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 27, 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.