William B Bolton Airport
Y87 · Empire, Michigan · Leelanau County · map
William B Bolton Airport is a public-use airport owned by Empire Village/Twp, 3 miles southeast of Empire, Michigan, 944 feet above sea level. It has 2 runways; the longest, 17/35, is 2,600 feet of asphalt.
Quick answers answers refresh every morning
What is the airport code for William B Bolton Airport?
Its FAA code is Y87.
Where is William B Bolton Airport?
It is 3 miles southeast of Empire, Michigan, 944 feet above sea level.
How long is the longest runway at William B Bolton Airport?
The longest of its 2 runways, 17/35, is 2,600 feet long.
Does William B Bolton Airport have a control tower?
No, it has no control tower.
Are there flight schools at William B Bolton Airport?
One flight school, flying club or college flight programme is based within about 15 miles of it: Frankfort Flying Club INC. Compare them
Where are the nearest FAA examiners to William B Bolton Airport?
4 pilot examiners and 4 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 William B Bolton 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 Y87
- Kind
- Airport · open to the public · publicly owned
- Owner
- Empire Village/Twp
- Elevation
- 944 feet above sea level
- Control tower
- No control tower
- Attended
- unattended
- Lights
- runway lights see the remarks below
- Fuel and services
- no fuel reported; the services card below
- On the chart
- Green Bay sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 4W
- In the FAA's files since
- August 1948
Runways 2
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17/35 | 2,600 × 50 ft | Asphalt, fair | Low-intensity lights |
| 09/27 | 2,235 × 150 ft | Grass, fair |
- Runway 17: threshold displaced 200 ft, 2,400 ft available for landing, trees 10 ft high 200 ft from the end
- Runway 35: threshold displaced 182 ft, 2,400 ft available for landing, brush 16 ft high 380 ft from the end
- Runway 09: threshold displaced 217 ft, brush 17 ft high 50 ft from the end
- Runway 27: threshold displaced 270 ft, road 15 ft high 33 ft from the end
Radio frequencies
| Common traffic advisory (CTAF) | 122.9 |
Fuel and services as reported to the FAA
- Fuel
- none reported
- Repairs
- none at the field, as reported
- Parking
- hangars, tie-downs
Nearest fields reporting jet fuel: Cherry Capital Airport (18 nm east), Manistee County/Blacker (33 nm south), Antrim County (36 nm east), Wexford County (40 nm southeast).
Nearest fields reporting avgas: Frankfort Dow Memorial Field (13 nm southwest), Cherry Capital Airport (18 nm east), Manistee County/Blacker (33 nm south), Antrim County (36 nm east).
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 Michigan · avgas.
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file, spelled out
- Estabd bfr 1959.
- Activate low-intensity runway lights runway 17/35 - the common traffic frequency. Low-intensity runway lights runway 17/35 out of service NOV-APR.
- Closed DEC-MAR and when SN covd except for ski equipped aircraft, no SN removal.
- +9 feet fence, 90 feet dist, 125 feet L/R.
- +15 feet road, 105 feet dist, 125 feet L/R.
- Runway and dthr marked with 3 feet yellow cones.
- Runway and dthr marked with 3 feet yellow cones.
- Ctlg obstruction exceeds a 45 degrees slp.
- Approach ratio 20:1 to dthr.
- Approach ratio 20:1 to dthr ovr 88 feet trees, 1760 feet dist, 100 feet R.
- Uneven rolling trrn.
- Runway 35 wind sock 110 feet east of runway centerline.
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.
Who flies and works here aircraft registered in town, the companies, the examiners nearby
Aircraft registered in Empire from the FAA register
1 aircraft are registered to owners in Empire, Michigan: 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.
Individuals are counted, not named (the site's policy at this time). All aircraft registered in Michigan.
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:
- Frankfort Flying Club INC 1 aircraft · Beulah, 12 miles away West Michigan Flying Club is a flying club based in Norton Shores, Michigan, that owns and operates a fleet of aircraft for members.
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, 4 for commercial and instrument, 2 for airline transport pilot, 4 for flight instructor, 1 for sport pilot; 4 for airplanes, 4 for multi-engine airplanes, 2 for seaplanes. Also nearby: 4 aviation medical examiners, 1 mechanic examiner, 1 engineering representative, 1 administrative pilot examiner.
- Anthony Connaghan private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, sport pilot; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Cedar, MI (11 nm) · (231) 409-0176 · [email protected]
- Edward Charles Shipman private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instructor renewals; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes, multi-engine seaplanes · Giving Wings Aviation · Traverse City, MI (18 nm) · (313) 575-4020 · [email protected]
- Todd Armstrong Zrimec private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Traverse City, MI (18 nm) · (231) 218-1454 · [email protected]
- Kevin Paul Spaulding private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes · Wexford County Airport Te · Cadillac, MI (40 nm) · (231) 878-3316 · [email protected]
All 11 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).
- DER-T: Designated Engineering Representative: approves engineering data for repairs and alterations on the FAA's behalf.
- 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 · 1 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 Empire 1 aircraft · 1 piston twins
- Frankfort Flying Club INC 1 aircraft · flying club
- NTSB accidents and incidents at or near this airport 1 since 1982 · 0 fatal
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,103 since 1982 · 226 in the last ten years
- Nearby landing places within 30 nautical miles 8 airports, heliports and seaplane bases
- Public-use airports in Michigan 221 landing places
- Michigan 7,221 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/airport/Y87.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 26, 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.