Meadows Field (KBFL), California
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Meadows Field, identified as KBFL, serves Bakersfield, California with a towered field offering full-day attendance and jet fuel alongside 100 and 100LL grades. FAA TFMSC data for 2025 shows the airport handling a business aviation share within its annual operations total, with the nearest customs facility located at KVNY roughly 79 nautical miles away. The airport sits at 510 feet elevation and carries a paved runway system long enough to accommodate a wide range of business jet traffic.
Runways
Meadows Field has two paved runways. The longest, 12L/30R, is 10,849 ft long and 150 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Meadows Field has Jet A, 100LL and 100 available on the field. Fueling is available 24 hours a day, every day, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Meadows Field does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Van Nuys (KVNY), 79 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Meadows Field recorded 8,202 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in April and December. Business aviation traffic at KBFL shows a modest concentration toward December and April, with the slower months falling in mid-summer.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month December, 766 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Meadows Field averages 29.3 days above 90°F in July and 4.9 freeze days in December. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 98.3°F, and January the coldest, at 58.5°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Meadows Field has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, noise procedures, pavement strength and other notes.
Military helicopters make all approaches to the runway or paved areas. Crews should minimize hovering and power settings to avoid causing blowing dust. Wheeled helicopters are restricted to ground taxi only. Formation join-up is permitted after departure only.
Aircraft flying a right base for Runway 30R should establish wings level on final approach no lower than 300 feet AGL.
When the ATCT is closed, pilots can activate the MALSR on Runway 30R, the PAPI on Runway 12L and 30R, and the HIRL on Runway 12L/30R via CTAF, along with taxiway lighting. Runway 12R/30L is closed whenever the ATCT is closed.
Runway 12R/30L is not available for Part 121 or Part 380 operations with scheduled passenger-carrying operations exceeding nine passenger seats, or non-scheduled passenger-carrying operations exceeding thirty passenger seats.
Centerline lighting is only visible on Runway 30R.
Runway 30R has a 50:1 slope to the displaced threshold.
Noise-sensitive areas lie south and east of the airport. Turbojet training is recommended during weekday hours of 0800 to 2200 and weekend hours of 1200 to 2200. No more than ten practice approaches per hour are recommended.
PCR VALUE: 396/F/B/X/T
PCR VALUE: 127/F/B/X/T
A Civil Air Patrol squadron is based at the airport.
Airport operations are not available below 1,200 RVR without SMGCS. Airport operations are not initiated below 600 RVR, and authorization is not granted below 500 RVR.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Meadows Field has five airfields within 36 NM. The closest is Bakersfield Municipal, 7.21 NM southeast.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KBFL
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$2,400.00 catering order at KBFL.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What runways are available at KBFL / Meadows Field?
Meadows Field, identifier KBFL, operates two paved asphalt runways. Runway 12L/30R is the primary strip at 10,849 feet long and 150 feet wide, supporting the majority of business aviation traffic. Runway 12R/30L measures 7,700 feet by 100 feet but carries restrictions on scheduled and non-scheduled passenger operations above certain seat thresholds. That second runway also closes entirely when the air traffic control tower is closed. Dispatchers should plan around 12L/30R for any operation requiring the tower-closed hours.
Does KBFL have restrictions on Runway 12R/30L for passenger operations?
Yes, Runway 12R/30L at Meadows Field carries specific passenger-capacity restrictions. It is not available for Part 121 or Part 380 scheduled operations carrying more than nine passenger seats, nor for non-scheduled operations exceeding thirty passenger seats. This limits the runway's use for larger commercial or charter aircraft. Operators planning flights with higher passenger counts should default to Runway 12L/30R, which carries no such seat-based restriction. This runway also closes when the tower is closed, further narrowing its availability window.
What lighting is available at Meadows Field when the tower is closed?
When the air traffic control tower at Meadows Field is closed, several lighting systems remain pilot-controlled through CTAF activation. The MALSR on Runway 30R, the PAPI on both 12L and 30R, and the HIRL on Runway 12L/30R can all be activated this way, as can taxiway lighting. Runway 12R/30L, however, closes entirely during tower-closed hours and its lighting is not part of this activation scheme. Centerline lighting is only visible on Runway 30R, not on the reciprocal end.
Are there noise restrictions affecting training flights at KBFL?
Meadows Field has noise-sensitive areas to the south and east of the airport that affect recommended turbojet training hours. The airport recommends limiting turbojet training to weekdays between 0800 and 2200 and weekends between 1200 and 2200 local time. Operators are also advised to limit practice approaches to no more than ten per hour. These are stated as recommendations tied to noise sensitivity rather than absolute prohibitions. Flight departments running training missions at KBFL should factor these windows into scheduling to minimize community impact.
What are the low-visibility operating minimums at KBFL?
Meadows Field restricts airport operations below 1,200 RVR unless SMGCS procedures are in effect. Operations are not initiated below 600 RVR under any circumstance, and authorization below 500 RVR is not granted. These thresholds apply to airport operations generally rather than to a single runway. Crews planning low-visibility departures or arrivals at KBFL need to confirm SMGCS status before counting on reduced-visibility access. This is a defining operational constraint for winter fog conditions common in the San Joaquin Valley.