Jacksonville NAS (towers Fld) Airport (KNIP), Florida
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Jacksonville NAS (Towers Field), KNIP, is a towered, private-use military airfield in Jacksonville, Florida, sitting roughly 7.11 nautical miles from the metro area. The field is classified as an ops tier 1 facility, with two asphalt runways including a 9,003-foot primary strip, and it supports arresting gear operations alongside optical landing system guidance for military aircraft. Fuel on the field is limited to J5, and access for transient and civilian traffic runs through prior permission and coordination with base operations rather than open FBO service.
Runways
Jacksonville NAS (towers Fld) Airport has two paved runways. The longest, 10/28, is 9,003 ft long and 200 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
Jacksonville NAS (towers Fld) Airport has J5 available on the field. The airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Jacksonville NAS (towers Fld) Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Jacksonville International (KJAX), 16 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Jacksonville NAS (towers Fld) Airport recorded 564 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in November. Business aviation traffic at KNIP is concentrated toward the later months of the year, with November's 100 operations far exceeding the August low of 14.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month November, 100 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Jacksonville NAS (towers Fld) Airport averages 24.9 days above 90°F in July and 2.0 freeze days in January. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 91.8°F, and January the coldest, at 65.5°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Jacksonville NAS (towers Fld) Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, emergency arresting systems, environmental and other notes.
ALSF-1 approach lighting is active on Runway 10; SALSF serves Runway 28; PAPI is installed on both Runway 10 and Runway 28; HIRL serves Runway 10/28, on frequency 134.775.
Caution: exercise extreme vigilance during IFR approaches to Runway 10 in VMC conditions due to general aviation aircraft in the vicinity of Cecil Field.
Caution: an unshielded light is located at a ballfield 216 degrees, 2.4 nautical miles from the field, on the Runway 10 approach.
A 48-hour prior permission notice is required except for aeromedical evacuation, JOSAC, NALO, and LIFEFLT missions; contact Base Operations for coordination.
Restriction: prior permission is required for all transient aircraft except aeromedical evacuation and LIFEFLT missions; contact the airfield manager 48 hours prior to arrival for a PPR number. PPR and CALP requirements apply; contact Base Operations for coordination.
Caution: skydiving and glider operations occur from the surface to 10,000 feet, within 7 miles, in the vicinity of Herlong Airport, between sunrise and sunset.
Caution: ramp areas north of Runway 10/28 are not authorized for aircraft use.
Arresting gear abatement: stop landings only, Monday through Saturday between 0300-1300Z, and Sunday between 0300-1700Z.
Caution: to preclude tail hook skip during arresting gear engagement, avoid the Runway 10/28 centerline lights, located 24 inches south of the runway centerline. Maximum safe off-center arrestment is 40 feet.
Arresting gear: Runway 10-28 arresting gear can be rigged upon request with 15 minutes' notice for arrestment on Runway 10-28.
Caution: extreme bird hazard during summer months; contact the tower for current BASH conditions.
J5 fuel is available, dispensed.
Aircraft operations must comply with NASJAXINST 3710.1.
An Optical Landing System (OLS) with wave-off capability is in use.
JASU units available: 1 (NCPP-105) and 2 (NC-8).
Fluid services: local squadrons should contact the cryogenic plant for LOX service, available 1200-2030Z Monday through Friday. LOX service is not available for transient aircraft.
Transient alert: transient maintenance, servicing, and space are limited. Aircraft stairs are available 1230-0300Z daily with 24 hours' notice.
Restriction: transient jet aircraft VFR touch-and-go landings are not authorized without a crew rules briefing. All aircraft must contact flight planning on 310.2 or 134.775, 15 minutes prior to landing.
Customs, agriculture, and immigration inspections: aircraft requiring inspection should contact the airfield manager at least 48 hours prior to arrival to coordinate inspection setup.
Miscellaneous: VIP aircraft should contact Base Operations prior to landing.
Restriction: the airfield is closed the second Wednesday of every month for airfield maintenance, from 1200-1600Z.
Miscellaneous: contact Naval Atlantic Meteorology and Oceanography Facility Jacksonville for weather advisories or forecasts.
Miscellaneous: aircrews are responsible for their own on-base and off-base transportation. Aircrews should coordinate classified material storage with NCTAMSLANT with 24 hours' notice.
Miscellaneous: weather forecast service is available 0900-0100Z Monday through Friday. All other hours, only a weather observer is on duty; contact the Fleet Weather Center-Norfolk aviation cell during those hours, or the Naval Aviation Forecast Center for weather advisories or forecasts during other hours.
JASU units: 1 (NC-10) and 1 (MSU-200NAVIA/U47A-5 Huffer); qualified aircrew required.
AMC terminal hours are 1230-0300, Monday through Friday.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Jacksonville NAS (towers Fld) Airport has five airfields within 16 NM. The closest is Herlong Recreational (KHEG), 7.24 NM west.
Part of the Jacksonville area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KNIP
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 KNIP.
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
Is Jet A available at KNIP?
Jacksonville NAS (Towers Field), KNIP, does not stock Jet A. The field carries J5 fuel only, dispensed for military use. Transient civilian operators requiring Jet A should plan a fuel stop elsewhere, since J5 is the sole fuel type listed for this facility. Any fuel arrangement for visiting aircraft should be coordinated with base operations well ahead of arrival given the facility's restricted, military-controlled nature.
Can transient civilian aircraft land at KNIP without prior approval?
No. Jacksonville NAS (Towers Field) requires prior permission for all transient aircraft except aeromedical evacuation and LIFEFLT missions. The airfield manager must be contacted 48 hours before arrival to obtain a PPR number, and a CALP requirement also applies. VIP aircraft carry a separate instruction to contact base operations before landing. KNIP is a private-use military airfield, and PPR procedures are firm requirements rather than suggestions for civilian traffic.
What are the runways available at KNIP?
Jacksonville NAS (Towers Field) has two paved asphalt runways. Runway 10/28 is the longer of the pair at 9,003 feet, with a width of 200 feet, and matches the airport's listed maximum paved runway length. Runway 14/32 measures 5,978 feet long and is also 200 feet wide. Both runways support arresting gear operations, and Runway 10/28 is rigged for arrestment upon request with 15 minutes' notice.
Where is the nearest customs facility to KNIP?
The nearest customs facility to Jacksonville NAS (Towers Field) is Jacksonville International Airport, KJAX, located about 15.64 nautical miles away. KNIP itself has no onsite customs processing listed in its facility data. Aircraft requiring customs clearance for arrivals at KNIP should coordinate separately, since the airfield's own inspection remarks reference agricultural and immigration inspection requests routed through the airfield manager with 48 hours' notice rather than a standing customs post.
When is KNIP attended and what is its traffic pattern like across the year?
Jacksonville NAS (Towers Field) is attended daily from 1200 to 0400Z according to its published schedule. Business aviation traffic at KNIP, as tracked by the FAA TFMSC for 2025, totals 564 annual operations against 11,623 total annual operations at the field. Monthly business aviation activity is uneven across the year, with November recording the highest count at 100 operations and August the lowest at 14. Operators should expect this month-to-month variation when scheduling around KNIP.