Pensacola NAS (forrest Sherman Fld) Airport (KNPA), Florida
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Pensacola NAS (Forrest Sherman Field), KNPA, is a towered, private-use military airfield on the Florida Gulf Coast near Pensacola, sitting 28 feet above sea level. The field operates three long paved runways and handles a mix of military and CNATRA training traffic alongside limited, tightly controlled transient and civil operations. Access is restricted: transient arrivals require PPR, and civil landing permits must be arranged in advance through base operations rather than assumed as routine.
Runways
Pensacola NAS (forrest Sherman Fld) Airport has three paved runways. The longest, 07L/25R, is 8,001 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
The airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Pensacola NAS (forrest Sherman Fld) Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Pensacola International (KPNS), 10 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Pensacola NAS (forrest Sherman Fld) Airport recorded 1,733 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in February and March. Business aviation traffic at KNPA is heavily concentrated from January through May, with activity dropping to near zero from June through November.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month February, 398 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Pensacola NAS (forrest Sherman Fld) Airport averages 17.1 days above 90°F in August and 5.9 freeze days in January. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 89.3°F, and January the coldest, at 61.1°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Pensacola NAS (forrest Sherman Fld) Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, emergency arresting systems, noise procedures and other notes.
Traffic pattern note: landing and taxi lights are required for all landings when weather conditions permit. Wheels watch is not on station. See the mandatory IFR arrival procedure in the AP/1 supplementary airport remarks. Reduced runway separation standards are in effect for CNATRA aircraft only. Multiple approaches are severely limited during single runway operations.
Restricted: B-52 operations prohibited. PPR is required for all transient aircraft. PPR is valid plus or minus 30 minutes of the approved time, not to exceed the normal airfield closure time. Failure to arrive within the assigned window may result in denial of landing clearance. Contact the transient line for coordination.
Caution: expect simultaneous operations during dual runway operations. Ponding occurs after moderate to heavy rain at all runway intersections and hold-short areas. Runways 07L-R/25L-R are grooved. Runway 01/19 is not grooved.
Arresting gear requires 15 minutes notice for short field arrestment.
Noise abatement: all aircraft are required to remain at or above 500 feet and 0.5 nautical miles offshore from Navarre Beach to west of Johnson Beach, due to nesting of protected species from April through October.
Available only during hours of operation.
JASU units available: two NC-10 and two MSU-200.
Fuel: Jet A.
LOX, LHOX, and related fluid, aircraft nitrogen, and oxygen servicing are available March through November, 1200-0300Z, Monday through Friday, and November through March, 1300-0300Z. Closed Saturday and Sunday, open by NOTAM, and holidays by NOTAM.
Transient servicing is available; contact the field for hours. Closed Saturday and Sunday, with holiday service by NOTAM. Outside those hours, no transient aircraft are authorized.
Customs and agriculture inspection services are available if prior arrangements are made with a minimum of 48 hours advance notice.
Sector Control Pensacola, Florida, KNPA, call sign Seabreeze, operates on a schedule of 1200-2100Z Monday through Friday from March through November, and 1300-2200Z Monday through Friday from November through March. Control service and scheduling are provided in Warning Area W155 to all military and designated civil air operators. All aircraft operating in W155 must be scheduled, check in and out on the primary frequency, and remain in continuous radio communication with Seabreeze or with the military radar unit or facility specifically authorized by Seabreeze to provide control and containment service. Aircraft operating below 3,500 feet may not receive radar service due to limited radar and radio coverage. For detailed warning operating area schedule and use procedures, contact Sector Control Pensacola. Flight plans for NAS Pensacola can be submitted to Base Operations by fax or email. To confirm receipt of flight plans, contact the flight planning dispatcher.
Aircraft expecting to conduct operations from Sherman Field should contact the Fleet Liaison Office for scheduling.
Civil aircraft landing permits require contacting the Deputy Air Ops Officer.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Pensacola NAS (forrest Sherman Fld) Airport has five airfields within 21 NM. The closest is Pensacola International (KPNS), 9.91 NM northeast.
Part of the Panama City and Destin area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KNPA
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 KNPA.
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 KNPA open to civil or transient aircraft?
Pensacola NAS (Forrest Sherman Field), KNPA, is a private-use military airfield and is not open for unrestricted civilian use. Transient aircraft require prior permission, and PPR is required for all transient traffic, valid within thirty minutes of the approved time. Arriving outside that window can result in denial of landing clearance. Civil aircraft landing permits must be arranged through the Deputy Air Ops Officer. Transient servicing is unavailable on weekends and outside published attendance hours.
What are the runways at Pensacola NAS Forrest Sherman Field?
KNPA has three paved asphalt runways. Runway 07L/25R is 8,001 feet long, runway 07R/25L is 8,000 feet, and runway 01/19 is 7,136 feet, each 200 feet wide. Runways 07L-R/25L-R are grooved, while runway 01/19 is not grooved. Pilots should note that ponding occurs after moderate to heavy rain at runway intersections and hold-short areas at this Pensacola, Florida airfield.
What fuel is available at KNPA?
Jet A is noted at Pensacola NAS (Forrest Sherman Field), based on airfield remarks, though this should be confirmed prior to arrival rather than treated as guaranteed. Oxygen and nitrogen servicing, along with LOX and related fluids, are available during published operating hours from March through November, Monday through Friday, and are closed on weekends outside NOTAM-authorized openings. Transient aircraft servicing follows a similar schedule and is not authorized outside normal operating hours. Dispatchers should confirm current fuel status directly with base operations before planning a fuel stop at KNPA.
Does customs and immigration service exist at KNPA?
Pensacola NAS (Forrest Sherman Field) does not host customs on site. The nearest customs facility is at Pensacola International, located about 9.91 nautical miles away. Customs and agriculture inspection can be arranged at KNPA itself, but only with prior coordination and a minimum of 48 hours advance notice. Operators planning an international arrival at KNPA should build this lead time into their flight planning rather than expect walk-up clearance.
When is business aviation traffic highest at KNPA?
Business aviation traffic at Pensacola NAS (Forrest Sherman Field), seen through FAA TFMSC data, concentrates heavily in the winter and spring months. February and March each recorded close to 400 operations, while June through September dropped to near zero, with August and September at 0. This pattern reflects a strong seasonal skew rather than a steady year-round flow. Operators planning transient visits to KNPA should expect the airfield to be far busier from roughly January through May than in the summer months.