Tin City Lrrs Airport (PATC), Alaska
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Tin City LRRS (PATC) is a US Air Force facility on a high bluff in western Alaska, closed to public use and limited to official business only. Its single gravel runway serves a small volume of business aviation traffic, with nearest customs clearance available at Nome, roughly 89 nautical miles away.
Runways
Tin City Lrrs Airport has one unpaved runway, 17/35, 4,702 ft long and 100 ft wide, with a gravel surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
The airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Tin City Lrrs Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Nome (PAOM), 89 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Tin City Lrrs Airport recorded 100 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in April. Business aviation traffic at PATC is spread unevenly across the year, with April and June showing the highest monthly counts and July the lowest, per FAA TFMSC data for 2025.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month April, 16 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Operating constraints
Tin City Lrrs Airport has published operating constraints in four categories: access, runway notes, environmental and other notes.
Closed to the public; official business only.
Caution: turbulence on approach. Radome wind data is not always available. Surface wind from 260-310 degrees at over 15 knots may produce severe turbulence.
Prior permission required for all operations, requested a minimum of 1 hour before departure and no earlier than the day of travel. Contact airport operations for coordination.
After initial radio contact on 126.2 or 121.5, expect a 30 minute delay for runway condition reporting.
Located on a high bluff; the runway center is higher than its ends, so line of sight along the runway is not available.
Alert: increased threat of large flocks of sandhill cranes in the vicinity of the airport during mid-May, adding to the general bird activity risk. Diligence is recommended throughout the season.
PAPI is unusable beyond 5 degrees right of centerline.
Daylight operations only.
This is a USAF facility. Civilian aircraft need a landing permit obtained before arrival, and that permit must be carried on board. Violators are fined and reported to FAA FSDOs in accordance with 32 CFR 855 and USAF operating instructions. Contact the 11th Air Force airfield manager's office for the required landing permit.
Passengers must coordinate before non-emergency travel to the site. Contact airport operations for coordination.
A weather camera is available on the internet at https://weathercams.faa.gov.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Tin City Lrrs Airport has four airfields within 45 NM. The closest is Wales (PAIW), 5.54 NM northwest.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at PATC
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.
$600.00 catering order at PATC.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
The $75 minimum applies below $862.50.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
Can civilian aircraft land at PATC?
PATC is a USAF facility closed to the public and restricted to official business only. Civilian aircraft need a landing permit obtained before arrival, and that permit must be carried on board during the flight.
What runway is available at Tin City LRRS?
Tin City LRRS has one runway, 17/35, measuring 4,702 feet by 100 feet with a gravel surface. The field sits on a high bluff, and the runway center is higher than its ends, so line of sight along its length is not available.
Where is the nearest customs clearance to PATC?
The nearest customs facility to Tin City LRRS (PATC) is Nome (PAOM), located about 89 nautical miles away. No customs processing is available onsite at PATC itself.