Tonopah Test Range Airport (KTNX), Nevada
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Tonopah Test Range Airport (KTNX) is a restricted-use military airfield in Nevada, situated within R4809 airspace and reserved for coordinated operations rather than general transient traffic. The field sits at 5,550 feet elevation and offers a single 12,001-foot concrete runway, one of the longer paved surfaces in the region. Business aviation activity recorded here by FAA TFMSC in 2025 totals only 30 operations against 3,504 total annual operations, reflecting its narrow, mission-driven role rather than routine civilian use. Access requires prior permission and sponsor coordination, and the tower itself is not staffed continuously.
Runways
Tonopah Test Range Airport has one paved runway, 15/33, 12,001 ft long and 150 ft wide, with a concrete surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Tonopah Test Range Airport has A++ available on the field. The airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Tonopah Test Range Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Harry Reid International (KLAS), 129 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Tonopah Test Range Airport recorded 30 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in January. Business aviation activity at KTNX is concentrated mainly in January and June, with several months in 2025 showing no recorded business aviation operations at all.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month January, 8 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Tonopah Test Range Airport averages 23.2 days above 90°F in July and 30.0 freeze days in December. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 92.4°F, and December the coldest, at 44.6°F.
Weather station is 21.1 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Tonopah Test Range Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, emergency arresting systems, environmental and other notes.
Restricted: the airfield is located within R4809. Contact the 98th Range Wing for coordination. A 72-hour PPR is required through Airfield Operations.
ALSF-1 approach lighting is active on runway 15 and 33, along with PAPI on runway 15 and 33 and HIRL on runway 15/33, tuned to frequency 257.95. The ALSF-1 system on runway 15 and 33 operates on high intensity only.
Prior permission is required, coordinated through the point of contact or sponsor.
Restricted: all transient aircraft must obtain PPR prior to arrival and adhere to the PPR arrival block within plus or minus thirty minutes of the scheduled landing time.
Restricted: downward-thrust jet blast at full power is restricted for the first 500 feet on runway 15 and 33.
A BAK-14 BAK-12B(B) arresting device is installed at 1,500 feet.
A BAK-14 BAK-12B(B) arresting device is installed at 1,600 feet.
The Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard migratory bird advisory is in Phase II from October through March.
De-icing fluid service is available.
Transient alert service operates from 1300Z to 0300Z on weekdays and is closed on weekends and holidays; fleet service and maintenance are unavailable.
Miscellaneous: no classified material storage is available.
Caution: high-performance military operations occur in R4809A.
Miscellaneous: adverse-weather takeoffs and landings are not authorized.
Weather briefings after operating hours are provided by the 25th Operational Weather Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base; contact them directly for this service.
Restricted: the Delta ramp surface marking is non-standard.
Restricted: the tower is unmanned Monday from 1005Z to 1200Z, from 0030Z to 1045Z, and Tuesday through Friday mornings from 0245Z to 1045Z, unless coordinated at least seven days in advance. Airfield management, fire department, and transient alert service are available for emergency aircraft only during these periods. Monitor Silverbow tower frequency 124.75 for emergency information.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Tonopah Test Range Airport has two airfields within 48 NM. The closest is Tonopah (KTPH), 21.34 NM northwest.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KTNX
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.
$1,200.00 catering order at KTNX.
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 KTNX open to civilian transient aircraft?
Tonopah Test Range Airport (KTNX) is a restricted-use military field located within R4809 airspace. All transient aircraft need prior permission before arrival, and this PPR must be coordinated through the point of contact or sponsor. Arrivals must also stay within thirty minutes of the scheduled landing block agreed in the PPR. This is not a facility a crew can plan into without that advance coordination.
What runway is available at Tonopah Test Range Airport?
KTNX has a single runway, 15/33, a 12,001-foot concrete surface 150 feet wide. It is equipped with ALSF-1 approach lighting and PAPI on both ends, along with high-intensity runway lighting, though the ALSF-1 system operates on high intensity only. Jet blast from full power is restricted for the first 500 feet on both runway ends. Two BAK-14/BAK-12B(B) arresting devices are also installed, at 1500 feet and 1600 feet respectively.
Is the tower staffed around the clock at KTNX?
No, the tower at Tonopah Test Range Airport (KTNX) is unmanned during specific windows: Monday from 1005Z to 1200Z, overnight from 0030Z to 1045Z, and Tuesday through Friday mornings from 0245Z to 1045Z, unless coordinated at least seven days in advance. During these unmanned periods, airfield management, fire department, and transient alert services remain available for emergency aircraft only. Pilots needing emergency information during these windows should monitor the Silverbow tower frequency, 124.75.
Does KTNX have customs available onsite?
No, Tonopah Test Range Airport (KTNX) has no onsite customs processing. The nearest customs facility is at Las Vegas (KLAS), approximately 129 nautical miles away. Given the restricted military nature of KTNX and its PPR requirement, any crew needing customs clearance should plan that separately through KLAS rather than expecting service at the field itself.