Arnold AFB Airport (KAYX), Tennessee
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Arnold AFB (KAYX) is a restricted-use military airfield in Tullahoma, Tennessee, operating a single 6,000-foot paved runway and functioning without an air traffic control tower. Access is limited to military aircraft on official business, with prior permission required and no maintenance support available for transient aircraft. The field sits within an active test range environment, and its published guidance directs crews to coordinate with base operations before arrival and to remain clear of nearby test and range structures.
Runways
Arnold AFB Airport has one paved runway, 03/21, 6,000 ft long and 150 ft wide, with an asphalt 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
Arnold AFB Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Lovell Field (KCHA), 48 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Arnold AFB Airport recorded 2 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in April. The limited business aviation activity recorded at KAYX in 2025 was concentrated in April, with no operations reported in the other tracked months.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month April, 2 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is 5.5 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Arnold AFB Airport has published operating constraints in four categories: access, runway notes, environmental and other notes.
Unattended. Official business only; prior permission required.
Traffic pattern: overhead pattern flown at 2,500 feet west of the runway; avoid overflight of the large rocket test facility 1 nautical mile east and base structures 2 nautical miles east below 2,500 feet AGL.
Caution: contact Arnold Air Ops 15 minutes prior to landing for arrival information and a wildlife update, on frequency 127.45.
Lighting is activated as required.
Transient alert: no maintenance support available.
Caution: C-130 airdrop and helicopter operations in the vicinity of the airport.
Caution: landing at pilot discretion.
For clearance delivery, contact Memphis ARTCC.
Restricted: military aircraft only.
Miscellaneous: no local wind sensor; contact Tullahoma Regional, 8 nautical miles west, on frequency 128.325 for weather.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Arnold AFB Airport has five airfields within 31 NM. The closest is Tullahoma Regional / William Northern Field (KTHA), 7.92 NM west.
Part of the Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KAYX
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 KAYX.
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
Who can land at KAYX?
Arnold AFB (KAYX) is restricted to military aircraft only, and landings require prior permission. The field is unattended and limited to official business traffic, so transient civilian aircraft cannot use it. Pilots authorized to operate there should treat landing as a matter of pilot discretion given the lack of on-field support.
Is fuel or maintenance support available at Arnold AFB?
Arnold AFB (KAYX) offers no maintenance support for transient aircraft, per its published transient alert remark. The field is unattended, and no fuel type information is listed for the airport. Crews planning to operate here should arrange support elsewhere, such as at a nearby airport, before arrival.
What should pilots know about the traffic pattern at KAYX?
At Arnold AFB (KAYX), the overhead traffic pattern is flown at 2,500 feet west of the runway. Pilots must avoid overflying a large rocket test facility located 1 nautical mile east and base structures 2 nautical miles east below 2,500 feet AGL. C-130 airdrop and helicopter operations also occur in the vicinity of the airport.
How does a pilot get weather information at Arnold AFB?
Arnold AFB (KAYX) has no local wind sensor on field. Weather information is obtained by contacting Tullahoma Regional, located 8 nautical miles west, on frequency 128.325. Pilots should also contact Arnold Air Ops 15 minutes prior to landing for arrival information and a wildlife update.