Airway Airport (5AK3) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds
As of 10:55 AM AKDT, Oct 28, based on the nearest station (PAFB), 5AK3 is currently LIFR with winds from 070° at 5 knots, visibility 1/4 statute mile, and a 300 ft ceiling.
Aviation weather near Airway Airport in North Pole, AK, decoded from the nearest reporting station (PAFB): conditions and runway crosswinds.
Airway Airport (5AK3) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around North Pole, AK at a field elevation of 480 ft. 5AK3 has no weather station of its own. Conditions here are decoded from PAFB, about 8 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. It has one runway (15/33), the longest 2,550 ft. The nearest TAF is issued for PAFB.
No weather station at this airport: showing the nearest station PAFB, 8.1 nm away.
Wind from the east-northeast (070°) at 5 kt, visibility 1/4 statute mile, sky obscured at 300 ft, temperature 1°C (34°F), altimeter 30.47 inHg. Conditions are Low IFR (LIFR), ceiling 300 ft.
METAR PAFB 271855Z 07005KT 1/4SM FG VV003 01/01 A3047 RMK AO2A SLP329 T00100010 RVRNO
What changed at PAFB (nearest station)?
Since the 1755Z (9:55 AM AKDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
- Flight category dropped from VFR to LIFR.
- A ceiling formed at 300 ft.
- Visibility dropped from 10 SM to 0.25 SM.
- Pressure rising: altimeter 30.15 → 30.47 inHg.
- Fog began (FG).
- Temperature rose 5°C between reports.
Current pilot readout for 5AK3
Based on the nearest station (PAFB), 5AK3 is currently LIFR with winds from 070° at 5 knots, visibility 1/4 statute mile, and a 300 ft ceiling. the wind favors north-facing runway ends (33). Density altitude is approximately -1,750 ft (field elevation 480 ft). Review the latest TAF below for forecast changes before departure.
New to aviation weather? How to read a METAR → · What VFR/MVFR/IFR mean → · Decode any METAR/TAF → · Density altitude calculator →
Runway wind check
Estimated head/tailwind and crosswind for each runway end from the current reported wind.
| Runway | Length | Surface | Head / Tail | Crosswind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33FAV | 2,550 ft | GRAVEL | 2 kt head | 5 kt right |
| 15 | 2,550 ft | GRAVEL | 2 kt tail | 5 kt left |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
5AK3 runways
1 physical runway · 2 runway ends. Each card opens the runway's intelligence page: equipment and lighting, LAHSO, frequencies, today's configuration, predicted use, history and approaches.
- Status not monitoredRunway 15/332,550 × 45 ft · GRAVELCurrent useno stated-runway source at 5AK3Wind
- 15
- 2 kt tailwind · 5 kt crosswind from left
- 33
- 2 kt headwind · 5 kt crosswind from right
no active equipment NOTAM receivedView Runway Intelligence →
“Current use” is what the facilitystates; wind components are arithmetic on the current METAR against TRUE headings; status reflects NOTAMs received through SWIM, the tower's TFDM record and the D-ATIS — a runway reads “Open” only with a complete NOTAM picture.
24-hour trend
Wind, ceiling and flight category over the last 24 hours.
Over the last 23 h: wind 0→5 kt, ceiling 2,200 ft → 300 ft.
5AK3 weather radar
Live NEXRAD + lightning, with a 4-hour future-radar forecast. Drag to pan, tap ⚡ to toggle lightning.
Radar: NOAA/NWS via IEM · Forecast: NOAA HRRR · Lightning: NOAA · Map © Stadia Maps © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap
NOAA NEXRAD composite and lightning, updated about every five minutes; amber frames are HRRR model guidance, not observed radar. Not for navigation.
Pilot reports (PIREPs) within 100 NM of 5AK3
Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.
Show raw report
FAI UA /OV PAFA /TM 1645 /FLUNKN /TP C208 /RM PC RPTD RAMP IS VERY NARROW, ICY AND KINDA TOUGH TO GET IN. AKFSS
FAI UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV PAFALocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1645Reported at 16:45 UTC.FLUNKNAltitude unknown.TP C208Aircraft type reporting.RM PC RPTD RAMP IS VERY NARR…Remarks.⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.
Recent aviation weather trends at 5AK3
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station PAFB reported a mix of conditions, most often marginal VFR across 47 observations, with 16 flight-category changes. The lowest ceiling was 200 ft. Wind most often came from the E.
Most recent change: VFR → LIFR
Most recent change: LIFR → VFR
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 33
- 66%
- 15
- 34%
TAF | Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
Issued 1400Z (6:00 AM AKDT)
TAF PAFB 281400Z 2814/2920 VRB06KT 9999 FEW080 SCT180 QNH2992INS TEMPO 2816/2819 4800 BR FEW005 BECMG 2907/2908 VRB06KT 9999 BKN050 OVC080 620505 QNH2993INS BECMG 2910/2911 VRB06KT 6000 -RASN SCT015 BKN030 BKN050 620307 QNH3001INS BECMG 2914/2915 VRB06KT 6000 BR SCT005 BKN015 OVC025 620159 QNH2995INS TX02/2823Z TNM03/2816Z
New to TAFs? How to read one →
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Live crosswind meter
5AK3 has no weather feed online, so the wind comes from PAFB, 8.1 nm away.
Wind is 70° off runway 33, the end with the most headwind right now.
Have a weather station at 5AK3? Help us make your field's weather available to every pilot, free. Add your field's wx station →Gravel · 2,550 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.
Field aerial
North up
Imagery: USGS The National Map (public domain). Something off? ✏️ Suggest an edit
Airport info
From the FAA airport record (cycle 2026-10-01) and OurAirports.
Services
- Attended
- Unattended
- Landing fee
- No
- Control tower
- None
- Wind indicator
- Unlighted
Airport
- Type
- General aviation airport
- FAA LID
- 5AK3
- City
- North Pole
- State
- Alaska
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 480 ft
- Coordinates
- 64.7732, -147.3340
- Runways
- 1 physical runway · 2 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 2,550 ft
- Weather reporting
- Nearest station PAFB
- TAF
- Nearest PAFB
- Time zone
- America/Anchorage
- Sunset in
- 6h 14m
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed 5AK3's live status on your website, free →
Nearby airports
Compare nearby METAR/TAF stations within 25, 50 and 100 NM before departure or arrival.
Within 25 NM
7 airports+1 more within 25 NM
25–50 NM
5 airports50–100 NM
8 airports+2 more within 100 NM
RC flying fields nearby
AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport: live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.
- Midnight Sun RC Inc 1 , North Pole, AK · 5 mi
Pilot PIREPs for Airway Airport (5AK3)
Community-submittedCommunity-submitted airport notes from pilots about runway conditions, wildlife, FBOs, fuel, turbulence, ramp access, and local tips.
Read recent community-submitted pilot notes for Airway Airport, including runway conditions, wildlife activity, FBO/fuel notes, turbulence, ramp access, and local airport tips.
⚠️ Pilot PIREPs on ATIS Alerts are community-submitted airport notes for situational awareness only. They are not official FAA PIREPs, NOTAMs, weather briefings, airport advisories, or flight-planning guidance. Always verify with official FAA/NWS sources, airport management, ATC, and current publications.
No Pilot PIREPs have been submitted for 5AK3 yet. Recently flew here? Help the next pilot by leaving a quick airport note.
Pilot PIREPs are community pilot notes for situational awareness only, not official FAA PIREPs or advisories. Verify with official sources. Notes are moderated before they appear; helpful marks and reports help us keep them useful.
⚠️ Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.
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