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Foster Field (K7A4) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds

As of 1:15 PM CDT, Oct 28, based on the nearest station (KPVB), K7A4 is currently VFR with winds from 190° at 12 knots gusting 18, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported.

Aviation weather near Foster Field in Apple River, IL, decoded from the nearest reporting station (KPVB): conditions and runway crosswinds.

Foster Field (K7A4) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Apple River, IL at a field elevation of 990 ft. K7A4 has no weather station of its own. Conditions here are decoded from KPVB, about 18 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. It has one runway (18/36), the longest 2,996 ft. The nearest TAF is issued for KDBQ.

Ask ATIS AIAsk anything about K7A4's weather, runways or delays, or search another airport.
VFR
Observed 1815Z (1:15 PM CDT)live · refreshes every 60s

No weather station at this airport: showing the nearest station KPVB, 18.1 nm away.

Wind
190° 12 kt
gusting 18 kt
Visibility
10+ sm
Ceiling
Unlimited
Altimeter
30.10"
Temp / Dew
73°F / 23°C
dew 54°F / 12°C

Wind from the south (190°) at 12 kt, gusting 18 kt, visibility 10+ statute miles, no cloud data, temperature 23°C (73°F), altimeter 30.10 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).

Raw METAR
METAR KPVB 281815Z AUTO 19012G18KT 10SM CLR 23/12 A3010 RMK AO1 T02270122

What changed at KPVB (nearest station)?

Since the 1755Z (12:55 PM CDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.

  • Gusts began, now gusting 18 kt.
  • Wind direction moved from 160° to 190°.

Current pilot readout for K7A4

Based on the nearest station (KPVB), K7A4 is currently VFR with winds from 190° at 12 knots gusting 18, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. the wind favors south-facing runway ends (18). Density altitude is approximately 1,950 ft (field elevation 990 ft). K7A4 does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is KDBQ, about 24 nm away.

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.

RunwayHead / TailCrosswind
18FAV12 kt head2 kt right (g3)
3612 kt tail2 kt left (g3)

Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →

K7A4 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.

  • Runway 18/36
    2,996 × 30 ft · ASP
    Status not monitored
    Current use
    no stated-runway source at K7A4
    Wind
    18
    12 kt headwind · 2 kt crosswind from right
    36
    12 kt tailwind · 2 kt crosswind from left
    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.

Wind (kt)Gusts (kt)Bottom strip, flight category:VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report
0102118Z06Z18Z

Over the last 24 h: wind 6→12 kt, ceiling unlimited → unlimited.

K7A4 weather radar

Live NEXRAD + lightning, with a 4-hour future-radar forecast. Drag to pan, tap ⚡ to toggle lightning.

Loading…
Loading radar…

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 K7A4

Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.

PIREP1826Z (1:26 PM CDT) · 86 NM SW of K7A4 · 37,000 ft MSL · B738
Show raw report
IOW UA /OV IOW/TM 1826/FL370/TP B738/TB NEG
IOW UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV IOWLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1826Reported at 18:26 UTC.
FL370Altitude: 37,000 ft MSL.
TP B738Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP1414Z (9:14 AM CDT) · 81 NM SE of K7A4 · 13,000 ft MSL · CRJ7
Show raw report
VYS UA /OV VYS/TM 1414/FL130/TP CRJ7/TB NEG
VYS UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV VYSLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1414Reported at 14:14 UTC.
FL130Altitude: 13,000 ft MSL.
TP CRJ7Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP1345Z (8:45 AM CDT) · 86 NM SE of K7A4 · 1,800 ft MSL · C172
Show raw report
ARR UA /OV KARR/TM 1345/FL018/TP C172/WX FV07SM/RM VIS AT LEAST 7
ARR UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV KARRLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1345Reported at 13:45 UTC.
FL018Altitude: 1,800 ft MSL.
TP C172Aircraft type reporting.
WX FV07SMWeather and flight visibility observed.
RM VIS AT LEAST 7Remarks.

⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.

Recent aviation weather trends at K7A4

From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.

Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station KPVB reported mostly VFR across 70 observations, with 0 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 18 kt, the lowest ceiling was 12,000 ft. Wind most often came from the S.

Last 24 hours
VFR 100%
Wind avg/max: 5/12 kt
Max gust: 18 kt
Lowest ceiling: 12,000 ft
Lowest vis: -
Prevailing wind: S
Category changes: 0
Last 7 days
VFR 100%
Wind avg/max: 5/15 kt
Max gust: 19 kt
Lowest ceiling: 5,500 ft
Lowest vis: 7 sm
Prevailing wind: SE
Category changes: 0
Wind-favored runway - past 30 days

Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.

18
70%
36
30%

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No live weather from K7A4

Live crosswind meter

K7A4 has no weather feed online, so the wind comes from KPVB, 18 nm away.

N183612 kt
Headwind
12 kt
Crosswind (from the right)
2 kt
Headwind in gusts
18 kt
Crosswind in gusts
3 kt

Wind is 10° off runway 18, the end with the most headwind right now.

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Asphalt · 2,996 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.

Field aerial

North up

Aerial photo of Foster Field (K7A4) with runway 18/36 marked
N ↑

Runway 18/36 drawn from FAA threshold coordinates.

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
Transient parking
Tie-downs
Landing fee
Yes
Pattern altitude
1,790 ft MSL (800 AGL)
Control tower
None
Wind indicator
Unlighted

Airport

Type
General aviation airport
FAA LID
IL28
City
Apple River
State
Illinois
Country
United States
Elevation
990 ft
Coordinates
42.4664, -90.1694
Runways
1 physical runway · 2 runway ends
Longest runway
2,996 ft
Weather reporting
Nearest station KPVB
TAF
Nearest KDBQ
Time zone
America/Chicago
Sunset in
4h 26m

Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed K7A4's live status on your website, free →

Nearby airports

Compare nearby METAR/TAF stations within 25, 50 and 100 NM before departure or arrival.

VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report

RC flying fields nearby

AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport: live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.

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Pilot PIREPs for Foster Field (K7A4)

Community-submitted

Community-submitted airport notes from pilots about runway conditions, wildlife, FBOs, fuel, turbulence, ramp access, and local tips.

Read recent community-submitted pilot notes for Foster Field, 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 K7A4 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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