Category: Airport and Aircraft Operations

Wind direction largely determines runway use. For example, southerly winds typically bring Runways 17L/17R into use, while northerly winds reverse operations to 35L/35R. When wind conditions shift during the day, Air Traffic Control (ATC) may change the active runway configuration. This process requires careful coordination: arrivals may be rerouted, taxiing aircraft redirected, and departures sequenced to maintain safety and efficiency. Centennial’s three runways—17L/35R, 17R/35L, and 10/28—allow controllers to separate faster jet traffic from slower training aircraft, supporting a mixed-use environment safely and effectively.

The typical flight paths used at the airport are shown in the following interactive tool which is based around the different flow directions at the airport. This map is not live but rather shows a general snapshot of flow around the airport.

Arrivals

Centennial supports both Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) arrivals. Most general aviation traffic—including flight schools, recreational pilots, and helicopters—operates under VFR, navigating visually while following ATC instructions to enter the traffic pattern. VFR pilots are sequenced into standard left or right traffic based on the active runway, and may receive instructions to extend downwind, enter base, or adjust speed for separation.

IFR arrivals, typically corporate or charter flights, follow routing and altitude assignments issued by Denver Approach. These aircraft may fly published instrument approaches or receive radar vectors to final, ensuring safe integration with both IFR and VFR traffic. In reduced visibility or instrument conditions, all arrivals operate under IFR. Centennial Tower coordinates traffic across multiple runways to maintain safe spacing and efficient flow.

Departures

VFR departures are common, particularly for local flight schools and recreational pilots. After receiving taxi clearance from Ground Control, VFR pilots contact Tower for takeoff clearance. They may remain in the pattern for training, proceed to practice areas, or depart to other airports. Slower aircraft and student pilots often use Runway 17R/35L, while faster jets and IFR traffic typically use Runway 17L/35R.

IFR departures receive clearance from Clearance Delivery, then Ground and Tower, and are assigned Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) or radar vectors from Denver Departure. These aircraft maintain assigned headings and altitudes until further instructions, ensuring safe separation from VFR traffic and integration into controlled airspace over the Denver metro area.

Coordination between pilots and ATC is essential at Centennial, where VFR and IFR operations occur simultaneously. By managing sequencing, spacing, and runway assignments, ATC maintains safety, minimizes delays, and ensures efficient traffic flow across the airport’s busy and complex airspace.

Helicopters

Helicopters follow different flight paths than fixed-wing aircraft, allowing them to operate with greater flexibility. Unlike airplanes that rely on established runways and structured traffic patterns, helicopters can use designated helicopter routes that often keep them separate from the main flow of fixed-wing traffic. These routes may take them closer to the ground and over different areas surrounding the airport, which is why helicopters are often seen flying much lower than airplanes. This separation enhances safety while accommodating the unique performance and maneuverability of helicopters.

Understanding Training Flights and VFR Traffic Patterns at Centennial Airport

Centennial Airport is a vital hub for a wide range of aviation activities—from business jets and emergency medical flights to flight training for new and experienced pilots alike. One important part of flight training involves practicing takeoffs and landings repeatedly, often referred to as touch-and-go operations. Other types of training include full-stop taxi-backs and stop-and-go’s.

Training flights happen at airports large and small, including Centennial. Pilots, whether students or seasoned professionals, practice takeoffs and landings multiple times during a single flight. This means flying a circuit, or “traffic pattern,” around the airport—a loop designed to help pilots safely gain experience.

At Centennial, pilots fly a standard traffic pattern which involves a series of legs that create a rectangular path around the runway. These legs include:

• Upwind Leg: Flying straight out from the runway after takeoff.
• Crosswind Leg: A 90-degree turn away from the runway heading.
• Downwind Leg: Flying parallel to the runway but in the opposite direction of landing.
• Base Leg: Another 90-degree turn that positions the plane perpendicular to the runway.
• Final Approach: The last leg where the plane lines up with the runway to land.

This pattern is flown repeatedly during training.

Touch-and-go training means the plane lands but doesn’t come to a full stop—it quickly adds power and takes off again to repeat the circuit. A full-stop taxi-back means the aircraft lands then taxis back to the departure runway for takeoff and to re-join the traffic pattern. In a stop-and-go, the plane lands, comes to a complete stop on the runway and applies power for takeoff again . These procedures help pilots practice essential skills but can lead to more runway activity and repeated overflights of the same areas, especially during busy training sessions. Because these circuits involve flying over the same area multiple times, training flights often occur at lower altitudes and may be more noticeable than typical arrivals or departures.

Training isn’t just for new pilots—experienced pilots regularly practice to keep their skills sharp and meet safety requirements.

Practicing takeoffs, landings, and traffic patterns under various conditions—including day, night, and different weather—is critical for pilot proficiency and safety. These repetitive circuits prepare pilots for real-world flying and ensure the overall safety of everyone using the skies around Centennial.

Why Centennial Airport Has Night Flights: Serving Our Community Around the Clock

Centennial Airport is committed to serving the aviation needs of the Denver metro area and beyond—day and night. One of the most common questions we receive is why the airport remains operational 24/7, including nighttime flights. The answer lies not only in federal regulations but also in our vital role in supporting emergency services and public safety.

Centennial Airport receives federal funding through the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Under Title 49 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), Subtitle VII, Part B, Chapter 471, airports that accept federal grants are required to remain open to all types of aeronautical activity without unjust discrimination and must operate continuously unless closed for emergencies or maintenance. Specifically, 49 U.S.C. § 47107(a)(1) mandates that “an airport receiving federal funds must be available for public use on reasonable conditions and without unjust discrimination.”

This means Centennial Airport must remain open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including for nighttime operations.

Pilots are required to maintain night currency to ensure they are proficient and safe when carrying passengers after dark. According to 14 CFR §61.57(b), a pilot may not act as pilot in command carrying passengers during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise unless they have made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during that time period within the preceding 90 days. This regulation helps ensure that pilots remain familiar with the unique challenges of night flying, such as reduced visual references, increased reliance on instruments, and the added difficulty of depth perception and situational awareness in low-light conditions.

The Life-Saving Role of Night Flights

While some nighttime flights are related to business aviation or air cargo, others are critical to saving lives. Centennial Airport serves as a base of operations for medical evacuation (medevac) flights, which often occur during nighttime hours when emergencies arise.

These flights transport patients in critical condition to specialized care facilities, deliver life-saving organs for transplant, or carry medical personnel to rural hospitals during emergencies. Time is of the essence in such cases, and the ability to take-off or land a flight at any hour—regardless of the clock—is vital.

Balancing Operations and Community Concerns

We understand that nighttime noise can be a concern for nearby residents, and we are committed to working with the community on voluntary noise abatement procedures and flight paths that minimize disruption. However, it’s important to recognize that some flights—especially emergency ones—must operate regardless of the hour to ensure public health and safety.

Centennial Airport is well-known as one of the busiest general aviation airports in the United States. As a General Aviation airport, Centennial supports all forms of aviation other than Part 121 Scheduled Air Carriers. In addition to our role of supporting private, corporate, and training flights, Centennial occasionally hosts a variety of specialized aviation operations. These missions are essential to public safety, national defense, and the integrity of the aviation system, and while they may be out of the ordinary, they are carefully coordinated to maintain safety.

Medevac Flights

Medevac operations at Centennial Airport (APA) are unique because of the airport’s central location in the United States and its proximity to several nationally recognized, award-winning hospitals. As one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country, Centennial supports both fixed-wing air ambulance flights and helicopter transports, providing critical flexibility depending on distance, patient condition, and hospital destination. Fixed-wing aircraft are often used for longer-range transports, while helicopters enable rapid point-to-point service across the Denver metro area and beyond. On average, APA handles approximately 15 medevac flights per day, underscoring its vital role as a hub for emergency medical transport and patient care access.

Military Flights

Although Centennial is a civilian airport, it supports military aircraft operations, often for training, transport, or logistical support. These flights are authorized under federal law, which ensures that military aviation units have access to the National Airspace System, including public-use airports, for readiness and operational purposes.

Firefighting Operations

During Colorado’s wildfire season, Centennial Airport plays a strategic role in supporting aerial firefighting efforts. Air Tankers and helicopters may be temporarily based at the airport to assist in fire suppression throughout the Front Range and beyond. Air Tankers and helicopters may also use the airport for refueling depending on proximity to fires.

You may notice:

• Low-flying aircraft operating in and out of the airport during active wildfire events
• Unusual aircraft types including CL-415 Super Scoopers, BAe 146s, Air Tractors, SkyCranes, and S-70 Firehawks

These aircraft are operated by federal, state, and local firefighting agencies and are authorized for rapid deployment as needed. Their presence is critical to protecting lives, property, and natural resources.

Instrumentation Flight Checks

Most major airports have advanced navigation systems installed that help pilots navigate and land at the airport. It is important that these systems are accurate to maintain a high level of safety and regular maintenance is performed.

One critical element is the calibration flight. This is where an aircraft will test the navigation systems by using them to navigate and land at the airport. To ensure full and complete testing, multiple passes are often required. This can result in the testing aircraft performing multiple repeat passes and flying in areas not typically overflown.

These highly specialized aircraft are flown by FAA crews trained to verify the accuracy and performance of navigational systems, which is essential for safe aircraft operations across the National Airspace System.

These examples highlight some of the specialized missions supported at Centennial, but unique operations are not limited to those listed and may vary depending on public safety, national defense, or aviation system needs.

A practice area is a general block of airspace used by flight schools and instructors to perform training maneuvers like stalls, steep turns, ground reference maneuvers, and slow flight. These areas are essential for helping student pilots gain experience in a safe, controlled environment away from the busy airspace immediately surrounding the airport.

It’s important to note that Centennial Airport does not officially designate or manage practice areas. Instead, the locations of these areas are determined by local flight schools operating at or near Centennial Airport. These schools choose specific areas based on factors like proximity, airspace classification, terrain, and typical traffic flows. While these locations are widely recognized by instructors and students, they are not published by the airport or FAA.

Typically, Centennial-based schools use several commonly accepted practice areas southeast and southwest of the airport, often in less congested airspace. The map below shows the practices areas around Centennial Airport. However, since these areas are not officially charted or assigned, pilots must rely on proper radio communication, visual scanning, and situational awareness to operate safely.

These training operations are authorized under federal law so long as aircraft operate in accordance with 14 CFR Part 91 (General Operating and Flight Rules) and are conducted as part of approved pilot training activities under 14 CFR Part 61 (Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors).

Understanding how and where training flights operate helps everyone—from students and instructors to local residents and transient pilots—maintain safety and situational awareness in the skies around Centennial Airport.