🇺🇸 Garfield County Regional Airport

The Rifle Garfield County Airport (KRIL, RIL) is a publicly-owned, public-use airport located three miles east of Rifle, Colorado,. It operates continuously and does not have an air traffic control tower,. The airport was activated in July 1940.

Notable features and history include:

• Upgrades and Improvements In early 2011, the airport completed $47,304,871 in upgrades, including a $39.8 million overhaul funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. These upgrades included a new seamless runway, a full parallel taxiway, a new ILS approach, increased ramp parking, and a new Doppler VOR/DME. Garfield County contributed $7.5 million for improvements such as hangar parcel development, a new administration building, and an upgraded security system.
• Runway The airport has one asphalt/grooved runway, 7,000 feet long and 100 feet wide, which is in good condition and features high-intensity runway edge lights.
• Services Fuel (100LL and Jet-A) is available, and the airport offers major airframe and powerplant services.
• Medical Services CareFlight has been based at RIL since 2017, providing medical care to Western Colorado with an Astar 350 helicopter staffed by a mountain-trained pilot, critical care nurse, and paramedic.
• UAS Training Facility The airport hosts a facility for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and a flight-qualification course, where drone training is proctored.
• Community Events The airport hosts an Annual Airport Field Trip Day, inviting students, families, and aviation enthusiasts for experiences including seeing airport fire trucks.

Current status: The airport is operational and open to the public. There is an active construction notice, and the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners has approved a new taxiway project to mitigate congestion and enhance safety,. Landing fees apply to large aircraft (10,000 pounds or more) not based at KRIL.

*Sources researched: rifleairport.com, nfdc.faa.gov, airnav.com*