Airport · FAA-LID · US
Class GFerndale Airfield
Live conditions at 53U
—METAR
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Density altitude (now)
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Aerial view · 53U
No FAA diagram publishedThe FAA does not publish an Airport Diagram (APD) for 53U — most non-towered fields, heliports, seaplane bases, and private strips fall here. Below: aerial imagery showing the actual field, runways, taxiways, and surroundings.
Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics, USDA FSA
Runways at 53U
2 runway ends on file. Longest: 3,500 ft. Max gradient: 0.74%
| Designator | Heading | Length | Width | Surface | Lighting | Gradient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | — | 3,500 ft | 95 ft | TURF-G | No | 0.74% |
| 33 | — | 3,500 ft | 95 ft | TURF-G | No | 0.74% |
Source: in-app airport database (runway lengths + headings), OurAirports for surface, width, lighting. Gradient computed from FAA NASR runway-end elevation deltas (the published RWY_GRAD field is empty in 99.99% of NASR rows; we derive it from the elevations the FAA does publish).
Field intel · synthesized from Chart Supplement
Plain-English translation of the Chart Supplement remarks for 53U, anchored to the FAA's own text. Operational items first, advisory next, raw FAA prose at the bottom.
0 matched · 9 not yet translated
Not yet translated · raw FAA text (9 sentences)
Sentences our pattern matchers haven't yet templated. The full FAA text is authoritative — these aren't translation errors, just gaps in our rule library. Curators add new templates over time; coverage rises monotonically.
- ·SNOW REMOVAL MAY BE DELAYED CALL FOR CONDITIONS 406-257-5994.
- ·RWY 15 +100 FT TREES 1570 FT FM END OF RWY ON CNTRLN; RWY 33 +80 FT TREES 1500 FT FM END OF RWY; RWY 15 +15 FT ROAD 250 FT FM END OF RWY ON CNTRLN.
- ·TREES IN TRANSITION SFC BOTH SIDES OF RY FULL LENGTH.
- ·FREE BICYCLES FOR ARPT USE LCTD IN STORAGE SHED.
- ·TO ACCESS USE EMERG FREQ ON LOCK.
- ·RWY 33 +50 FT TREE ON CNTRLN 500 FT FM END OF RWY AT 10:1.
- ·FOR CD CTC SALT LAKE ARTCC AT 801-320-2568. 15/33 NSTD MARKINGS - WHITE CONES MARK FULL RY LENGTH.
- ·RED TRAFFIC CONES MARK EACH RY THRESHOLD WITH 100 FOOT DISPLACED THRESHOLD CALL FOR RPRS: 406-253-5688 PROVIDED COMPATIBLE INGRESS/EGRESS ARE ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO AVOID CONGESTED AREAS AND ASSUME SAFETY TO PERSONS AND PROPERTY ON THE SURFACE.
- ·DEP PROC STRAIGHT OUT THRU TPA OF 4072 FT MSL (1000 FT AGL).
Field profile
Wikipedia
Read full article ↗Ferndale Airfield is a public use airport in Flathead County, Montana, United States. It is owned by the Flathead Municipal Airport Authority and located three nautical miles (6 km) northeast of the central business district of Bigfork, Montana.
Use
Public-use
Ownership
Public
Scheduled service
No
NTSB events at 53U
7 NTSB-recorded events on file at this airport .
Total events
5
since 1982
Fatal
2
40.0% of total
Last 5 years
1
≈ 0.2/yr
Last 10 years
2
≈ 0.2/yr
See ranking across all airports → · Open in accident map ↗
Last 10 years · n=2
- Loss of control 1
- Controlled flight into terrain 1
All time · n=7
- Fuel exhaustion / starvation 2
- Other 2
- Stall / spin 1
- Loss of control 1
- Controlled flight into terrain 1
Categories derived from NTSB Findings descriptions and probable-cause text via deterministic rule matching. "Other" includes cases where the agency record didn't surface enough text to classify.
Designees in MT
Every aviation professional and organization in the same state as 53U — instructors, examiners, mechanics, schools, FBOs, flying clubs, repair shops, EAA chapters. Click any category to drill into the full directory.
CFI
508
Flight Instructors
A&P
1,200
Mechanics
AME
20
Medical Examiners (AME)
DME
3
Mechanic Examiners (DME)
DPRE
5
Parachute Rigger Examiners (DPRE)
DAR-F
1
Manufacturing Airworthiness (DAR-F)
DAR-T
4
Maintenance Airworthiness (DAR-T)
DER-Y
1
Engineering — Company (DER-Y)
DER-T
2
Engineering — Consultant (DER-T)
SAE
19
Specialty Aircraft Examiners (SAE)
Schools
22
Flight Schools
FBO
44
Fixed Base Operators
Clubs
11
Flying Clubs
Repair
6
Repair / Maintenance Shops
EAA
8
EAA Chapters
DPEs near 53U
Closest FAA Designated Pilot Examiners by great-circle distance from the field. Distances measured city-centroid to airport — useful as a first cut, not a guarantee of exam location. Click any designee for their authorizations and contact info.
| Designee | City | ST | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Lee Brown | Kalispell | MT | 16 nm |
| James Heckman | Whitefish | MT | 27 nm |
| Michelle Marie Petrina | Whitefish | MT | 27 nm |
| Ryan Baer | Missoula | MT | 71 nm |
| Timothy Franklin Mead | Missoula | MT | 71 nm |
| Kevin Walter Rothfus | Hayden | ID | 114 nm |
| Douglas Glen Belcher | Newman Lake | WA | 125 nm |
| Abraham Lloyd Fandrich | Clancy | MT | 126 nm |
| Jared Ryan Testa | Spokane Valley | WA | 132 nm |
| David Lucio Valenti | Spokane | WA | 140 nm |
Showing 10 closest of ~1,400 DPEs nationwide. Source: FAA Designee Locator.
CFIs near 53U
Closest active flight instructors by city-centroid distance. Pulled from the FAA airmen registry — ratings shown reflect the certificate on file. Drill into the state directory for filters by rating, medical, and pilot level.
| Instructor | City | ST | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Jay Carter | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Michael George Spencer | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Rhett William Rieke | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Soren Cameron Franklin | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Joe Michael Wolstein | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Todd Alan Ware | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Blake Alan Denning | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Garth Scott Thompson | Somers | MT | 9 nm |
| Darren Eugene Hall | Lakeside | MT | 10 nm |
| Rodney Duane Bitney | Kalispell | MT | 16 nm |
Showing 10 closest of ~70,900 active CFIs nationwide. Source: FAA Airmen Certification Database.
A&P mechanics near 53U
Closest certificated mechanics by city-centroid distance. Airframe (A), Powerplant (P), and Inspection Authorization (IA) are the ratings that matter for annuals, 100-hours, and major repairs.
| Mechanic | City | ST | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Dale Colby | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Michael Sean Barrett | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Rhett William Rieke | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Richard Cranston Bradley Ii | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Charles Gilbert Lester | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Ronald Jay Mccormack | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Eugene Francis Novacek | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Scott Robert Smith | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| William Ross Wipprecht | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
| Benjamin Allen Burdick | Bigfork | MT | 3 nm |
Showing 10 closest of ~248,300 certificated mechanics nationwide. Source: FAA Airmen Certification Database.
Repair stations near 53U
Closest repair, avionics, paint, and interior shops by airport location. These are the businesses you'll fly the airplane to — not just the certificate-holders nearby. Click any shop for details and contact info.
| Shop | Distance |
|---|---|
| Pristine Jets Missoula, MT | 68 nm |
| Montana Aviation Maintenance, LLC Cut Bank, MT | 73 nm |
| Dustin's Aircraft Maintenance and Upholstery Great Falls, MT | 114 nm |
| Advanced Avionics Solutions, LLC Hayden, ID | 115 nm |
| Huey's Aviation Painting Colville, WA | 158 nm |
| JL Aerospace Three Forks, MT | 165 nm |
| Pristine Jets Belgrade, MT | 180 nm |
| Million Air Bozeman Belgrade, MT | 180 nm |
| McCormick Aircraft Maintenance, LLC Yakima, WA | 281 nm |
| Skyline Aircraft Maintenance Nampa, ID | 289 nm |
Showing 10 closest of ~400 geocoded shops in the repair-station directory. Source: AOPA business listings.
Canonical references
The agency-of-record links pilots use for 53U: charts, weather, NOTAMs, accident records. We surface them all from one URL — no SEO sludge, no clickthrough farms.
- FAA Chart Supplement (CSUP) A/FD entry — official FAA ↗
- SkyVector — sectional + IFR charts Charts, runways, fuel, NOTAMs ↗
- AirNav — frequencies, FBOs, fuel Pilot-facing summary ↗
- NTSB CAROL — accident search Filter by airport name ↗
- FAA Notice to Air Missions NOTAMs (live) ↗
- aviationweather.gov — METAR / TAF Live observation ↗