Flying to Kimberley (FAKM)
Notice: The following information provided for convenience and consideration, always follow official aerodrome and planning information. I do however only write about airfields that I have personally flown to.
“Kimberley Airport (IATA: KIM, ICAO: FAKM) is an airport serving Kimberley, the capital city of the province of Northern Cape in South Africa. The airport is approximately 10 km away from the centre of Kimberley. The airport is at an elevation of 3,950 feet (1,204 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 02/20 measuring 3,000 by 46 metres (9,843 ft × 151 ft) and 10/28 measuring 2,439 by 46 metres (8,002 ft × 151 ft).” - Wikipedia
What's there and why would you fly there?
Kimberley airport is a good gateway to the Northern Cape, Kimberley itself, the surrounding smaller towns or even just as a fuel and rest stop if you're flying between Johannesburg and Cape Town. The airport is well appointed with Avgas and Jet A1 available. There is a small restaurant at the terminal, car rental is available, and the airport is close to the amenities of the city of Kimberley.
Kimberley itself has a lot of history with the largest man made hole, a.k.a. “the Big Hole”, there is the oldest pub, first street lights in South Africa, etc. If you're a history buff you'll enjoy the sites and museums. Check out Tripadvisor for advice on things to do in Kimberley.
Why and when did I fly there?
I have flown to Kimberley airport three times at the writing of this blog. Once in January of 2023 and twice in July 2024. In fact I made a return flight to Kimberley just yesterday, dropping off family, so everything is very fresh in my mind.
I grew up and completed most of my schooling in Kimberley which makes flying back to my 'home town' very special. Getting a different perspective to that which have been ingrained in my memory growing up is an amazing experience. The city skyline provides a lot of familiarity and it is bewildering just how small the whole city actually is from the sky.
I have family in Kimberley and surrounding area which has been my reason for the trips I have done. I have flying to Cape Town on my bucket list, and likely I will use the stop in Kimberley to refuel and refresh when I do so one day.
If you haven’t been to Kimberley, I would actually recommend it. We did a friends trip through Kimberley about 10 years ago (I’ve been living in JHB 20+ years), and it was a hoot! It has a lot to offer from a tourist perspective.
The average flight time with my Piper Pathfinder is approximately 2 hours. This is a nice time saving from the approximately 5h30mins trip by road.
My experience operating at Kimberley Airport
The runways are extra-long and wide which provides in itself a lot of safety margin. It was actually quite intimidating the first time I landed there and I remember putting the aircraft down early only having to taxi the long distance from Runway 02 to the terminal! I have since learned to land a bit later and rollout a bit slower. On all three of my landings and take-offs runway 02 was in use. Even though winds were calm on almost all occasions, they seem to favor Runway 02.
The other interesting thing about this airport is that it sports a TMA (Traffic Management Area). If you're mostly flying to smaller airfields, as I usually to, you don't get to experience a TMA, as in JHB you are strongly encouraged to stay below the JHB TMA which is understandable for the volume of traffic. I was a bit apprehensive about the procedure, but JHB central info (120.30) simply handed me over to Kimberley Approach (actually Bloemfontein West) at 119.40 and the controller cleared me at my current altitude of FL85. I proceeded to aim for the airport and planned my TOD (top of descend) down to 6500 before the CTR and approach cleared accordingly before handing me over to Kimberley Tower, 118.20. The final thing that's different is that you contact Kimberley Apron after landing on 122.65 to get assistance parking the aircraft which made me feel quite important :).
Landing fees are payable at the apron office. I got charged R 371.35 for picking up 2 passengers, and R 157.67 when departing alone during my recent trips in July. You will also need to fill out the somewhat typical arrival and departure registers.
After parking you need to go through security and strangely everything gets screened through a typical airport X-ray machine before you're allowed to leave (or enter).
The apron has a cable attached to the tarmac by the General Aviation parking and you can tie down your aircraft if needed. I did not stay overnight, but I would imagine that parking overnight should be safe.
My Skydemon flight stats from Rand to Kimberley
I took off at 04:50 Z and flew 248 nm before landing at Kimberley/John Weston at 10 Jan 2023 06:45 Z after 1 hr 54 m. My maximum groundspeed during the flight was 146 kt and I reached a maximum altitude of 9 069 ft
I took off at 07:18 Z and flew 248 nm before landing at Kimberley/John Weston at 12 Jul 2024 09:15 Z after 1 hr 57 m. My maximum groundspeed during the flight was 146 kt and I reached a maximum altitude of 9 008 ft
I took off at 07:43 Z and flew 245 nm before landing at Kimberley/John Weston at 15 Jul 2024 09:56 Z after 2 hr 12 m. My maximum groundspeed during the flight was 134 kt and I reached a maximum altitude of 9 018 ft
And from Kimberley to Rand Airport
I took off at 13:27 Z and flew 241 nm before landing at Johannesburg/Rand at 10 Jan 2023 15:14 Z after 1 hr 46 m. My maximum groundspeed during the flight was 150 kt and I reached a maximum altitude of 6 579 ft.
I took off at 10:12 Z and flew 241 nm before landing at Johannesburg/Rand at 12 Jul 2024 12:04 Z after 1 hr 52 m. My maximum groundspeed during the flight was 156 kt and I reached a maximum altitude of 7 996 ft
I took off at 10:40 Z and flew 243 nm before landing at Johannesburg/Rand at 15 Jul 2024 12:22 Z after 1 hr 41 m. My maximum groundspeed during the flight was 164 kt and I reached a maximum altitude of 9 973 ft
The airfield
It is situated to the 3NM South of the city of Kimberley, it is an easy 10 minutes' drive to the closest shopping mall.
Location: Click for Google Maps
ICAO Code: FAKM
Official AIP: Click here for CAA AIPs - download the latest Aerodromes PDF. Currently FAKM is on page 211 of the AIP file dated 15 Jul 2024.
Aeronautical Charts: Click here for CAA Charts - search for FAKM. You definitely want to download at least the "Aerodrome/Heliport Chart" (AD_01) and the "Aircraft Parking/Docking Chart" (AD-03) for VFR.
Elevation: 3950 feet
Runway: 02/20 3 002m (9 843ft) x 45m asphalt
Runway: 10/28 2 437m (8 002ft) x 45m asphalt
Runway PAPI's: 3 degree glideslope PAPI's on all runways.
Radio: Kimberley TWR on 118.20MHz. Apron on 122.65MHz
TMA: Bloemfontein Approach West (a.k.a. Kimberley Approach) 119.40MHz.
Tower: Manned. ATS hours (in UTC): Mon to Fri: 0500-1630, Sat: 0530 - 1400 and Sun: 0800 - 1630. Public holidays: Christmas day closed and all other holidays as per AD hours of service. Aerodrome available as unmanned outside aerodrome hours of service.
Check AIP for AD operator hours and permission requirements outside of those hours.
Fuel: Avgas and JetA1 available through Bowsers.
Restaurant: Small restaurant in terminal building, but don't expect much. You will likely be better off traveling the 10 mins into the city for better options.
Overnight parking: Yes, apron. AIP suggests hanger space might be available with prior arrangement.
Overnight parking charges: minimal
Overnight security: Yes
Circuit / approach
Runway 02: L/H. Runway 20: R/H. Runways 10/28 not specified.
Circuit altitude: Standard 1 000ft AGL / 5 000ft ALT (Turbine a/c at 5 500ft ALT)
Risks
Do not overfly Kamfersdam below 1500ft as there is a bird sanctuary. Game farm borders airfield with wild animals potentially roaming airfield at night. Vulture activity in Olifantskop area. Be aware of microwave towers and masts in the airport vicinity.
Sources
The Airfields Directory for Southern Africa by Aviation Direct, 6th Edition
Aeronautical Information AIP by the CAA: https://www.caa.co.za/industry-information/aeronautical-information-aip/
Aeronautical Charts by the CAA: https://www.caa.co.za/industry-information/aeronautical-information-aeronautical-charts/
NOTAMs: https://www.caa.co.za/industry-information/aeronautical-information-notam-summaries/
