Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI)
Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field is a medium-sized multi-use airport located southeast of Boise, Idaho. It is a joint-use airport serving air carrier, cargo, military as well as general and business aviation. Boise is also home to the National Interagency Fire Center which is responsible for the coordination of wildland firefighting resources throughout the United States. View a printable Pilot Handbook of the BOI information found on this Web page.
Know Before You Go
- Parallel RWYs 10R/28L and 10L/28R with staggered thresholds.
- Wrong Runway events occur when pilots land on the RWY they see first.
- Military Assault Strip (paved) – A Hazard near BOI Airport – Located 1 mile south/southeast and oriented like the BOI RWYs. Caution - Wrong Airport Landing hazard.
- Hot Spot 1 – TWYs J and W – Aircraft on TWY A have missed the turn onto TWY W and continued on TWY J, crossing the RWY 10L Approach Hold Line.
- Approach Hold lines exist at approach end of RWY 10L. – Beware and study Airfield Diagram
- Taxi-Lane K is a non-movement area. Pilots mistake Taxi-Lane K for TWY F.
Below find various BOI-specific information and things to be aware of, as well as general information to inform your preflight planning. This will be reviewed quarterly and updated as needed. This information is to supplement the From the Flight Deck Videos that are produced by the FAA Runway Safety Group. Here you will also find information provided by the local air traffic controllers at the airport where you intend to fly. The information is subject to change. Not for navigation or legal* pre-flight action. Always refer to official pre-flight materials such as, but not limited to, NOTAMs, airport diagrams, VFR charts and airport construction notices for the latest airport-specific details.
BOI Tower Administrative Office
Business Phone 208-364-5801
Open 0800 to 0400 Local – Monday through Friday
The airspace at BOI is Class C with a 6900’ MSL ceiling. (Refer to Sectional Chart)
Class C Airspace Requirements (CFR §91.130 and AIM 3-1-4; 3-2-4)
| Visibility | 3 statute miles |
| Distance from Clouds | 500 feet below | 1,000 ft above | 2,000 ft horizontal |
| Communications | Establish communications (controller response) |
| Pilot | No special certification required |
| Equipment | Two-way radio, operable radar beacon transponder with automatic altitude reporting capability and operable ADS-B Out |
Hot Spots
- HS 1 Pilots departing RWY 10L often miss the left turn on TWY W and continue taxi on TWY J. Do not mistake RWY 10L approach sign for RWY 10L entrance.
Departure
- Verify proper heading prior to starting takeoff roll on all intersection departures.
Landing
- A wrong surface landing risk exists at this airport.
- Parallel RWYs 10R/28L and 10L/28R with staggered thresholds.
- Wrong Runway events occur when pilots are cleared to land on the RWY they see first.
- Military Assault Strip (paved) – A Hazard near BOI Airport – Located 1 mile south/southeast and oriented like the BOI RWYs.
Surface Risk – Movement Area
- Approach Holds – Beware and study Airfield Diagram
- Hot Spot 1 – TWYs J and W – Aircraft on TWY A have missed the turn onto TWY W and continued on TWY J, crossing the RWY 10L Approach Hold Line.
- Taxi-Lane K is a non-movement area. Pilots mistake Taxi-Lane K for TWY F.
- Portions of TWY K & the Southwest Ramp not visible to TWR.
Additional Cautions
- Extensive Helicopter Operations Surface to 3,500 ‘ within 1 NM East and West & 5 NM S of RWY 10R.28L
- Moderate Migratory Bird Activity Within 5 NM of the Airport October through March
BOI Tower (TWR) operates continuously
If TWR is NOTAM’d closed:
- BOI will attempt to establish a remote VFR only tower.
- Salt Lake Center will perform approach control functions.
- The ATIS will contain frequency and contact information.
Clearance
- Clearance Delivery frequency is often combined at Ground Control. This information would be included on the ATIS.
- All aircraft need a discrete beacon code when departing BOI.
- Be aware that the departure frequency is dependent on your direction of flight AND the direction of takeoff. This means that you may get a different frequency for the same destination depending on the traffic flow.
- VFR (non-jet) traffic can expect an altitude restriction of “at or below 5000” except when departing to the north off of an easterly flow (RY 10L / 10R)
Ground
- Read back all hold short instructions with the aircraft call sign.
- When RY 10R is unavailable, expect to taxi to RY 10L via J, A, W and expect to hold short of the 10L Approach between the runways. Ground control may switch you to the Tower frequency at that point and have them complete your taxi to the runway.
- The SW and SE arm/de-arm areas may not be available for run-ups during military operations.
Takeoff/Departure
- IFR aircraft and all jets can expect to be assigned Runway Heading for departure
- For IFR aircraft, this is a vector into the Diverse Vector Area (DVA) established at KBOI.
- This gives the departure controller the option to turn aircraft within the DVA as soon as they are clear of any traffic conflicts.
Arrival/Landing
- Boise is often divided into two sectors. Typically, one sector will work the Final approach segment and the other sector will work everything else.
- Based on the above divisions, if you are arriving/operating within 45° of the final approach course, you should call the final controller (Big Sky Approach) on 126.9. All others contact Big Sky Approach on 119.6.
- Extensive skydive operations in the vicinity of Star, ID (14nm NW of BOI) and in the vicinity of KEUL airport (18.5nm W of BOI)