KTYS McGhee Tyson Airport — Instrument Checkride Guide

What kind of airport is KTYS and what is its IFR environment?

McGhee Tyson Airport is Knoxville's primary commercial service airport, located in Alcoa, Tennessee at 986 ft MSL in the Tennessee Valley. The airport operates in Class C airspace with Knoxville Approach/Departure Control providing radar services on 118.0, 123.9, and 125.525 MHz. ATIS is on 128.35 MHz; clearance delivery is 121.65 MHz; ground control is 121.9 MHz; tower is 121.2 MHz.

The airport's position in the Tennessee Valley — flanked by the Appalachian ridgelines of the Great Smoky Mountains to the southeast and the Cumberland Plateau to the northwest — shapes every aspect of the IFR environment. Airways serving KTYS carry elevated MEAs to clear terrain. Obstacle departure procedures govern IFR departures into instrument conditions. Valley fog and icing are persistent seasonal hazards.

What instrument approaches are published at KTYS?

KTYS has a comprehensive instrument approach suite serving both parallel runways, verified from SkyVector.

The ILS RWY 23R is the primary precision approach, offering CAT I through CAT II lines of minima. The High-altitude ILS procedures (HI-ILS) are used by jet traffic transitioning from cruise at altitude — most GA checkrides use the standard CAT I ILS. VOR approaches remain in the published suite as a backup non-precision option requiring ground-based navigation.

What is the runway configuration at KTYS?

KTYS operates 2 parallel runways, both capable of supporting commercial air carrier operations.

Both runways exceed 9,000 ft and can accommodate commercial transports. The parallel configuration means IFR traffic can be sequenced to either runway depending on wind and traffic flow. Runway 23R is the preferred precision approach runway under south-southwest winds given its CAT II capability. Pilots transitioning between parallel runways on approach must be alert to parallel runway incursion risk — the DPE will evaluate situational awareness in this environment.

What weather should instrument pilots expect at KTYS?

The Tennessee Valley creates a classic valley inversion pattern. On clear, calm nights after frontal passage, radiation fog forms in the valley floor and can reduce visibility to near zero at KTYS while surrounding ridgelines remain VFR. These fog events dissipate slowly after sunrise — morning IFR conditions at KTYS can persist to mid-morning even when area conditions are improving.

Icing is a seasonal hazard from October through April. The 986 ft MSL elevation places KTYS close to the freezing level during cold frontal passages, and supercooled large-droplet (SLD) icing conditions can exist within the lowest 3,000 ft of the atmosphere during winter rain/freezing rain events. Pilots without anti-ice or de-ice equipment should be cautious about IFR operations at KTYS during winter frontal activity — the DPE will evaluate your icing decision-making and knowledge of aircraft limitations under this scenario.

Spring convective weather affects east Tennessee from April through September. Afternoon thunderstorms develop along frontal boundaries and ahead of short-wave troughs, and the Appalachian terrain channels storm cells in ways that can be difficult to anticipate from standard convective outlooks.

What should you expect on an instrument checkride at KTYS?

KTYS is a realistic and demanding checkride environment for east Tennessee applicants. The Class C structure requires immediate and professional communication from the first ATC call — entering Class C without two-way communication established constitutes a violation under 14 CFR 91.130. The DPE will evaluate whether you establish communication with Approach Control before entering the Class C shelf, not just the surface area.

The ILS RWY 23R is the DPE-standard approach at KTYS for a full-precision evaluation. Expect the examiner to ask you to fly it once with autopilot coupled and once in hand-flown raw-data mode — both are evaluable under ACS Task VI.B. The CAT II certification of the ILS RWY 23R creates a natural oral discussion point: the DPE will ask what additional requirements would apply if you were cleared for a CAT II approach.

Obstacle departure procedures are a mandatory oral topic. The published ODP for KTYS specifies initial climb and heading requirements designed to clear Appalachian terrain — the DPE expects you to brief it before departure and explain why compliance is non-negotiable in low IMC. Failure to comply with an ODP in mountainous terrain is a safety-of-flight issue, not just an ACS failure.

Holding at KTYS is a realistic scenario — Knoxville Approach holds GA traffic regularly during commercial traffic waves. The DPE may assign a published hold or a non-published hold over a fix on the approach, evaluating entry procedure, timing, and EFC time management under ACS Task V.B.

Practice Questions

1. You are flying the ILS RWY 23R at KTYS. At 500 ft AGL you lose the glideslope. The localizer is alive and you are established. Under 14 CFR 91.175, what are your options and what minimums now apply?

2. The KTYS ILS RWY 23R has a CAT II procedure charted. Your GA aircraft has a standard ILS receiver and single VHF. Why can you not fly the CAT II procedure, and what specific equipment and authorization is required?

3. Knoxville Approach assigns you a hold at DOGWO intersection on the ILS RWY 23L approach, right turns, 5-mile legs. You arrive at DOGWO on a 045-degree heading. Determine the correct hold entry and describe the first two turns.

4. You depart KTYS IFR into a 600-ft overcast. The published ODP calls for a climbing right turn to 4,000 on runway heading before proceeding on course. ATC issues a left heading of 270 immediately after takeoff. You cannot comply with both. What do you do and what should you tell ATC?

5. A PIREP reports moderate icing from 2,000 to 8,000 ft MSL over the Smokies. Your Cessna 172 is not approved for flight into known icing. The TAF at KTYS shows ceilings at 1,500 BKN with freezing level at 3,500 ft. Can you legally depart IFR? How do you evaluate this under Part 91?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What instrument approaches are published at KTYS?

KTYS publishes ILS or LOC approaches to runways 05L, 23L, and 23R, with CAT II and SA CAT I variants on runway 23R. HI-ILS/LOC procedures are published on multiple runway ends. VOR approaches serve 23L and 23R. RNAV (GPS) approaches cover all 4 runway ends.

Q: What airspace class is McGhee Tyson Airport?

KTYS operates in Class C airspace. Entry requires two-way radio communication with Knoxville Approach Control under 14 CFR 91.130.

Q: What are the runways at KTYS?

KTYS has 2 parallel runways. Runway 05L/23R is 10,000 ft × 150 ft. Runway 05R/23L is 9,000 ft × 150 ft. Both are concrete and support commercial air carrier operations. Elevation is 986 ft MSL.

Q: What is the ATIS frequency at KTYS?

McGhee Tyson Airport ATIS broadcasts on 128.35 MHz. Clearance delivery is 121.65 MHz. Ground is 121.9 MHz. Tower is 121.2 MHz. Approach/Departure operates on 118.0, 123.9, and 125.525 MHz.

Q: What weather hazards should instrument pilots expect at KTYS?

Valley fog trapped by Appalachian terrain can reduce KTYS visibility to near zero while nearby reporting stations remain VFR. Icing from October through April is significant at pattern altitude during frontal passages. Spring convective weather produces afternoon thunderstorms that interact with mountain terrain unpredictably.

Q: Does KTYS have a CAT II ILS approach?

Yes. The ILS RWY 23R publishes CAT II and SA CAT I variants in addition to standard CAT I. CAT II requires specific aircraft certification, dual flight directors or autopilot, and crew training authorization. Most GA checkrides use the standard ILS CAT I.

Q: What ACS tasks are commonly evaluated at KTYS?

Common KTYS evaluation areas include ILS approach technique (ACS Task VI.B), Class C airspace procedures, obstacle departure procedure compliance in mountainous terrain, holding (ACS Task V.B), and icing decision-making.

Sources

• SkyVector — KTYS Airport Information
• 14 CFR 91.130 — Operations in Class C Airspace (Cornell LII)
• 14 CFR 91.175 — Takeoff and Landing Under IFR (Cornell LII)
• FAA Instrument Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-15B
• FAA Instrument Procedures Handbook FAA-H-8083-16B

This article was researched from FAA primary sources (ACS, FAR/AIM, Advisory Circulars, Instrument Flying Handbook), approach procedure data from SkyVector, and current 14 CFR Part 91 — drafted by MockDPE Editorial Team. Last updated: May 2026. If you spot an inaccuracy, email corrections@mockdpe.org.