WxDecoder

17FA Weather Cotton Strip

La Belle, FloridaElevation 18 ftSmall airport
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE
Nearest report: KRSW · 16 NM SW · 25 min old
No ceiling, visibility 10 SM.
No on-field report, so no field flight category. Conditions at the field may differ.
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE · KRSW
WIND
020@9
steady
VISIBILITY
10 SM
16.1 km
CEILING
None
no BKN/OVC layer
FORECAST & PILOT NOTES · SUPPLEMENTAL

Extended forecast and pilot notes

No aviation METAR is published for this airport. The nearest National Weather Service station reports wind from 20° at 9 kt, visibility 10 SM, temperature 20C. Treat this as supplemental, not an aviation observation. Forecast suggests sunday chance showers and thunderstorms, high near 84F, low near 70F, 43% chance of precipitation. Key risks: thunderstorms in the forecast; strong winds in the forecast.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES
Thunderstorms in the forecastWeather.gov
Sunday: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms. Watch for developing convection and plan alternates.
Strong winds in the forecastWeather.gov
Sunday: winds up to 31 kt. Re-check crosswind components closer to departure.
DayConditionsTemp FWindGustsPrecipPilot note
Sunday Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 84/70 NE 20 kt 31 kt 43% Thunderstorms in the forecast
Monday Sunny 85/70 NE 20 kt 31 kt 7%
Tuesday Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers 84/70 NE 19 kt 29 kt 19%
Wednesday Sunny then Chance Rain Showers 86/71 NE 17 kt 28 kt 25%
Thursday Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 86/70 NE 13 kt – 37%
Friday Sunny then Chance Rain Showers 87/69 NE 12 kt – 36%
Saturday Sunny then Chance Rain Showers 87 NE 12 kt – 38%

Source: National Weather Service (office MFL). Forecast issued 0942Z.

Radar

Radar data: NOAA/NWS MRMS composite reflectivity. For situational awareness only, not a substitute for an official weather briefing.

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RUNWAYS & WIND
Crosswind calculator
No runway layout is available for 17FA. Enter a runway number or heading to estimate wind components.
RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

3 runways · longest 6,000 ft

18/36
Dimensions
2,500 x 94 ft
Surface
Turf
RWY 18
Traffic patternLeft
RWY 36
Displaced threshold500 ft
Traffic patternLeft
03W/21W
Dimensions
5,000 x 400 ft
Surface
Water
RWY 03W
RWY 21W
09W/27W
Dimensions
6,000 x 400 ft
Surface
Water
RWY 09W
RWY 27W

Runway data from the FAA NASR dataset (effective 2026-06-11). Verify with the current Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.

FIELD CONDITIONS

Field elevation

Field elevation
18 ft MSL

Density and pressure altitude need a current temperature and altimeter from the METAR.

DAYLIGHT & NIGHT

Sun & logging windows

Sunset
2249Z 6:49 PM
Sunrise
1131Z 7:31 AM
Loggable night
2313Z (7:13 PM local) → 1107Z (7:07 AM local)
end of evening to start of morning civil twilight
Position lights required
2249Z (6:49 PM local) → 1131Z (7:31 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
2349Z (7:49 PM local) → 1031Z (6:31 AM local)
1 hr after sunset to 1 hr before sunrise (61.57(b))

FAA definitions, shown in Zulu with airport-local time. Verify for your operation.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Facility & services

Cotton Strip is in La Belle, Florida. Field elevation 18 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPrivately owned
UsePrivate use
TypeSmall airport
ManagerMICHAEL SHULTS
Manager phone(863) 885-1292
AttendedContinuous (24 hours)
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATA17FA
SectionalMIAMI
Center (ARTCC)MIAMI
Flight service (AFSS)MIAMI
RegionFlorida
CountryUnited States
Coordinates26.7134, -81.5354
Distance from city6 NM SW
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Control towerNon-towered
AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

17FA traffic patterns

2026-06-18 to 2026-09-18, 3 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Insufficient confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
0
AVG OPS/DAY
1
Operations trend (1 days)

Busiest day: Sun · Busiest month: Jul

FLEET MIX
Helicopter 100%

Mostly rotorcraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›R44 (Helicopter) · ~1 landings/mo
›B06 (Helicopter) · ~0 landings/mo
Data limitations (4)
›ADS-B coverage is incomplete; counts are an observed lower bound, not official totals.
›Some aircraft do not transmit usable ADS-B and are not counted.
›Aircraft types and based estimates are inferred and may be wrong.
›This is not official ATC, FAA, or airport data.
NEARBY AIRPORTS

Weather reference stations

17FA has no on-field report. Nearest reporting station: KRSW (16 NM SW, VFR).

KRSW Southwest Florida International Airport
16 NM SW
VFR
KFMY Page Field
19 NM SW
VFR
KPGD Punta Gorda Airport
27 NM NW
VFR
KAPF Naples Municipal Airport
36 NM S
VFR
KMKY Marco Island Executive Airport
44 NM S
VFR
KSEF Sebring Regional Airport
46 NM N
VFR
AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›VFR ONLY; PVT USE.
›TIE DOWN CHARGE
›FOR CD CTC FORT MYERS APCH AT 239-768-1377, WHEN APCH CLSD CTC MIAMI ARTCC AT 305-716-1731.
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗17FA on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does 17FA have a METAR?
No on-field METAR is issued for 17FA. This page uses the nearest reporting station as a reference.
Does 17FA have a TAF?
No TAF is issued directly for 17FA. Use the nearest TAF-issuing field as a planning reference.
What is the field elevation at 17FA?
17FA sits at 18 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for 17FA?
No. wxdecoder.com is for education and situational awareness only. It is not an official weather briefing or a substitute for official sources, NOTAM review, and pilot judgment.
This app is for aviation weather education, training, and situational awareness only. It is not a substitute for an official weather briefing, approved flight-planning software, flight service, dispatch procedures, current FAA regulations, or pilot judgment. Always verify weather with official sources before flight.