WxDecoder

26SD Weather Shooting Star Ranch Heliport

Radip City, South DakotaElevation 3,902 ftHeliport
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE
Nearest report: KRAP · 10 NM E · 5 min old
Ceiling 300 ft, visibility 2 1/2 SM, mist.
No on-field report, so no field flight category. Conditions at the field may differ.
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE · KRAP
WIND
080@7
steady
VISIBILITY
2 1/2 SM
4 km
CEILING
300 ft
lowest BKN/OVC
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 80° at 9 kt, visibility 2.5 SM, temperature 1C. Treat this as supplemental, not an aviation observation. Forecast suggests tonight areas of fog, low near 32F, 72% chance of precipitation. Key risks: strong winds in the forecast.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES
Strong winds in the forecastWeather.gov
Tuesday: winds up to 31 kt. Re-check crosswind components closer to departure.
DayConditionsTemp FWindGustsPrecipPilot note
Tonight Areas Of Fog 32 E 5 kt – 72%
Monday Areas Of Fog 39/31 E 6 kt 14 kt 75%
Tuesday Sunny 61/35 SW 14 kt 31 kt 5% Strong winds in the forecast
Wednesday Sunny 60/36 SE 6 kt 17 kt 5%
Thursday Mostly Sunny 63/41 S 8 kt – 1%
Friday Partly Sunny 58/40 S 8 kt – 34%
Saturday Chance Light Rain 54/39 NW 5 kt – 32%
Sunday Partly Sunny then Chance Light Rain 57 SW 7 kt – 47%

Source: National Weather Service (office UNR). Forecast issued 0432Z.

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 26SD. Enter a runway number or heading to estimate wind components.
RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

1 runway · longest 20 ft

H1
Dimensions
20 x 20 ft
Surface
Turf
RWY H1

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
3,902 ft MSL

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

DAYLIGHT & NIGHT

Sun & logging windows

Sunset
2353Z 5:53 PM
Sunrise
1321Z 7:21 AM
Loggable night
0023Z (6:23 PM local) → 1251Z (6:51 AM local)
end of evening to start of morning civil twilight
Position lights required
2353Z (5:53 PM local) → 1321Z (7:21 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
0053Z (6:53 PM local) → 1221Z (6:21 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

Shooting Star Ranch Heliport is in Radip City, South Dakota. Field elevation 3,902 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPrivately owned
UsePrivate use
TypeHeliport
ManagerSTEPHEN ECKRICH
Manager phone605-343-2600
AttendedUNATNDD
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATA26SD
SectionalCHEYENNE
Center (ARTCC)DENVER
Flight service (AFSS)HURON
RegionSouth Dakota
CountryUnited States
Coordinates44.0275, -103.2870
Distance from city2 NM SW
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Control towerNon-towered
AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

26SD traffic patterns

2026-09-11 to 2026-09-11, 1 days observed · data 2026-10-23

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

Busiest day: Fri · Busiest month: Sep

FLEET MIX
Helicopter 100%

Mostly rotorcraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›B407 (Helicopter) · ~1 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

26SD has no on-field report. Nearest reporting station: KRAP (10 NM E, LIFR).

KRAP Rapid City Regional Airport
10 NM E
LIFR
KRCA Ellsworth Air Force Base
11 NM NE
LIFR
KSPF Black Hills Airport-Clyde Ice Field
35 NM NW
MVFR
KECS Mondell Field
45 NM W
MVFR
KIEN Pine Ridge Airport
69 NM SE
IFR
KCDR Chadron Municipal Airport
72 NM S
IFR
AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›PRVDD AREA IS MARKED, WIND INDICATOR IS MAINTAINED, THE 35 FT TREES 175 FT WEST ARE REMOVED, AND AVOID LOV FIXED WING AIRCRAFT PER 91.126 (B) (2)
›50 FT PLINE 1700 FT SOUTH OF PAD
›FOR CD CTC ELLSWORTH APCH AT 605-385-6198, WHEN APCH CLSD CTC DENVER ARTCC AT 303-651-4257.
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗26SD on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does 26SD have a METAR?
No on-field METAR is issued for 26SD. This page uses the nearest reporting station as a reference.
Does 26SD have a TAF?
No TAF is issued directly for 26SD. Use the nearest TAF-issuing field as a planning reference.
What is the field elevation at 26SD?
26SD sits at 3,902 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for 26SD?
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.