KSMX/SMX METAR & TAF Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field

Santa Maria, CaliforniaElevation 261 ftMedium airport

CURRENT STATUS

VFRMore than 1 hour old

No ceiling, visibility 10 SM.

FLIGHT CATEGORY

VFR

ceiling & visibility

WIND

320@11

steady

VISIBILITY

10 SM

16.1 km

CEILING

None

no BKN/OVC layer

DENSITY ALT

786 ft

+525 ft vs field

CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 2351Z (4:51 PM local) · More than 1 hour old

KSMX is currently VFR. Winds are from the northwest at 11 knots. Visibility is 10 statute miles. There is no ceiling.

WIND

320° at 11 kt

Steady.

VISIBILITY

10 statute miles

16.1 km, good.

CEILING & SKY

CLR

FEW and SCT layers are not ceilings.

TEMP / DEWPOINT

20°C / 15°C

68°F / 59°F. 5°C spread.

ALTIMETER

30.05 inHg

1017.6 hPa, near standard.

WEATHER & HAZARDS

No significant hazards

No precipitation or obscuration reported.

Codes in this report: CLR RMK AO2

Hover or tap any group for a plain-English explanation.

REMARKS: DECODED

AO2

automated station with a precipitation discriminator (can tell rain from snow)

SLP176

sea-level pressure 1017.6 hPa

T02000150

precise temperature 20.0°C, dew point 15.0°C

10239

6-hour maximum temperature 23.9°C

20200

6-hour minimum temperature 20.0°C

55004

3-hour pressure tendency: falling then rising (0.4 hPa change)

station needs maintenance

TERMINAL AERODROME FORECAST

TAF timeline

Issued 2331Z (4:31 PM local) · valid to 0000Z (5:00 PM local)

KSMX forecast starts VFR at 00Z. Worst period is 10Z to 16Z with LIFR possible (FG, LOW CIG, LOW VIS). Best period is 00Z to 03Z (VFR). Conditions are roughly steady over the period.

VFR

BKN006600 ft · 5 SM

VV001100 ft · 0.5 SM

VFR

0000Z5:00 PM0448Z9:48 PM0936Z2:36 AM1424Z7:24 AM1912Z12:12 PM0000Z5:00 PM

Codes in this report: P6SM SKC BR BKN FG VV SCT

Tap any group to decode it.

FAA: no delays reported at SMX.

Source: FAA System Operations (ASWS). Operational status only; verify with official FAA sources and NOTAMs.

SUGGESTED RISK · TRAINING USE

Suggested risk level: Low

›Forecast: ceiling 600 ft AGL.

A suggested risk level for training and situational awareness only, not a go/no-go authority. Verify with official sources and apply your personal minimums.

FORECAST & PILOT NOTES · SUPPLEMENTAL

Extended forecast and pilot notes

Current aviation conditions show flight category VFR, wind from 320° at 11 kt, visibility 10 SM, ceiling none. Forecast suggests this afternoon partly sunny, high near 74F, low near 52F, 1% chance of precipitation. Key risks: no significant hazards are highlighted right now, but always confirm against an official briefing.

Day	Conditions	Temp F	Wind	Gusts	Precip
This Afternoon	Partly Sunny	74/52	WNW 9 kt	–	1%
Monday	Patchy Fog	72/52	NNW 13 kt	–	0%
Tuesday	Patchy Fog	73/52	N 13 kt	17 kt	0%
Wednesday	Patchy Fog then Mostly Cloudy	70/51	N 9 kt	–	0%
Thursday	Mostly Cloudy	69/50	NW 9 kt	–	9%
Friday	Mostly Sunny	66/48	NNW 13 kt	–	16%
Saturday	Slight Chance Rain Showers	64/48	N 9 kt	–	39%

Source: National Weather Service (office LOX). Forecast issued 0050Z.

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

2 runways · crosswind ranking

ON-FIELD METAR

READING THE BARB · SWIPE FOR MORE →

Calm

5 kt

10 kt

15 kt

20 kt

25 kt

30 kt

35 kt

40 kt

45 kt

50 kt

65 kt

75 kt

100 kt

105 kt

Half feather = 5 kt, full = 10 kt, filled pennant = 50 kt; add them up. The staff points the direction the wind blows from.

WIND USED

320° at 11 kt

Components computed from the current on-field METAR wind.

RECOMMENDED

RWY 3011 kt headwind · 1 kt crosswind

RUNWAYS BY WIND · best end

HEAD

11 kt

CROSS

1 kt R

BEST

HEAD

3 kt

CROSS

11 kt L

X-WIND

HEAD

3 kt tail

CROSS

11 kt R

X-WIND

HEAD

11 kt tail

CROSS

1 kt L

Components are estimates from the current METAR wind and runway heading. Verify with the Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.

RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

2 runways · longest 8,004 ft

02/20

Dimensions

5,199 x 75 ft

Surface

Asphalt (good)

RWY 0236°T

Landing length (LDA)5,199 ft

TORA / TODA / ASDA5,199 / 5,199 / 5,199 ft

Traffic patternRight

RWY 20216°T

Landing length (LDA)5,199 ft

TORA / TODA / ASDA5,199 / 5,199 / 5,199 ft

Traffic patternLeft

12/30

Dimensions

8,004 x 150 ft

Surface

Asphalt (fair)

Edge lights

HIGH

RWY 12135°T

Landing length (LDA)8,004 ft

TORA / TODA / ASDA8,004 / 8,004 / 8,004 ft

ILSILS/DME

Approach lightsMALSR

VGSIPAPI (P4R)

Traffic patternRight

RWY 30315°T

Landing length (LDA)8,004 ft

TORA / TODA / ASDA8,004 / 8,004 / 8,004 ft

VGSIPAPI (P4R)

Traffic patternLeft

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

FIELD CONDITIONS

Performance & density altitude

Density altitude

786 ft

Pressure altitude

131 ft

Field elevation

261 ft MSL

Temperature

20°C (68°F)

Dewpoint

15°C (59°F)

Altimeter

30.05 inHg

Density altitude estimates how the aircraft performs versus standard atmosphere. Higher density altitude reduces climb performance and increases takeoff distance.

DAYLIGHT & NIGHT

Sun & logging windows

Sunset

0115Z 6:15 PM

Sunrise

1417Z 7:17 AM

Loggable night

0140Z (6:40 PM local) → 1351Z (6:51 AM local)

end of evening to start of morning civil twilight

Position lights required

0115Z (6:15 PM local) → 1417Z (7:17 AM local)

sunset to sunrise (91.209)

Night passenger currency

0215Z (7:15 PM local) → 1317Z (6:17 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

Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field is in Santa Maria, California. Field elevation 261 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT

OwnershipPublicly owned

UseOpen to the public

TypeMedium airport

Airline serviceYes

ManagerMARTIN PEHL

Manager phone805-922-1726

AttendedDaily, 0600–2200

CHARTS & AIRSPACE

ICAO / IATAKSMX / SMX

SectionalLOS ANGELES

Center (ARTCC)LOS ANGELES

Flight service (AFSS)HAWTHORNE

RegionCalifornia

CountryUnited States

Coordinates34.8989, -120.4570

Distance from city3 NM S

SERVICES & LIGHTING

Fuel100LL · Jet A

Control towerTowered

Field lightingSee remarks

BeaconSunset to sunrise · White-green (lighted land airport)

CTAF118.300

UNICOM122.950

FREQUENCIES

Communications

124.15

SANTA BARB APP/DEP

A/D

121.15

ATIS

118.3

CTAF

119.05

LOS ANGELES CENTER

CTR

121.9

GND

111

HAWTHORNE RDO

RDO

118.3

TWR

122.95

UNICOM

UNIC

122.950

UNICOM

Not all tower/ground/approach frequencies are in our datasets. Verify with the FAA Chart Supplement.

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

KSMX traffic patterns

2026-06-12 to 2026-10-23, 70 days observed · data 2026-10-23

High confidence

TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)

AVG LANDINGS/DAY

24.3

AVG OPS/DAY

Operations trend (18 days)

Busiest day: Sat · Busiest month: Jul

FLEET MIX

Piston single 38%Unknown 26%Turboprop 13%Jet 9%Airliner 6%Helicopter 6%Twin 2%

Mostly small piston aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES

›C172 (Piston single) · ~114 landings/mo

›P28A (Piston single) · ~45 landings/mo

›C208 (Turboprop) · ~35 landings/mo

›UNKN (Unknown) · ~30 landings/mo

›C182 (Piston single) · ~17 landings/mo

LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT

Low-confidence estimate

Aircraft likely based near this airport (estimate), mostly rotorcraft.

›EC35 (Helicopter)

›AC90 (Unknown)

›CC11 (Unknown)

›C172 (Piston single)

›BE20 (Turboprop)

This is an estimate based on repeated flight patterns, not registration data. Do not rely on it to identify specific aircraft or owners.

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

Current flight category at nearby reporting stations.

KVBG Vandenberg Space Force Base

12 NM SW

VFR

KLPC Lompoc Airport

14 NM S

VFR

KSBP San Luis County Regional Airport

22 NM NW

VFR

KIZA Santa Ynez Airport

26 NM SE

VFR

KSBA Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

42 NM SE

VFR

KPRB Paso Robles Municipal Airport

47 NM N

VFR

AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›TRANSIENT PILOTS REMAIN CLEAR OF COMMERCIAL RAMP AND TERMINAL.

›SELF SERVE FUEL 100LL AVBL 24 HRS LOCATED NORTH OF TOWER.

›CALM WIND LESS THAN 8 KNOTS USE RWY 30.

›RWY 02/20 NOT AVBL FOR PART 121/PART 380 OPS WITH SKED PAX CARRYING OPS MORE THAN 9 PAX SEATS AND NON-SKED PAX CARRYING OPS MORE THAN 30 PAX SEATS.

›NO TGL OPNS; LANDING PRACTICE OR PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APPROACHES 2200-0700.

›PORTIONS OF TWY J NOT VISIBLE FM ATCT & UNLGTD.

›NUMEROUS BIRDS ON AND INVOF ARPT.

›CAUTION PARALLEL LGTD ROAD LESS THAN 1/4 MILE NW OF RY 12/30.

›TPA 1000; TURBOJET & PURE JET 1500.

›CLSD TO SUPPLL PART 121 AND PART 135 ACR OPNS EXCP 24 HRS PPR, CALL AMGR (805) 922-1726 WKDAYS 0800-1700.

›WHEN ATCT CLSD ACTVT MALSR RWY 12; PAPI RWY 30; HIRL RWY 12/30; TWY LIGHTS - CTAF. PAPI RWY 12 OPER CONSLY.

›ACFT FUEL SERVICING AVAILABLE 129.975.

›PCR VALUE: 442/F/B/X/U

›PCR VALUE: 200/F/A/Y/T

OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES

↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov

↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)

↗Wikipedia

↗KSMX on OurAirports

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Does KSMX have a METAR?

Yes. KSMX has a current METAR observation, decoded into plain English on this page.

Does KSMX have a TAF?

Yes, a TAF is issued for KSMX; the decoded forecast timeline is shown above.

What is the field elevation at KSMX?

KSMX sits at 261 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.

Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KSMX?

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.