KMKJ · Mountain Empire Airport

RURAL RETREAT, VIRGINIA · SMALL AIRPORT

2,558

Elevation ft

Runway

5,252

Longest ft · 08/26

36.89N

81.35W

Mountain Empire Airport serves Rural Retreat, Virginia at 2,558 ft elevation with its longest runway, 08/26, at 5,252 by 75 ft. The figures below are computed from FAA NASR runway data (via OurAirports) and the same rules of thumb JetDesk uses on the airport page in the app; the POH and current NOTAMs are the authority.

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01Runways

Runway	Length × width	Surface	Lighting
08/26	5,252 × 75 ft	asphalt	lit

02Density altitude and turboprop runway margins

Standard temperature at 2,558 ft is about 10°C. Every 1,000 ft of density altitude adds roughly 8 percent to a turboprop's takeoff distance and 5 percent to its landing distance. The table uses Piper Meridian book numbers (2,438 ft takeoff and 2,110 ft landing over a 50 ft obstacle at sea level, ISA, max weight) as a reference airplane; heavier turboprops and light jets scale the same way from their own POH figures.

Conditions	Density altitude	Takeoff est.	Landing est.	Landing × 1.5
Standard day (ISA, 10°C)	2,558 ft	2,937 ft	2,380 ft	3,570 ft
Warm day (ISA +10)	3,758 ft	3,171 ft	2,506 ft	3,760 ft
Hot day (ISA +20)	4,958 ft	3,405 ft	2,633 ft	3,950 ft
35°C afternoon	5,572 ft	3,525 ft	2,698 ft	4,047 ft

Planning aid only. Even on a 35°C afternoon the longest runway (08/26, 5,252 ft) covers a Meridian-class turboprop's landing distance with a 50 percent margin (4,047 ft needed). The percentages are a generic rule of thumb applied to one reference airplane, not certified performance data for any specific aircraft, and the runway size categories describe the runway, not your airplane's suitability. Verify with the approved flight manual before every flight.

03Nearby fields with 5,000 ft or more

Useful as alternates, as fuel stops when the price at KMKJ is high, or as the longer runway on a hot afternoon.

Airport	Distance	Longest runway
KGEV Ashe County Airport	28 nm S	5,002 ft
KVJI Virginia Highlands Airport	35 nm W	5,500 ft
KPSK New River Valley Airport	35 nm NE	6,201 ft
KUKF Wilkes County Airport	42 nm S	6,201 ft
KMWK Mount Airy Surry County Airport	46 nm SE	5,500 ft
KBCB Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport	49 nm NE	5,501 ft

04Jet A prices and FBOs at KMKJ

No public API publishes FBO fuel prices, so JetDesk does not guess. Pilots and crews log the price they actually paid at KMKJ, the app flags a price stale after two weeks, and the route finder ranks every field within a corridor of your route by net savings after the cost of the extra cycle. Log a price at KMKJ or read what a fuel stop actually saves.

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