(606) 679-7908 500 W.O. Newell Drive, Somerset, KY 42501 CTAF 122.8 · AWOS-3 120.050
02

Field data and approaches.

What a transient or based pilot asks the desk at KSME, with the FAA record as the spine: frequencies, both runway ends, the lights, the minimums off the current plates, services, fees, hangars, hours and the fields within fifty miles. Lake Cumberland Regional Airport, Somerset, Kentucky, three miles south of downtown and eleven minutes from the lake.

  • CTAF / UNICOM122.8
  • AWOS-3120.050
  • ILS I-SME · RWY 05109.3
  • Indianapolis Center124.625
  • Runway 05/235,801 × 100 ft
  • Elevation927 ft
02FAA Chart Supplement SE p.303 and NASR, effective 29 Oct 2026

Frequencies and field data.

Class E surface area, no tower, no ATIS. Weather comes from the field's own AWOS-3 every twenty minutes, IFR clearances from Indianapolis Center or by phone, and the briefing from Louisville Flight Service.

Frequencies

CTAF / UNICOM122.8
AWOS-3120.050phone (606) 679-5710
ILS/DME I-SME, Rwy 05109.3Chan 30 · course 048°
Indianapolis Center124.625371.925 UHF · London RCAG
Clearance delivery317-247-2411by phone, no RCO on the field
Flight Service1-800-WX-BRIEFLouisville FSS
London VOR/DMELOZ 116.55 · 276° / 24.3 NM
Livingston VOR/DMELVT 114.35IAF for the ILS
NOTAM fileSMENOTAM-D · current NOTAMs

FAA Chart Supplement SE p.303, effective 29 Oct to 26 Nov 2026 · approach and departure: Indianapolis Center

The field

IdentifiersFAA SME · ICAO KSME · IATA SME
Elevation927 ft MSLsurveyed 927.3 ft
Reference point37°03'12.9"N 84°36'56.3"W37.0536, -84.6156
Magnetic variation5°WFAA 2005 epoch · 5.81°W by WMM-2025 for Nov 2026
AirspaceClass E surface area · no control tower · no ATIS
Pattern1,927 MSL / 1,000 AGLleft traffic both runways · altitude from the airport's site; the FAA publishes none
SectionalCincinnati, edition of 29 Oct 2026
Based aircraft4932 single, 3 multi, 7 jet, 7 helicopter · FAA 5010
AttendedMon–Fri 0700–1800 · Sat–Sun 0800–1800 · hours and after-hours
ActivatedAugust 1952 · last FAA inspection 15 Apr 2025

FAA NASR and Form 5010, effective 29 Oct 2026 · pattern altitude: flylcra.com, read 8 Nov 2026

Section of the FAA Cincinnati sectional chart around Somerset, Kentucky: the magenta Lake Cumberland Regional (SME) airport symbol inside its dashed Class E surface area, the data block reading AWOS-3 120.05, 927, L 58, 122.8, the Wayne County (EKQ) airport to the south-west, the London VOR box (116.55 LOZ) at the right, and the blue arms of Lake Cumberland across the lower half
The field on the Cincinnati sectional: the Class E surface area, the AWOS and CTAF block, Wayne County to the south-west and the London VOR to the east. FAA VFR chart, edition of 29 Oct 2026, public domain. Not for navigation.
03FAA NASR runway record, effective 29 Oct 2026 · imagery KyFromAbove 2023

Runway 05/23, end by end.

One asphalt runway in good condition, true 043 and 223, magnetic about 048 and 228. Both thresholds are displaced, so the landing distance is shorter than the pavement: 5,287 feet on 05 and 5,500 feet on 23.

  • 5,801 ftlength
  • 100 ftwidth
  • 18/F/C/X/TPCN
  • 48.5 · 68 · 125S · D · 2D, thousands lb
  • 043° / 223°true alignment

FAA NASR, effective 29 Oct 2026 · Asphalt, good condition · MIRL · PAPI · REIL, pilot-controlled on CTAF · 2018 state pavement index: runway 75, apron 84, taxiway 87

Both ends

Runway end0523
Threshold elevation910.8 ft921.0 ft
MarkingsPrecisionNon-precision
Displaced threshold514 ft300 ft
PAPIP2R · 3.00° · TCH 60 ftP2L · 3.00° · TCH 54 ft
REILYesYes
Traffic patternLeftLeft
TORA / TODA / ASDA5,800 ft5,800 ft
Landing distance (LDA)5,287 ft5,500 ft
Controlling obstacle13-ft tree, 289 ft from the threshold, 32 ft right17-ft tree, 281 ft from the threshold, 317 ft right
Straight-in approachesILS or LOC · RNAV (GPS) with LPVRNAV (GPS) with LP

FAA NASR runway-end records, effective 29 Oct 2026 · TORA, TODA and ASDA as declared · obstacles measured from each threshold

Orthophoto looking straight down on the terminal area: the terminal building and its car park at lower left, the wide concrete apron with painted tie-down rows, two large corporate hangars and two T-hangar rows at the right, and the taxiway connector running up to Runway 05/23 along the top edge
The terminal, the FBO apron and the hangar rows, with the runway along the top of the frame. Imagery: KyFromAbove, Kentucky Division of Geographic Information (2023), public domain.
04FAA Chart Supplement SE, effective 29 Oct 2026 · Kentucky Dept. of Aviation ledger

Lights on request, keyed on 122.8.

The edge lights, both PAPIs and both sets of REILs are pilot-controlled on the CTAF. The whole field was relit with LEDs and a new beacon between 2020 and 2022.

The remark, as printed

ACTVT REIL RWY 05 & 23; PAPI RWY 05 & 23; MIRL RWY 05/23 - CTAF.FAA Chart Supplement SE p.303, airport remarks, effective 29 Oct 2026

Key the lights on 122.8 before you need them. At night the beacon runs on its own.

Runway edge
MIRL, Rwy 05/23
PAPI
PAPI (P2R) Rwy 05 · PAPI (P2L) Rwy 23
REIL
Rwy 05 and Rwy 23
Beacon
White & green · sunset to sunrise
Wind indicator
Lighted · segmented circle
Relight
332 LED fixtures and a new beacon, 2020 to 2022, $1.2 million state-funded

Chart Supplement SE and NASR, effective 29 Oct 2026 · relight: Kentucky Department of Aviation closed-projects ledger, Airfield Lighting $1,200,000 (2022)

05FAA d-TPP cycle 2611, 29 Oct to 26 Nov 2026 · plates read 8 Nov 2026

Approaches and minimums.

Three procedures to the one runway: an ILS the City of Somerset owns and operates, an LPV down to 250 feet, and GPS to Runway 23. The lines below are read from the current plates. Fly the plate, not the page.

Straight-in minimums

LineDA / MDAHATVis A/BVis C/D
ILS or LOC RWY 5Amdt 1, 02 Oct 2025 · DME required
S-ILS 5DA 1,4825551⅝ SM1⅝ SM
S-LOC 5MDA 1,5406131 SM1¾ SM
RNAV (GPS) RWY 5Orig-C, 21 Mar 2024 · WAAS CH 65941 · W05A
LPVDA 1,177250¾ SM¾ SM
LNAV/VNAVDA 1,5476201¾ SM1¾ SM
LNAVMDA 1,4805531 SM1⅝ SM
RNAV (GPS) RWY 23Amdt 2A, 21 Mar 2024 · WAAS CH 53641 · W23A
LPMDA 1,5806531 SM1⅞ SM
LNAVMDA 1,6607331 SM2 SM

DA and MDA in feet MSL, HAT in feet · the LPV is the lowest approach on the field · plates AL-5424 (FAA), cycle 2611

Circling

FromCat ACat BCat C and D
Runway 5 procedures (ILS, LOC, RNAV) 1,580 · 1 SMHAA 6531,700 · 1 SMHAA 7732,100 · 3 SMHAA 1,173
RNAV (GPS) RWY 23 1,660 · 1 SMHAA 7331,700 · 1 SMHAA 7732,100 · 3 SMHAA 1,173
Takeoff
Takeoff Minimums Amdt 4A. Runway 23 amended to 300-1½ by FDC 5/0494. The SE-1 takeoff minimums page carries Runway 05 and the departure procedure.
Alternate
Not authorised when local weather is not available. SE-1 alternate minimums.

Circling MDAs as printed on the cycle 2611 plates · takeoff and alternate minimums: FAA d-TPP SE-1

ILS/DME I-SME, the restrictions

GS unusable beyond 3° left and 6° right of course; autopilot-coupled approach NA below 1,620 ft; DME unusable beyond 20° right of course.FAA NASR ILS record for I-SME, effective 29 Oct 2026

The plate adds that DME is required and that the Monticello (EKQ) altimeter setting raises the ILS DA to 1,526 feet when the local setting is not received. CAT I, localizer 109.3 on channel 30, glideslope 332.0 MHz, owned and operated by the City of Somerset.

Restrictions quoted from the FAA record · plate notes read from the cycle 2611 ILS or LOC RWY 5 plate, 8 Nov 2026

The plates

FAA charts · always current Takeoff minimums · SE-1 Alternate minimums · SE-1 NOTAM search · SME
FAA instrument approach plate, ILS or LOC RWY 5 at Lake Cumberland Regional (SME), AL-5424: plan view with the 048 degree localizer course from Livingston VOR over SITOW and HIPOD, the missed approach climbing right to 5,000 feet, the profile view and the minimums table
ILS or LOC RWY 5 · Amdt 1, 02 Oct 2025 · cycle 2611, not for navigation
FAA instrument approach plate, RNAV (GPS) RWY 5 at Lake Cumberland Regional (SME): plan view with the 045 degree final from TOOLY over JIBEX, the terminal arrival areas, the missed approach to AZLEC, the profile view and the LPV, LNAV/VNAV, LNAV and circling minimums
RNAV (GPS) RWY 5 · Orig-C, 21 Mar 2024 · cycle 2611, not for navigation
FAA instrument approach plate, RNAV (GPS) RWY 23 at Lake Cumberland Regional (SME): plan view with the 228 degree final from AZLEC over HITFO and BABME, the missed approach to TOOLY, the profile view and the LP, LNAV and circling minimums
RNAV (GPS) RWY 23 · Amdt 2A, 21 Mar 2024 · cycle 2611, not for navigation

Plates expire every 28 days; this cycle ends 26 Nov 2026. No FAA airport diagram is published for SME. Not for navigation: fly the current plate, get a briefing, check NOTAMs.

06FAA Chart Supplement SE p.303 and NASR navaid records, effective 29 Oct 2026

Navaids, airspace and who to call.

No tower and no radar on the field. Indianapolis Center works the airspace through the London remote site; on the ground, clearances come by phone.

Navaids

ILS/DME I-SME109.3 · Chan 30Rwy 05 · CAT I · course 048° · GS 332.0 MHz · City of Somerset
London VOR/DMELOZ 116.55 · 276° / 24.3 NMradial and distance to the field
Livingston VOR/DMELVT 114.35 · Chan 90(Y)IAF for the ILS · R-046 to SITOW
RNAV (GPS) RWY 5WAAS CH 65941 · W05AIAF TOOLY · FAF JIBEX · missed to AZLEC
RNAV (GPS) RWY 23WAAS CH 53641 · W23AIAF AZLEC · FAF HITFO · missed to TOOLY
MSA3,600 ftwithin 25 NM of SME, ILS plate

NASR navaid and ILS records, effective 29 Oct 2026 · WAAS channels, fixes and MSA from the cycle 2611 plates

Airspace and ATC

Airspace
Class E surface area · no control tower · no ATIS
CTAF
122.8 · UNICOM 122.8
Center
Indianapolis Center 124.625371.925 UHF · London RCAG
Clearance
317-247-2411clearance delivery by phone
Flight Service
1-800-WX-BRIEFLouisville FSS · NOTAM file SME
Weather
AWOS-3 120.050(606) 679-5710 · METAR every 20 min · TAF by NWS Jackson
Pattern
1,927 MSL / 1,000 AGLleft traffic both runways
Traffic
Air-medical helicopters are based on the field (PHI Air Medical, since June 2022); Somerset Community College trains here
Conditions and forecast NOTAMs

Chart Supplement SE p.303, effective 29 Oct 2026 · pattern altitude from the airport's site · PHI base: Commonwealth Journal, 8 Jun 2022

07FAA Form 5010, effective 29 Oct 2026 · flylcra.com, read 8 Nov 2026

Services on the field.

The Airport Board runs the FBO itself; there is no third-party operator. The FAA records the basics and the airport lists the rest.

What the FAA records

Fuel
100LL and Jet A with Prist · posted prices
Repair
Minor airframe and powerplant (S2)
Parking
Transient hangars and tie-downs
Air ambulance
On the field
Landing fee
None in the FAA record. The airport's own schedule says call for price; most fees are waived with a qualifying fuel purchase.
ARFF
Index A, available on request
Air carrier
Closed to unscheduled operations with more than 30 seats
Customs
Not a customs airport
Military
Landing rights

FAA Form 5010 and NASR, effective 29 Oct 2026 · landing fee: flylcra.com/fees, read 8 Nov 2026

What the airport lists

  • 100LL and Jet Afull service by truck, self-serve 24/7
  • Courtesy and crew carscomplimentary, two-hour limit
  • Pilot loungewith a flight-planning area
  • Wi-Fi
  • GPU$75 per use
  • Lavatory service
  • Passenger terminalcomplimentary refreshments
  • Hangar rentals and tie-downsovernight and monthly
  • Rental vehiclesEnterprise, 1.5 miles

Third-party directories add catering, a conference room and pilot supplies. The airport's own list does not, so ask the desk before you count on them.

Courtesy cars Fuel and discounts

flylcra.com/api/airport-info, read 8 Nov 2026 · third-party items: FlightAware and AirNav listings

08flylcra.com/fees and /api/hangars, read 8 Nov 2026 · GlobalAir, FBO-entered

Fees and hangars.

The airport publishes its own schedule and says most fees are waived with a qualifying fuel purchase. Call the desk for a landing-fee quote; the ramp fees below are the ones the FBO entered on GlobalAir.

Fee schedule

Landing feeCall for priceFAA record: none
GPUPer use$75
Courtesy carTwo-hour limit · first come, first served · no reservations$0
Overnight hangarGeneral aviation · by availability$50
Overnight hangarCorporate · by availability$100
Ramp feeSuper-midsize jetFBO-entered on GlobalAir, 8 Oct 2026$100
Ramp feeHeavy jetFBO-entered on GlobalAir, 8 Oct 2026$200
Fuel100LL, full service · per gallon, taxes includedevery price, discounts and contract fuel · posted 8 Nov 2026$6.85

Airport schedule, flylcra.com/fees, read 8 Nov 2026 · "most fees are waived with a qualifying fuel purchase" · ramp fees as entered by the FBO on GlobalAir

Hangars and rates

  • $275per monthT-hangar, Row A41 × 32 ft · manual sliding doormonthly
  • $313.50per monthT-hangar, Row B42 × 32 ft · bi-fold electric doormonthly
  • AskavailabilityCorporate hangarcurrently home to two light jets and a super-midsizecorporate
  • Basedon the fieldCommunity hangarair-medical helicopterscommunity
  • $50 / $100per nightOvernightgeneral aviation / corporate, by availability; tie-downs on the ramptransient

For the T-hangar waitlist, send the airport a note or call the desk at (606) 679-7908. A 12,000 sq ft storage hangar is in design with FY2025 FAA funding.

flylcra.com/api/hangars, read 8 Nov 2026 · storage hangar design: FAA AIP FY2025, $153,900

Orthophoto of the hangar ramp across the runway from the terminal: a row of hangars including one with SOMERSET painted on its roof, a concrete ramp with a marked helipad, the parallel taxiway with two connectors, and Runway 05/23 along the bottom of the frame; large flat-roofed buildings with full car parks sit at the upper left
The hangar ramp across the runway from the terminal, with the parallel taxiway and its connectors. Imagery: KyFromAbove, Kentucky Division of Geographic Information (2023), public domain.
09FAA NASR attendance record, effective 29 Oct 2026 · flylcra.com and AirNav, read 8 Nov 2026

Attended hours.

The FBO desk keeps the FAA's published hours. The pump never closes. For anything after the desk closes, call ahead.

The desk

Attended now FBO desk until 6 pm · full-service fuel Self-serve only pump open 24/7
Mon to Fri
7 a.m. to 6 p.m.1200–2300Z‡
Sat and Sun
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.1300–2300Z‡ · FAA record
Self-serve fuel
24 hours100LL and Jet A at the pump
Clock
Eastern time · ‡ one hour earlier in daylight time

Open with the airport: the weekend opening hour. The FAA record says 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday; the airport's own site and AirNav say 7 a.m. every day. The sign above follows the FAA record until the airport confirms. If you need the desk at 7 on a weekend, call first.

After hours

AirNav carries the airport's line that after-hours operations are available on request. The airport has not published an after-hours number or procedure, and pilots' reports run both ways: one found the building locked at 7:30 in the evening, another was met by the line crew with a courtesy van. Arrange it before you depart.

After the desk closes you can still fuel at the pump, tie down on the ramp, and reach the AWOS on 120.050 or (606) 679-5710.

Call ahead · (606) 679-7908 Courtesy cars

FAA NASR: Mon–Fri 0700–1800 · Sat–Sun 0800–1800 · The airport advertises 7 am to 6 pm every day; self-serve fuel is available 24/7 · after-hours: AirNav FBO record and pilot comments, 26 Apr 2024 and 28 Jul 2026

10Distances and true bearings from the KSME reference point · FAA NASR, effective 29 Oct 2026

Fields within fifty miles.

Alternates and fuel stops around the lake, by distance from the reference point. Weather frequencies and phones appear where the research sheet carries them; the Chart Supplement has the rest.

FieldNMTrueWeather
KEKQWayne County · Monticello, KY 16.5 224° AWOS-3PT 118.825(606) 348-0862
18IMcCreary County · Pine Knot, KY 24.1 153° No weather sensor
KBYLWilliamsburg-Whitley County · Williamsburg, KY 25.2 128° AWOS-3 119.575
KLOZLondon-Corbin, Magee Field · London, KY 26.3 085° ASOS 119.075 · TAF
KDVKStuart Powell Field · Danville, KY 32.2 347° Not listed
KRGACentral Kentucky Regional · Richmond, KY 37.2 021° Not listed
KAASTaylor County · Campbellsville, KY 38.1 299° Not listed
6I2Hoerter Field · Lebanon-Springfield, KY 46.0 320° Not listed
KJAUCampbell County · Jacksboro, TN 48.3 153° Not listed
1A6Middlesboro-Bell County · Middlesboro, KY 50.0 122° Not listed

Distances in nautical miles and true bearings from 37.053583, -84.615639 · FAA NASR, effective 29 Oct 2026 · weather frequencies and phones from the research sheet, 8 Nov 2026 · each identifier opens AirNav

11Outbound links checked 8 Nov 2026 · coordinates FAA NASR, effective 29 Oct 2026

Tools, coordinates and density altitude.

The sites pilots already use, pointed at KSME, plus the reference point in a form that pastes into a flight-planning app and the density altitudes a summer afternoon brings.

Reference point

37.053583, -84.615639
Degrees
37°03'12.9"N 84°36'56.3"W
Elevation
927 ft MSL
Variation
5°W5.81°W by WMM-2025, Nov 2026
ILS course
048° magnetic
Pattern
1,927 MSL / 1,000 AGL

Airport reference point, FAA NASR, effective 29 Oct 2026 · variation: FAA 2005 epoch and WMM-2025

Density altitude at 927 ft

Air temperatureDensity altitude
ISA, 13.2°C927 ft
15°C1,145 ft
25°C2,333 ft
30°C2,927 ft
35°C3,521 ft
38°C3,878 ft

Dry air at 29.92 inHg. The AWOS announces density altitude once it is 1,000 feet or more above the field. The live figure is on the conditions page.

Standard-atmosphere computation for the field elevation, research sheet 8 Nov 2026 · AWOS-3 120.050