Chart Wise: Angel Fire, New Mexico (KAXX) RNAV (GPS) Rwy 17

Lone instrument approach presents challenging terrain and unique procedures.

Jason Blair

Friday, January 09, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Runway at Angel Fire Airport [Credit: Spencer Hamons]

Key Takeaways:

The RNAV GPS Rwy 17 approach at Angel Fire (KAXX) features high initial approach altitudes (12,700-12,800 ft) due to mountainous terrain.
Pilots must be aware of a critical course change from 157 degrees to 174 degrees after the Final Approach Fix (FAF) inbound to the runway.
The approach only provides LNAV minimums with an MDA of 9,960 feet MSL, and no WAAS-based glideslope is available.
The missed approach is complex, requiring a climb to 14,000 feet MSL with specific turns and a 4nm GPS hold, and the entire procedure is invalid if a local altimeter setting is not received.

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If you are headed up into the New Mexico mountains near Angel Fire for some winter skiing or summer mountain biking or hiking, you might just find yourself flying the one and only approach the airport (KAXX) has—the RNAV GPS to Runway 17.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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