Arlington is within 20 miles of 6 airports with control towers: Grand Prairie Municipal, Arlington Municipal, Dallas Fort Worth International, Dallas Executive, Fort Worth Meacham International and Dallas Love Field. Most planes you see over Arlington are taking off from or landing at one of them. Airports take off and land into the wind, so when the wind changes, the paths over Arlington change too.
Right now over Arlington
Live aircraft within about 8 miles of Arlington, updated every 30 seconds.
Hearing helicopters or sirens? Listen to the Tarrant County police scanner ↗
Which way the airports are landing right now
Planes take off and land into the wind. Here is the wind at each airport right now, and what it means for the planes over Arlington.
Tap the map to see how often planes pass over that spot. Zoom in with + and –, or pinch with two fingers. 📍 shows where you are. ⤢ goes back to the full view.
Arriving planes don’t fly straight to the runway. Controllers line them up like cars merging onto a highway, often 10 to 20 miles or more from the airport, and fly them along the side of the airport before turning them toward the runway. That is why a town several miles from an airport can sit right under the line of arriving planes, and why it changes when the airport switches direction.
Flight paths over Arlington: what the recorded flights show
We’ve recorded months of flights below 10,000 feet over this area. Here’s what they show for Arlington, and which way the wind sets the runways at each nearby airport. These are averages: any single day can be quieter or busier.
- Aircraft rarely fly right over the center of Arlington: under a minute a day on average.
- The busiest flight path near Arlington is about 1.1 miles east-northeast of the center of Arlington, where an aircraft is overhead about 3 minutes a day (very roughly 15 flights), usually around 1,600 ft above the main airport.
- There: 59% low, under 4,000 ft · 41% helicopters.
- It’s busiest on days the wind blows from the northwest (about 5 minutes a day), and quieter when it blows from the southeast (under a minute).
Which way the wind sets the runways
- Grand Prairie Municipal (GPM), 4.4 miles southeast: over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, it favored landing toward the south (runway 18) 76% of the time and toward the north (runway 36) 24%.
- Arlington Municipal (GKY), 5.0 miles south: over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, it favored landing toward the south (runway 16) 76% of the time and toward the north (runway 34) 24%. When GKY lands toward the south, arriving planes line up over or near Arlington on their way in. When GKY is using the north runways, departing planes climb out toward Arlington.
- Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW), 11.9 miles north-northeast: over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, it favored landing toward the south (runways 17C, 17L, 17R, 18L and 18R) 59% of the time and toward the north (runways 35C, 35L, 35R, 36L and 36R) 18%.
Estimated from the past year’s hourly winds (Nov 2025 to Oct 2026), counting the hours with at least a light breeze. The wind leads, but controllers also weigh noise rules, traffic and runway work, so the runway in use doesn’t always match.
Is your street under a flight path? Check your exact address →
Who controls the sky over Arlington
These air traffic control facilities keep the planes over Arlington safely apart. Each one has a free thank-you wall.
- GPMTowerGrand Prairie Municipal Tower (GPM)Takeoffs and landings at Grand Prairie MunicipalThank them →
- GKYTowerArlington Municipal Tower (GKY)Takeoffs and landings at Arlington MunicipalThank them →
- DFWTowerDallas-Fort Worth Tower (DFW)Takeoffs and landings at Dallas Fort Worth InternationalThank them →
- RBDTowerDallas Executive Tower (RBD)Takeoffs and landings at Dallas ExecutiveThank them →
- FTWTowerFort Worth Meacham Tower (FTW)Takeoffs and landings at Fort Worth Meacham InternationalThank them →
- DALTowerDallas Love Field Tower (DAL)Takeoffs and landings at Dallas Love FieldThank them →
- D10Approach controlDallas-Fort Worth TRACON (D10)Guides planes climbing out of and coming down into the airports around ArlingtonThank them →
- ZFWEn route centerFort Worth ARTCC (ZFW)Handles flights cruising high over ArlingtonThank them →
Why the flight paths over Arlington change
The wind
Airports use the runway that points most into the wind. When the wind swings around, arrivals and departures flip to the other end of the runway, and planes can start crossing a different part of Arlington. That often happens when a front or a line of storms moves through.
Storms
Controllers steer planes around thunderstorms, so on stormy afternoons flights can show up where you normally never see them, sometimes lower and closer together than usual.
Busy times
At busy times, controllers space arrivals a few miles apart and may extend the line of planes farther out, which can stretch the arrival path over more neighborhoods.
Training and small planes
Smaller airports nearby are home to flight schools. Student pilots practice takeoffs, landings and approaches, so you may see the same small plane circle back again and again.
Questions about aircraft noise in Arlington
Aircraft noise is handled by the airport, not by air traffic control. Each airport (usually run by a city, county or airport authority) has its own noise office and wants to hear about specific flights, so note the date and time. The airports near Arlington are:
- Grand Prairie Municipal (GPM)
- Arlington Municipal (GKY)
- Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW)
- Dallas Executive (RBD)
- Fort Worth Meacham International (FTW)
- Dallas Love Field (DAL)
To find the right noise office, search the airport’s name with the word “noise,” or use the FAA’s airport locator. If the airport can’t help, the FAA’s noise ombudsman can. FAA: Noise complaints and inquiries → · Find your airport’s noise office, and what helps at home →
Nearby towns
Every plane over Arlington is talking to a controller. Say thanks to the people who keep them safely apart.
Common questions
How many planes fly over Arlington a day?
Very few fly right over the center of Arlington. The busiest nearby path, about 1.1 miles east-northeast of the center, has an aircraft overhead about 3 minutes a day (very roughly 15 flights).
Which way does DFW usually land?
Over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, the wind favored Dallas Fort Worth International landing toward the south (runways 17C, 17L, 17R, 18L and 18R) 59% of the time and toward the north (runways 35C, 35L, 35R, 36L and 36R) 18%. Planes take off and land into the wind, so the direction flips when the wind does.
Why are planes flying so low over Arlington?
Planes low over Arlington are usually landing at or taking off from one of the nearby airports, such as Grand Prairie Municipal (GPM), 4 miles away. Air traffic controllers keep every one of them safely separated from the others.
Why are there more planes over Arlington some days?
Mostly because of the wind. Airports take off and land into the wind, so a wind shift can send arrivals or departures over different neighborhoods. Storms and busy travel days can also move or stretch the usual paths.
Which airport are the planes over Arlington going to?
The closest airports with control towers are Grand Prairie Municipal (GPM), Arlington Municipal (GKY), Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW), Dallas Executive (RBD), Fort Worth Meacham International (FTW), Dallas Love Field (DAL). Low planes are usually using one of these; higher jets are often passing over on the way somewhere else.
Who do I contact about airplane noise in Arlington?
The noise office of the airport the plane was using, not the control tower. Have the date and time ready. If the airport can't help, the FAA's noise ombudsman takes inquiries through faa.gov/noise.