Why are planes flying over Converse?

Live planes overhead, which way the airports are landing right now, and the air traffic controllers working the sky over Converse, TX.

Quick answer

Converse is within 20 miles of 2 airports with control towers: San Antonio International and Stinson Municipal. Most planes you see over Converse 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 Converse change too.

Right now over Converse

Live aircraft within about 8 miles of Converse, updated every 30 seconds.

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Open the live radar for Converse →See every plane on the full live map ↗
Listen to the controllers liveHear the air traffic controllers talking to the planes over Converse, free and live.Opens LiveATC, free feeds run by volunteers (not part of Thank ATC). Not every tower has a feed at all hours.

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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 Converse.

SATSan Antonio International9 mi west

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SAT runway in use today →Thank SAT Tower →
SSFStinson Municipal16 mi southwest

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SSF runway in use today →Thank SSF Tower →

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.

Live planes move along their real tracks: pink is low (under 3,000 feet, with altitude in hundreds of feet), navy is climbing or descending, gray is cruising high, green is a helicopter. Gold arrows show which way each airport is landing. Blue circles are airports with control towers. The shaded paths come from weeks of recorded flights: the darker the shading, the more planes fly there. Street map: OpenFreeMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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 Converse: what the recorded flights show

We’ve recorded months of flights below 10,000 feet over this area. Here’s what they show for Converse, and which way the wind sets the runways at each nearby airport. These are averages: any single day can be quieter or busier.

  • Over the center of Converse, an aircraft is overhead under a minute a day on average (very roughly 6 flights).
  • The busiest flight path near Converse is about 1.1 miles east of the center of Converse, where an aircraft is overhead about 10 minutes a day (very roughly 60 flights), usually around 1,400 ft above the main airport.
  • There: 96% low, under 4,000 ft.
  • Most of them are heading south.
  • It’s busiest on days the wind blows from the southwest (about 40 minutes a day).

Which way the wind sets the runways

  • San Antonio International (SAT), 9.3 miles west: over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, it favored landing toward the southeast (runways 13L and 13R) 52% of the time and toward the northeast (runway 4) 24%.
  • Stinson Municipal (SSF), 15.6 miles southwest: over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, it favored landing toward the southeast (runway 14) 57% of the time and toward the east (runway 10) 24%.

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 Converse

These air traffic control facilities keep the planes over Converse safely apart. Each one has a free thank-you wall.

  1. SATTowerSan Antonio International Tower (SAT)Takeoffs and landings at San Antonio InternationalThank them →
  2. SSFTowerStinson Municipal Tower (SSF)Takeoffs and landings at Stinson MunicipalThank them →
  3. ZHUEn route centerHouston ARTCC (ZHU)Handles flights cruising high over ConverseThank them →

Why the flight paths over Converse 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 Converse. 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 Converse

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 Converse are:

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

Planes over other towns →

Every plane over Converse is talking to a controller. Say thanks to the people who keep them safely apart.

Find your airport or ATC facility →

Common questions

How many planes fly over Converse a day?

Based on months of recorded flights below 10,000 feet, an aircraft is over the center of Converse under a minute a day on average (very roughly 6 flights). The busiest nearby path, about 1.1 miles east of the center, has an aircraft overhead about 10 minutes a day (very roughly 60 flights).

Which way does SAT usually land?

Over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, the wind favored San Antonio International landing toward the southeast (runways 13L and 13R) 52% of the time and toward the northeast (runway 4) 24%. Planes take off and land into the wind, so the direction flips when the wind does.

Why are planes flying so low over Converse?

Planes low over Converse are usually landing at or taking off from one of the nearby airports, such as San Antonio International (SAT), 9 miles away. Air traffic controllers keep every one of them safely separated from the others.

Why are there more planes over Converse 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 Converse going to?

The closest airports with control towers are San Antonio International (SAT), Stinson Municipal (SSF). 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 Converse?

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.

Updated November 2026

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