Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport — Creola, Alabama

Situated 3 nautical miles northeast of Creola's central business district in Mobile County, Alabama, Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport (FAA Identifier: 15A) serves as a vital general aviation hub for the communities of northern Mobile County. Established on September 1, 1984, this 40-acre public-use airport has grown to become a dependable resource for private pilots, flight training, and recreational aviation across southwest Alabama.

The airport occupies a strategically convenient location just off Interstate 65, the primary corridor connecting Mobile to the north. Creola itself sits approximately 20 miles north of downtown Mobile, placing 15A in a favorable position for aviators seeking an uncongested alternative to Mobile Regional Airport (MOB). The airport's elevation of 8 feet above mean sea level reflects its position within the low-lying coastal plain of southwestern Alabama, a landscape shaped by the Mobile River delta and the proximity of Mobile Bay.

Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport features a single turf runway designated Runway 3/21, measuring 2,000 feet by 180 feet (610 by 55 meters). The runway surface is maintained in good condition and is marked with frangible PVC pipe in a non-standard configuration suited to turf operations. Day operations are conducted without runway lighting or a rotating beacon, making this a strictly daytime facility. Pilots operating into 15A use CTAF/UNICOM frequency 122.8 MHz for self-announce traffic advisories in the absence of an air traffic control tower.

As of the most recent operational survey, 10 single-engine aircraft are based at Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport. Annual operations reached 8,570 aircraft movements during the 12-month period ending May 2010, averaging approximately 23 operations per day. The traffic mix reflects the airport's role as a general and recreational aviation field: roughly 86% general aviation and 14% military operations, the latter likely including training flights from nearby installations given Mobile County's historical defense presence. Tiedown parking is available on-site for transient and based aircraft.

The airport is privately owned and managed, serving a public-use function within Mobile County's broader aviation network. This model is common among smaller general aviation airports in rural and semi-rural Alabama, where local operators maintain facilities that might otherwise go unserved by municipal or county funding. Mark Reynolds, for whom the airport is named, represents the legacy of local aviation stewardship that has kept general aviation accessible across the Gulf Coast region.

Creola, Alabama — the airport's home municipality — was incorporated on February 14, 1978, and takes its name from the Creole heritage of its earliest settlers, descendants of 18th-century French and Spanish colonial communities centered in Mobile. The town's population reached 2,490 residents as of 2023, with a median household income of approximately $68,594. Major employers draw from healthcare, construction, and manufacturing sectors, and the community is well connected via I-65, U.S. Highway 43, and the Norfolk Southern rail corridor along its western boundary.

Pilots planning a visit to Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport should note the daytime-only operational limitations. With no instrument approach procedures, no published instrument departures, and no lighting, all operations require visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and must be completed before official sunset. The turf runway performs best in dry conditions; pilots should check current NOTAM information and surface condition reports before arrival, particularly following periods of rain in this humid Gulf Coast climate.

For aviators exploring the broader Mobile County and southwest Alabama region, 15A offers a quiet, community-oriented alternative to larger facilities. Its proximity to I-65 makes ground transportation straightforward, and the surrounding north Mobile County area provides access to the Mobile Bay watershed, the Tensaw River Delta — one of the most ecologically diverse river deltas in North America — and the historic port city of Mobile just 20 miles to the south.

Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport Contact Information

Address, Phone Number, and Hours for an Airports in Creola, Alabama.

Name Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport
Address 1289 Dead Lake Road, Creola AL 36525 Map
Phone (251) 675-6487
Website
Hours

Map of Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport

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Frequently Asked Questions — Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport (15A), Creola, AL

Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport's official FAA Location Identifier is 15A. The airport is located approximately 3 nautical miles northeast of Creola in northern Mobile County, Alabama, and operates as a public-use general aviation facility. It does not hold an ICAO code, which is typical for smaller public-use airports of its size and traffic volume.

No. Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport is a day-use-only facility. The airport has no runway lighting, no pilot-controlled lighting system, and no rotating beacon. All arrivals and departures must be completed during daylight hours under visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Pilots should also note there are no published instrument approach procedures, so all operations are VFR only.

The airport has a single turf runway designated Runway 3/21, measuring 2,000 feet long by 180 feet wide. The surface is maintained in good condition and uses non-standard markings made from frangible PVC pipe. Pilots should exercise caution after significant rainfall in Mobile County's humid subtropical climate, as wet turf surfaces can affect braking and directional control during rollout.

Several general aviation airports serve the region surrounding 15A. Within Alabama, pilots can access Prattville Airport and Autauga County Airport to the northeast in the Montgomery metro area, Greenville Municipal Airport (PRN) and Mac Crenshaw Memorial Airport further north along the I-65 corridor, and Sells Airport (71AL) within the broader southwest Alabama network. For commercial airline service, Mobile Regional Airport (MOB) is the nearest commercial-service facility, located approximately 20 miles south in Mobile.

Mark Reynolds/North Mobile County Airport is home to 10 based aircraft, all single-engine. The airport records approximately 8,570 annual operations — about 23 per day — with roughly 86% attributed to general aviation and 14% to military traffic. Tiedown parking is available for both based and transient aircraft. The facility is privately owned and publicly accessible, managed under local administration in Mobile County.

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