KTPL Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional — IFR Guide

What kind of airport is KTPL and what is its IFR environment?

Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport serves Temple, Texas, at 682 ft MSL in rolling central Texas terrain. The airport is non-towered with CTAF and UNICOM on 123.000 MHz. IFR services are provided through the Fort Hood / Gray Army Airfield TRACON on 120.075 MHz — a military radar facility that handles both civilian IFR traffic at KTPL and military operations in the surrounding airspace.

Pilots should be aware that Fort Hood (KGRK) military operations — including helicopter training and fixed-wing traffic — are active in the adjacent area. IFR clearances through this environment are routine, but pilots should anticipate potential delays or routing adjustments when Fort Hood traffic is heavy. Class E airspace applies at KTPL; no Class B or C shelves overhang the field.

What instrument approaches are published at KTPL?

KTPL has 3 published instrument approach procedures, including a precision ILS, per SkyVector.

The ILS RWY 16 is the primary precision instrument procedure at KTPL. Pilots planning to use KTPL as an IFR alternate benefit from the ILS, which provides lower alternate minimums than a GPS-only airport. Always verify current decision altitude and visibility requirements on the official FAA chart.

What is the runway configuration at KTPL?

KTPL operates 2 runways.

Runway 16/34 at 7,000 ft is the primary instrument runway. Runway 03/21 handles crosswind and VFR traffic. With no instrument approach on runway 03/21, crosswind IFR arrivals may require a circling approach from runway 16, which must be flown within circling MDA and category-appropriate visibility per 14 CFR 91.175(c).

What weather should instrument pilots expect at KTPL?

Central Texas sits in the heart of the southern plains convective zone. From March through June, severe weather outbreaks produce supercells, squall lines, and embedded thunderstorms that can move through the Temple area with limited warning. Pilots planning IFR flights to KTPL during spring should plan for convective SIGMET awareness and alternate fuel loads adequate to divert well clear of embedded storm activity.

Summer temperatures in Temple regularly exceed 100°F, producing surface heating that drives afternoon convective development. Morning inversions can trap low-level moisture and produce instrument conditions — particularly radiation fog — on calm nights following wet weather. Winter blue northers bring rapid frontal passages with ceilings dropping to minimums or below in a matter of hours, sometimes with freezing rain at the surface.

What should you expect on an instrument checkride at KTPL?

KTPL appears in IFR checkride scenarios primarily as an alternate airport in the Dallas-area triad. The oral exam discussion around KTPL focuses on alternate airport qualification — specifically, whether KTPL's ILS gives it a weather advantage over GPS-only alternates in the region and how alternate minimums are calculated under 14 CFR 91.169.

On the practical side, a DPE using KTPL as an approach destination will evaluate ILS technique on runway 16. The non-towered environment adds a self-announcement requirement throughout the approach and missed approach sequence — the DPE is watching whether you make the correct position calls on CTAF. Coordination with Gray Army Airfield Approach Control (120.075 MHz) for the approach clearance is a non-standard element compared to Class C and D airports, and the DPE may use it as a prompt for discussing non-towered IFR procedures.

Circling approaches are an evaluable scenario at KTPL when the wind favors runway 03 or 21. The DPE may ask you to fly the ILS RWY 16 and then circle to land runway 34 — a maneuver that requires maintaining circling MDA, visual contact with the airport, and the correct bank angle and distance from the runway. Circling approach maneuvering is evaluated under ACS Task VI.

Practice Questions

1. You are planning a flight from KADS to KACT with KTPL as the alternate. What weather must be forecast at KTPL to legally file it as your alternate, and how does the ILS RWY 16 affect those minimums under 14 CFR 91.169?

2. You are cleared for the ILS RWY 16 at KTPL and the wind is reported 200 at 12 knots. You break out at DA and determine runway 16 is not suitable. Describe the circling approach procedure to runway 34, including MDA handling and visual reference requirements.

3. Gray Army Airfield Approach does not respond to your initial call 5 nm from the FAF. What are your options under the AIM, and what self-announcement calls do you make in a non-towered environment?

4. On the RNAV (GPS) RWY 34, your GPS shows LNAV minima only. You are flying a Category A aircraft. What MDA applies, what visibility is required, and what visual references must you have before descending below MDA under 14 CFR 91.175(c)?

5. You are 30 minutes from KTPL when a convective SIGMET is issued covering the Temple area through the top of the hour. How does this affect your decision to continue, and what ACS task area covers weather decision-making?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What instrument approaches are published at KTPL?

KTPL has an ILS or LOC approach to runway 16, plus RNAV (GPS) approaches to runways 16 and 34. The ILS RWY 16 provides precision guidance — the primary instrument approach at this airport. Always verify current minima on official FAA charts before flight.

Q: What airspace class is KTPL in?

KTPL operates in Class E airspace with approach services from Gray Army Airfield Approach Control on 120.075 MHz. No Class B or C airspace overlies Temple.

Q: What are the runways at KTPL?

KTPL has 2 runways. Runway 16/34 is 7,000 ft × 150 ft — the primary instrument runway. Runway 03/21 is 4,740 ft × 100 ft with no published instrument approach.

Q: What is the CTAF frequency at KTPL?

Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional CTAF and UNICOM are both on 123.000 MHz. IFR pilots receive approach services from Gray Army Airfield Approach on 120.075 MHz.

Q: What weather hazards should instrument pilots expect at KTPL?

Central Texas experiences strong spring convective weather from March through June. Summer surface heating produces afternoon thunderstorms. Winter frontal systems can deliver freezing rain and rapidly dropping ceilings.

Q: What makes KTPL useful as an IFR alternate airport?

KTPL's ILS RWY 16 gives it precision approach capability, making it a stronger alternate than GPS-only airports in the region. Standard ILS alternate minimums apply unless non-standard minimums are charted on the approach plate.

Q: What is the elevation of Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional?

Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport (KTPL) sits at 682 ft MSL. This elevation combined with high summer temperatures produces significant density altitude concerns affecting instrument departure performance.

Sources

• SkyVector — KTPL Airport Information
• 14 CFR 91.169 — IFR Flight Plan: Information Required (Cornell LII)
• 14 CFR 91.175 — Takeoff and Landing Under IFR (Cornell LII)
• FAA Instrument Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-15B
• AIM Chapter 5 — Air Traffic Procedures

This article was researched from FAA primary sources (ACS, FAR/AIM, Advisory Circulars, Instrument Flying Handbook), approach procedure data from SkyVector, and current 14 CFR Part 91 — drafted by MockDPE Editorial Team. Last updated: May 2026. If you spot an inaccuracy, email corrections@mockdpe.org.