West Coast Favorites – So Far!
By Eric McCarthy
Last time I shared with you some of my favorite New England airfields. There are others, but let’s shift gears and take a look at some that I’ve discovered here in Southern California. I’ve been flying here for about five and a half years, and I fully recognize that I’ve barely scratched the surface when it come to visiting all the great airports the west coast has to offer – but, we’ve got to start somewhere. So here goes:
Santa Paula (KSZP)– Wedged in against a line of mountains to the southeast, Santa Paula is my favorite airport in Southern California. It is such an “alive” airport, full of old hangars and small aircraft of every description. I’ve flown in there a handful of times, and every time there was a busy traffic pattern full of aircraft ranging from Piper Cubs and Cessna 120s, to Decathalons and Swifts, antiques, homebuilts, and of course, more contemporary Pipers, Cessnas, and Beechcrafts. Aeroncas, Navions, Pitts’, and Extras – you name it, you’ll often find them at SZP. Pilots young and old, student and veteran, ply the pattern and ramp, lining up to refuel for another round of touch and goes or an aerobatic training session. In addition to some of the least expensive avgas around, the airport has a nice restaurant overlooking all the activity, and they’ve even got an aviation museum. Despite being non-towered, traffic sorts itself out smoothly, easily accommodating all comers. Once on the ground, open hangars reveal beautiful and pristine antiques and other aircraft in various stages of assembly. There’s a surprise around every corner! Steve McQueen, the King of Cool himself, used to keep his aircraft there in the hangar near the approach end of 22.
Santa Paula Decathlon.Speaking of runway 22, be aware of the utility lines crossing the approach near the runway – no dragging it in low! There aren’t any glide-slope indicators, but the threshold is displaced to help you over the wires and at 2,700 feet. The runway is plenty long enough for most small aircraft.
The airport has been closed a few times in recent history: the Santa Clara River, until recently a dry riverbed, has been known to encroach on the airport during rainy seasons, damaging the east parking area and even the runway in the past; and the airport has been used as a mission base for aerial firefighting efforts, closing the airport to public use for the duration of their efforts. Make sure you check NOTAMs and visit the website for current information: (www.santapaulaairport.com).
Chino (KCNO)– This is one of those airports where it’s the airport itself that’s the attraction – definitely not the surrounding area! Most of the year you can smell the neighboring livestock ranches as you fly in. Yet, hosting both the Planes of Fame and the Yanks Air Museums, this has to be one of my favorite SoCal airports. With one of the largest collections of flying World War II aircraft anywhere, the Planes of Fame is an aviation history buff’s nirvana, teeming with all the aircraft of childhood fantasies. A representative (or several!) of practically every WWII aircraft is there: Mustangs, Corsairs, Warhawks, Thunderbolts, Lightnings, the Grumman Ironworks ‘Cats - they’re all there! B-17s, DC-3s, B-25s, German Messerschmitts, and Heinkels, Japanese Kates and Vals – they’ve even got the only authentic Zero still flying! And that’s just scratching the surface of their WWII collection; they’ve also got several WWI aircraft, early jet-age aircraft and X-planes, the only Northrop N9M Flying Wing, Vietnam-era aircraft, Migs and Sabres, Reno air racers – the list goes on and on! Many of these planes fly in the annual Planes of Fame Air Show, which is nothing less than spectacular! Where else could you see 20 to 25 rare World War II aircraft overhead at the same time? And if they aren’t flying, there’s a good chance they’re out on the tarmac for your viewing pleasure. It’s a show every aviation enthusiast should see at least once.
But that’s not the only reason to go to Chino – it’s also got the famous Flo’s Airport Café. I’ve tried to visit Flo’s twice, but both times it was closed – once because of a power failure and the other time, it might have been a holiday. From what I hear, it’s got good food at reasonable prices, and it’s just one of those places you have to go to!
Mojave Air & Space Port (KMHV)– Mojave Air & Space Port – need I say more? I mean, what a cool name! And what a cool place! Their tagline is “Imagination Flies Here” and they can back that up – Mojave is home to Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites, now part of Northop Grumman. This is where Rutan created many of his unconventional aircraft such as the Voyager, the first aircraft to circumnavigate the world nonstop and unrefueled (1986). Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is developing its commercial spaceflight vehicles, WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo, and Paul Allen’s massive six-engine Stratolaunch aircraft, with a wingspan of 385 feet, the largest of any plane ever built, are all being developed there at Mojave – usually behind closed hangar doors, but you never know what you might see on a test flight! It’s not unusual to see some strange aircraft prowling the ramp or flying in the vicinity of the airport.
A couple of other favorites: Big Bear City (L35)– It’s beautiful flying among the San Gorgonio Mountains and over Big Bear Lake to land at Big Bear. The mountains soar above you, reaching 11,500 feet just a couple of miles away. Departing, you fly over the lake to the dam at the far end, then descend over the forest into the LA Basin below. You’ve got to be careful and aware of the density altitude there, as it can get pretty impressive in the summertime! Big Bear really highlights just how diverse Southern
Departing Big Bear. California is: easily within a couple of hours’ flight for a C-172, you could land at sea level along the coastline (Oceanside – KOKB, 28 feet MSL), below sea level (Thermal – KTRM,minus115 feet MSL), or more than a mile above sea level (Big Bear City – L35, 6,752 feet MSL). I love to tease my friends back east about this: Big Bear’s airportis higher than the highest peakon the east coast (Mount Mitchell, 6,684 feet MSL).
Santa Monica (KSMO)– Get there while you can! Located just north of LAX and just a couple of miles from the shoreline, SMO has a long and distinguished history. The airport was a significant economic engine for the area. Douglas Aircraft was established there almost a hundred years ago, employing 44,000 during the war years. By the time they moved on, Douglas had built more than 10,000 aircraft at SMO. Fast forward to today, and the city of Santa Monica ill-advisedly plans to close the airport by 2028. You can’t get ‘em back once they’re gone! Sad.
Catalina (KAVX)– Before I get started on this one, I have a confession to make: I’m embarrassed to say, I haven’t been to Catalina yet! I live barely 30 miles away, and I’ve yet to fly there… but I know it will be one of my favorites! It is an island after all! I hope to remedy this logbook deficiency as soon as I can.
Known as the “Airport in the Sky,” Catalina Airport is located atop Santa Catalina Island, and I do mean atop! At an elevation of 1,602 feet MSL, the airport is often above the clouds enveloping the rest of the island. The runway was created by leveling two mountain peaks and filling in the gap with the debris; this resulted in a “hump” in the middle of the runway, creating the illusion of a shorter runway. Hopefully, that will no longer be the case when the Marines are finished with it.
Most of the island is uninhabited conservation land with hiking trails throughout. You can stay at the airport and enjoy a bison burger, or take a taxi or shuttle bus 10 miles southeast to the town of Avalon, a vibrant beach community with lots of dining and lodging options. I visited Avalon as part of a three-day cruise – I wish they had left me there instead of taking me to Ensenada! I can’t wait to go back!
The airport runway is currently being reconstructed by the U.S. Marine Corps, having fallen into disrepair over the past few decades. The Marines are using the rebuilding mission as a training exercise to hone their remote construction skills. They’ve had to bring in all of their equipment and materials and set up a base there, just as if they had landed on some foreign soil with the same mission.
I know there are lots of other airports I need and want to fly into. Camarillo (KCMA) I hear is very cool with a great restaurant. (I flew in there once, at night, for all of the five minutes it took to taxi back and take off, so I don’t think I got a really good “feel” for the place…). I’d also like to fly to the dirt runway at Amboy, just to be able to get the iconic picture of the plane in front of Roy’s on old Route 66. Someone also told me Columbia (O22) is nice… So many airports, so little time…
If you’ve got a favorite you’d like to share, please comment below. I’d love to hear your suggestions.
On Freq
We were cruising home to Palomar (KCRQ) from the north having just passed over LAX’s Class Bravo at 11,500 feet, descending near Long Beach, when we heard this exchange with an airliner departing John Wayne (KSNA):
SoCal: “Southwest 1234, turn left 230.”
Southwest 1234: “Left to 230, Southwest 1234. Any chance of a turn to the north?”
SoCal: “Southwest 1234, turn right 270.”
Southwest 1234, with a chuckle: “Well, that’s north-er…”
That’s all for this round. Until next time, fly safe!
