(818) 290-8249 · Open 9 AM–9 PM, 7 Days a Week · ★★★★★ 4.9 · 500+ Reviews · Van Nuys Airport
Catalina Airport (KAVX) sits on a mountaintop at 1,602 feet, with a 3,000-foot runway that drops away at both ends and a hump in the middle that hides one end from the other. It is open only during the day, it is reached across open water, and it is one of the most rewarding flights a Los Angeles pilot can make. This guide covers the history, the route from Van Nuys, the runway's quirks and how to prepare.
Runway 4/22 is 3,000 by 75 feet at about 1,600 feet elevation, with no overrun at either end.
The airport operates from 8 AM to 5 PM local time, with no night operations.
Runway 22 is the preferred landing direction because of the steep downslope at the Runway 4 end.
No touch-and-goes and no intersection takeoffs. A landing fee applies.
Plan altitude, route and survival gear for the crossing from the mainland.
Rental operators commonly require a specific checkout before you fly there solo.
Catalina Airport opened in 1941 as Buffalo Springs Airport, a private field developed by Philip K. Wrigley, whose family had built Catalina into a tourist destination beginning in the 1920s. Crews blasted and leveled two hilltops and filled the canyon between them to create a flat enough surface for a runway near the island's highest point. That location gave the field its nickname, the Airport in the Sky. It opened to public use in 1946.
Today the airport is owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy. Its concrete runway was rebuilt in 2019 in a project carried out largely by U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton as a training exercise, and the runway reopened that May. On the field you will find the DC3 Gifts and Grill, with a gift shop and public restrooms, and Avalon's town center is about 6.4 miles to the southeast.
Before any trip to the island, review the airport's entry in the current FAA Chart Supplement. These are the key figures as published at the time of writing:
The airport is also closed to non-tenant traffic on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Always confirm current hours, fees and NOTAMs before you go.
From the San Fernando Valley, the challenge is not distance; it is the airspace. Between Van Nuys and the coast sits the Los Angeles Class B airspace around LAX, with Burbank, Santa Monica, Hawthorne, Torrance and Long Beach nearby. There are three common ways through:
Once past the Los Angeles basin, you will typically head for the Palos Verdes Peninsula and then across the San Pedro Channel to the island. Our Los Angeles airspace guide breaks down each layer you will pass through.
The crossing to Catalina means spending part of the flight beyond gliding distance of the mainland or the island unless you fly very high. A few planning principles make it far safer:
The runway is what makes Catalina famous. It is a tabletop runway with no overrun protection: the ground falls away steeply off both ends. It is also far from flat. The Chart Supplement notes that because of the runway gradient, pilots cannot see aircraft at the opposite end, and that the Runway 4 end has a steep downslope of about 2.1 percent for roughly the last 2,300 feet. For that reason, landing uphill on Runway 22 is the preferred direction.
The slope also plays tricks on your eyes. The FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual explains that an upsloping runway can create the illusion that you are higher than you actually are, which tempts pilots to fly a lower approach. On a runway with a drop-off at the threshold, a low approach is exactly the wrong mistake. Fly a stabilized approach at the correct speed, use the visual glide path guidance, aim for a touchdown point beyond the threshold, and do not hesitate to go around.
The airport's local rules reflect these hazards. Full-stop landings only, no intersection takeoffs, keep your radio on the CTAF whenever an engine is running, and announce before you taxi onto the runway, since you cannot see the other end. Mountaintop winds can also produce turbulence and sink on approach, so check the winds and give yourself a generous margin.
Most pilots fly to Catalina the first time with an instructor. Many rental operators in the Los Angeles area require a specific checkout before a pilot can take their aircraft there, and even where none is required, a dual flight is the smartest way to learn the route, the airspace and the runway. Expect your instructor to cover the SFRA or Class B routing, over-water planning, short-field and slope technique, go-around decisions and weather on the island.
The aircraft matters too. Climb performance and gliding range help on the crossing, and good short-field performance helps on the runway. Our fleet includes the Piper Warrior and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with its glass cockpit and CAPS parachute; note that the SR22 Turbo requires a high-performance endorsement under 14 CFR 61.31(f). Licensed pilots can learn more about renting on our aircraft rental page, and if your skills are rusty, start with a flight review.
Still working on your certificate? The skills Catalina demands, precise speed control, short-field landings and thoughtful planning, are exactly what our private pilot training builds. An instrument rating also adds options when the marine layer covers the coast.
Build the skills for the Airport in the Sky with instructors who fly the Los Angeles basin every day. Call us to get started at Van Nuys Airport.
Real students, real first flights, real ratings — straight from Google and Yelp.
The fastest way to know if the left seat is for you is to stand on the flight line. Book a free consultation — or reach us whichever way you like.
Tour the school, meet your instructors, sit in the cockpit, and leave with a personal training plan and exact pricing. Your Discovery Flight fee is credited toward training when you enroll within 24 hours.
One minute, a few details, fast answers from a real person on our team.
