Airports

The following is a list of interesting airports in the Southwest to be visited during the Preparation Trip

KMYF - Montgomery Field

San Diego, CA

  • Airport: home of Plus One Flyers

  • Off-Airport: Top Gun restaurant, Beach volleyball, Miramar museum, etc

  • previous US Trips: yes, most of them

Checkout & Currency

KSEE - Gillespie Field Airport

El Cajon, CA

  • Airport: 10th busiest GA airport in the USA

  • previous US Trips: yes

KRNM - Ramona Airport

Ramona, CA

  • Airport: flying towards the mountains

  • previous US Trips: yes

F70 - French Valley

Temecula, CA

  • Airport: busy GA airport in the French valley

  • Off-Airport: French Valley Cafe

  • previous US Trips: yes

L18 - Fallbrook Airpark

Fallbrook, CA

  • Airport: the opposite of busy

  • previous US Trips: yes

KOKB - Maxwell Memorial

Oceanside, CA

  • Airport: challenging visual approach & very challenging VOR approach

  • Off-Airport: The Ocean (at least in reach)

  • previous US Trips: yes

KCRQ - McCellan-Palomar

Carlsbad, CA

  • Airport: home of the business jets

  • Off-Airport: Carlsbad Landing restaurant

  • previous US Trips: yes

Day Trip

KTRM - Cochran Regional

Palm Springs, CA

  • Airport: uncontrolled, yet the size of an international airport

  • Off-Airport: finally learning how to drive at the BMW driver's school

  • previous US Trips: yes

L35 - Big Bear

Big Bear City, CA

  • Airport: very scenic traffic pattern at 8000ft MSL

  • Off-Airport: searching for a bear or simply going for a hike in the forests around

  • previous US Trips: yes

KMHV - Mojave Air & Space Port

Mojave, CA

  • Airport: maybe not the most difficult airport, but even spaceships landed here already

  • Off-Airport: Voyager Restaurant, Virgin Galactic, Scaled Composites, Stratolaunch, Edwards Air Force Base

  • previous US Trips: yes

KAVX - Catalina Island

Avalon, CA

  • Airport: 70nm of open water followed by an aircraft-carrier landing experience

  • Off-Airport: DC-3 Burgers & the ultimate chocolate chip cookies

  • previous US Trips: yes

Sleepover Trip (4 days & 3 nights)

KSEZ - Sedona

Sedona, AZ

  • Airport: aircraft carrier landing at 4830ft

  • Off-Airport: Mesa Grill restaurant, hiking the red rocks of Sedona

  • previous US Trips: yes

L41 - Marble Canyon

Marble Canyon, AZ

  • Airport: only legal way to descent into Grand Canyon

  • Off-Airport: not much, except a bridge over a big canyon and a Lodge

  • previous US Trips: yes

UT25 - Monument Valley Airport

Monument Valley, UT

  • Airport: very scenic with only one landing direction

  • Off-Airport: Marlboro country, Goulding's Lodge

  • previous US Trips: no

KPGA - Page Municipal Airport, AZ

  • Airport: entry point into the Grand Canyon

  • Off-Airport: Big Jim Texas BBQ

  • previous US Trips: yes

KIGM - Kingman Airport

Kingman, AZ

  • Airport: Aircraft storage airport with lots of aircraft to see

  • previous US Trips: yes

U30 - Temple Bar

Temple Bar, AZ

  • Airport: commercial helicopter traffic to/from Grand Canyon

  • Off-Airport: nothing, absolutely nothing ;-)

  • previous US Trips: yeah!

KLAS - McCarren International

Las Vegas, NV

  • Airport: very, very big airport

  • Off-Airport: The Strip's "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign in walking distance

  • previous US Trips: yes

L06 - Furnace Creek

Death Valley National Park, CA

  • Airport: -210ft MSL, lowest airport in the US

  • Off-Airport: Death Valley National Park

  • previous US Trips: yes

KMMH - Mammoth Yosemite Airport

Mammoth Lakes, CA

  • Airport: landing at 7134ft MSL

  • Off-Airport: enjoying nature

  • previous US Trips: yes

KTVL - Lake Tahoe

South Lake Tahoe, CA

  • Airport: >6000ft high

  • Off-Airport: just south of Lake Tahoe

  • previous US Trips: yes

KRNO - Tahoe International Airport

Reno, NV

  • Airport: regional hub

  • Off-Airport: Reno as "biggest little city in the world"

  • previous US Trips: no

KSQL - San Marcos

San Francisco, CA

  • Airport: next to San Francisco International

  • Off-Airport: San Francisco, German pilot shop, Hiller Aviation museum

  • previous US Trips: no

3O8 - Harris Ranch Steakhouse

Coalinga, CA

  • Off-Airport: premium steak house with landing strip

  • previous US Trips: no

Other Airports

KCMA - Camarillo

Camarillo, CA

  • Airport: typical GA airport with big runway

  • Off-Airport: CAF aircraft museum

  • previous US Trips: yes

KCNO - Chino

Chino, CA

  • Off-Airport: Planes of Fame museum

  • previous US Trips: yes

KLAX - Los Angeles International

Los Angeles, CA

  • Airport: Hollywood sign --> midfield crossing --> Queen Mary

  • previous US Trips: yes

L52 - Oceano County Airport

Oceano, CA

  • Airport: uncontrolled airfield in walking distance to the Pacific

  • Off-Airport: beach access

  • previous US Trips: no