What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

SoCal Flying, Chino to Catalina Island

pmccoy

pmccoy

Well Known Member
We are having wonderful flying weather in Southern California. So what's a pilot to do.... I know, hop in the RV-9A and fly over the pacific ocean to the Airport in the Sky, Catalina Island.

==- YouTube Video Link -==

IMG_4031.jpg



My Nephew Travis flew with me. We both had life jackets on during the flight.
IMG_4038.jpg



Catalina Island airport has a great restaurant on the field. Here is the patio.
IMG_4029.jpg



A shot of the coastline as we flew home
IMG_4064.jpg
 
Yeah...make me jealous at year's end :mad:

I've never flown to Catalina but it's on my todo list. If I didn't want to get a life jacket I could fly high enough to glide either way at midpoint, right?
 
Buggsy2 said:
Yeah...make me jealous at year's end :mad:

I've never flown to Catalina but it's on my todo list. If I didn't want to get a life jacket I could fly high enough to glide either way at midpoint, right?
Click to expand...

It's a bit less than 30 nm, so yes, 10,000' would easily do it. But, take a look at the Catalina runway. An engine out approach needs to be spot on. An undershoot or overshoot would not be good.

The water is warm, there are usually lots of boats nearby. I wouldn't argue the lifejacket question either way, it's your judgement call.
 
Buggsy2 said:
Yeah...make me jealous at year's end :mad:
Click to expand...

Yeah, what he said! I haven't been out to Catalina in 3 years, I gotta get back one of these days...

Kinda funny, your pic over the coastline looks pretty familiar, I took almost the exact same shot headed outbound to Catalina 3 years ago... and I see the hangar has been repainted, looks better!

k14609.jpg

20gfwbr.jpg
 
Nice primer!

Thanks. I've been wanting to make this flight for a long time. Maybe I'll get down there in a few months. I'll have to stop by West Marine for a couple of life jackets first I guess!
 
SoCal to Catalina--the water is not warm!

If you had to ditch your plane in the water between Catalina and the mainland, don't count on the water being warm, winter or summer (58-69). Hypothermia would set in very quickly if not rescued.

It would be prudent to WEAR a life jacket. There won't be time to put it on before you hit the water. Certain times of the year there are many boats making the crossing that could assist if they saw you go in. You could fly high enough to ditch near the shore of Catalina. Most of that coastline is not accessible by car, only boat. Between the town of Avalon and the approach to the airport there are one or two camps that may be inhabited.

The narrowest point to cross is from Pt Vincente (Palos Verdes) to the isthmus.

Wear a life jacket, fly high on the way, study the runway diagram and make a precise approach. It is worth the effort once you get there!
 
dabney said:
If you had to ditch your plane in the water between Catalina and the mainland, don't count on the water being warm, winter or summer (58-69). Hypothermia would set in very quickly if not rescued.

It would be prudent to WEAR a life jacket. There won't be time to put it on before you hit the water. Certain times of the year there are many boats making the crossing that could assist if they saw you go in. You could fly high enough to ditch near the shore of Catalina. Most of that coastline is not accessible by car, only boat. Between the town of Avalon and the approach to the airport there are one or two camps that may be inhabited.

The narrowest point to cross is from Pt Vincente (Palos Verdes) to the isthmus.

Wear a life jacket, fly high on the way, study the runway diagram and make a precise approach. It is worth the effort once you get there!
Click to expand...

There was a recent article in "Kitplanes" magazine of an Experimental Homebuilt aircraft that did ditch near a boat. IIRC, they spent less than 15-minutes in the water.
 
I had a blast flying over to Catalina for the first time. Interesting photo posted by Vlad, they obviously did a nice face lift on the hangar. The life vest I was wearing came from West Marine. I just watched for an online sale, and ordered a pair from their website. They have lots of styles to choose from. I just wanted to be able to wear them comfortably, and be able to put them on ahead of the flight. No time to think about them after an emergency starts.
 
Did anyone meet Justin (asst mgr) at the airport? Quite a guy. Met him while he was working at a sushi restaurant in Tucson. He graduated with a degree in aviation and took over a year to get this job. Great guy to meet!
 
Great video

Peter that was a great video! How was the food? How did you mount the camera on the inside? Looks like a fun place to fly.

Geoff
 
Great pics. It's a fun and challenging airport with the hump and decline. I've done it a few times and always fly at an altitude that's theoretically glide-able to one shore or the other based on a 10:1. Makes me feel a little safer anyway :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top