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Los Angeles area GA airports ?

autoglide

Well Known Member
Need info on where to tie down/hangar my Rocket for 4-5 days while in LA the last week of August 2018. I?ll be renting a car, so could fly to any GA airport in the LA metroplex. All help/advice is greatly appreciated....thx. MB
 
Visit Flabob and Chino for sure if able but flying in to the area is not truly simple in any way.

Dense, crowded, hilly, sometimes weather.

I only post at all in case you don't know, forgive if you do.

Are you IIFR rated and comfortable? Got o2? Adds options.

Do you have TAWS? ATC min vectoring will put you nearer terrain than any other part of the USA..

Mistime the arrival vs traffic and any change can easily add/lose an hour in traffic.

I'm a frequent ONT and OAK jet type, just hoping this is not your first SoCal flight.
 
I fly my Rocket all over the LA basin and find it no particular trouble. Nor is there much of a requirement to talk to anybody on the radio. Just keep your eyes out for airliners and have a thorough understanding of the layers of airspace. Where is it most convenient to go for your travel plans - east, or west? Redlands, Flabob or French Valley should cover the east side easily. Cable is a bit further west for a more central position, and Whiteman or Van Nuys will position you west. All are easy to get in and out of.
 
I highly recommend VFR flight following. The controllers are great, and IMHO are very GA friendly, and will help you as needed. They can and will clear you into Class B and C airspace if needed. They will call traffic, and offer you vectors to avoid IFR traffic, and generally watch over you.

Peace of Mind, IMHO.
 
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LA visit

Am not current IFR....or is the Rocket. Will spend majority of time in Burbank & Santa Monica. I have ADSB in .....use on a mini iPad for WX and traffic. Would prefer an airport with reasonable tiedown fees,etc. Am used to talking to approach, getting vectors etc.....class B no problem except for smog/low vis.
Pls list airports I should/should not contact. Thx.....MB
 
Van Nuys, Burbank, Whiteman, or Santa Monica. Check AvWeb or AOPA FBO listings and then phone them for particular information. The Valley (VNY, WHP, BUR) will clear stratus earlier (if it's an issue when you want to fly) than SMO. Airspace is not all that formidable especially now with GPS, and approaching from the north for the Valley means you're only dealing with Class C. If you do fly between SMO and VNY/BUR, be real careful about staying in the window below LAX Class B and the top of BUR Class C. It's 200 feet tall, and the only really tight part of the airspace. If you approach from the south as a TX'n might, just fly up the coast and through the SFR corridor over LAX. Don't need to talk to anyone. The LAX terminal chart is your best friend; making it your homework assignment will get you comfortable.

There are plenty of perfectly adequate and not-hard-to-access GA airports throughout the basin, but you'll starve to death in traffic jams. I find driving far more stressful than flying the basin. Maybe because I lived there for 50 years.

John Siebold
 
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SMO will likely be most convenient for you, but has landing fees in addition to tiedown fees. Hawthorne and Van Nuys are more GA friendly (in the latter, tie down at "The Park VNY" if you don't need full (more costly) FBO services. For going to downtown LA, El Monte airport (EMT) is very GA friendly and easy to get in and out VFR.
 
Make sure your GPS has the Los Angeles area VFR Waypoints (VPLxx) installed in the database.

They will help you sort out one freeway from another as you enter/cross the LA basin. :)
 
Living it

I live and fly in west LA; it aint so bad. On the west side Santa Monica has pretty high landing fees and gas prices, Hawthorne is not as friendly as it once was because they now have facility charge. Torrance and Van Nuys are good. Compton is cheapest, but dont be walking around outside the airport at night. El Monte seems reasonable too. Dont know much about the eastern LA area airports. Hawthorne is 24 hour airport. Torrance allows no takeoffs from 10pm to 7 am so must plan accordingly.
 
Sounds like many good choices, decent prices, great service. Add Fullerton (FUL) to the list. Great experience for me there, near the highway. Like others, the ground traffic and navigatioon is much worse than the airport/air traffic.
 
Whiteman

KWHP has no landing fee and quite a few transient tiedowns. The airport admin can arrange a rental car. 818-896-5271
KVNY has a few transient tiedowns at "the Park". 818-902-2123
SMO is going to be more expensive. BUR will hit you with ramp fees.

Any way you cut it, if you are spending time between Burbank and Santa Monica, you are spending time on the 405. My choice would be Whiteman, but the park at Van Nuys will probably be fine. Get flight following. SoCal Approach is your friend.

Ed Holyoke

Am not current IFR....or is the Rocket. Will spend majority of time in Burbank & Santa Monica. I have ADSB in .....use on a mini iPad for WX and traffic. Would prefer an airport with reasonable tiedown fees,etc. Am used to talking to approach, getting vectors etc.....class B no problem except for smog/low vis.
Pls list airports I should/should not contact. Thx.....MB
 
Do NOT go to Zamperini [KTOA]. They are very unfriendly people. I got out of there as soon as I could and flew to Redlands [KREI]. VFR flight following with SoCal Approach was painless.
 
Another vote for Fullerton

Another vote for Fullerton. Get flight following on the way in so you don't have to worry about anything other than Class B. At Fullerton, because it's so tight in the surrounding airspace - call ground and ask for flight following to KXYZ on your way out. Tower will coordinate it and give you a squawk. Only place I know of here that'll do that for you.

Oh, and don't try to float in 15 knots fast... you'll be into the fence.
 
Another vote for Fullerton. Get flight following on the way in so you don't have to worry about anything other than Class B. At Fullerton, because it's so tight in the surrounding airspace - call ground and ask for flight following to KXYZ on your way out. Tower will coordinate it and give you a squawk. Only place I know of here that'll do that for you.

Oh, and don't try to float in 15 knots fast... you'll be into the fence.

Most LA area airports will coordinate flight following when requested from ground. I'm based at EMT and it's the same procedure. Ground serves as an optional clearance delivery for airports without one to keep the approach control radio frequencies less congested.
 
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