Bonanza A36 Landing at Catalina Island's "Airport in the Sky" (KAVX) in a Bonanza A36

Landing at Catalina Island Airport, off the coast of Los Angeles, California, USA presents some unique challenges. They created the airport by literally slicing off the top of the mountain, making a runway with 1,600 foot cliffs on three sides, and a substantial hump half way down the length of the runway.

Many an aircraft has smacked into the cliff below the approach end of the runway when the strong winds off the Pacific roll over the mountain top, creating strong downdrafts on the approach end. Or, if you carry too much speed on landing, you might run out of runway and sail off the far end with insufficient flying speed.

Additionally, when you are in the pattern, you are far higher above the ocean and terrain than you are used to seeing at a typical airport, so it is easy to misjudge the descent and arrive at short-final too low.

Though it is a private airport, no prior permission is necessary to land. There is a US$25 landing fee per aircraft landing.

The right quartering headwind pushed me left of the center line, but I decided to leave well enough alone, and not fight that aspect. You can see that the runway is patched and rather rough in places.

There is a restaurant in the terminal where you can have lunch, or take a 45 minute tram ride for a fee down into Avalon, where there are many restaurants, hotels, etc.

It is highly recommended that you take a pilot with prior landing experience at this airport along with you when you make your first landing at this airport.

This video was shot with a Canon 5D MkII Digital SLR, running in HD video mode, with a 24-70mm Canon Zoom lens.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Bonanza
• A-36
• A36
• Aircraft
• Airplane
• Landing
• Catalina
• Island
• Avalon
• KAVX
• AVX
• Airport
• in
• the
• Sky
• Canon
• 5D
• MkII

[pirahna432]

Bad job managing that approach. That A36 doctorkiller was actually below the runway on final! Do they hand out certs like skittles now?

[cinebill]

@pirahna432 Pirahna- Yes, 2,500 multiengine commercial instrument hours ago.

[pirahna432]

@cinebill I'm guessing you were a private pilot back then? It's amazing how much we all sucked as private pilots, myself included :) What scares me is the people who think that level of skill is sufficient...

[cinebill]

@pirahna432 No metal got bent, and nobody died.

[SuperChargers3185]

where do you fly out of?

[cinebill]

@SuperChargers3185 Burbank is where I keep my Bonanza

[3lpilot]

I cut my teeth landing at AVX, back then fees were $5.00, now they're as high as Elvis, and the runway is still the same. I love landing here! I am a local, but have business overtown, and hate the JET CAT. I fly out of Palomar (CRQ) . Weight and balance? A must on take off if you're heavy and it's hot, that strip gets a lot shorter, and that hump a lot higher. Nothing is worse than trying to rotate, and hearing the stall horn start to chirp. The Buffalo hate it..

[SuperChargers3185]

@cinebill awesome, i fly out of camarillo!

[ljviks22]

@DerekABC catalinas runway is is horrible condition. pot holes everywhere, dips randomly along the runway. bad placement of turn offs. Love landing there for the challenge but they really need to fix up the runway. the airport is already a skilled landing to begin with and to have the pot holes making your plane jump around just adds to pilots concern while flying there.

[DerekABC]

Runway appears to be in pretty poor condition! Sounds like you or your 'co-pilot' were surpised by it too.