Airport of the Week: Catalina Airport (KAVX) - The Airport in the Sky

There are airports that sit quietly in a valley. There are airports that stretch across a flat prairie. Then there is Catalina Airport, perched on top of Santa Catalina Island like someone set a runway down on the back of a mountain and walked away smiling.

KAVX has earned its nickname, “Airport in the Sky,” not through marketing but through the simple fact that you climb to about sixteen hundred feet above the Pacific and land on a mesa with cliffs falling away in nearly every direction. It is a place where flying skills, island weather and a bit of nerve all meet at the same moment.

This week we dive into one of the most iconic destinations in Southern California general aviation.

A runway even the Wrigleys couldn’t leave alone

Catalina’s aviation story began in the era of biplanes and seaside resorts. The Wrigley family (yes, that Wrigley!), who built much of the island’s tourism infrastructure, wanted a proper land airport. The problem was that Catalina does not have a wide, flat place to build one.

So in 1941, engineers leveled two hills, blasted a massive cut through the ridge and used the rubble to fill the canyon between them. The result was a tabletop-shaped airfield that looks like a hybrid between a runway and an aircraft carrier deck. During World War Two it became a military outpost, helping support coastal defense training out of March Field.

After the war it reopened for public use, and for several decades it even hosted scheduled airline service. Think DC 3s and regional commuter twins hopping between Los Angeles and a sun soaked island field. Today the airport is owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy and welcomes general aviation traffic year round.

In 2019 the runway got a complete rebuild when the Marines and Navy Seabees used it as a hands on training project, pouring a full concrete strip. The first aircraft to touch down on the new surface was a vintage Wrigley family DC 3, a poetic moment that tied the airport’s past to its future.

The switch from Asphalt to Concrete seems like a good choice because you can see the condition of the asphalt in this 2019 YouTube video from the Flight Doc Journal before the concrete replacement. Compare that to this 2025 video by Outside the Cockpit where he also talks about this aspect.

What makes KAVX so compelling

Catalina has a personality all its own. Pilots talk about it the same way hikers talk about their first real mountain. It is doable. It is fun. But it demands respect.

A runway with shape and attitude
Runway 04/22 measures about three thousand feet long and seventy five feet wide. On paper that does not sound dramatic. In person, the slope plays tricks. One direction is uphill, the other downhill. The edges fall away quickly. The narrow width and rising terrain amplify the sensation of being high on approach even when you are right on glide. Add in a small crown in the center and you feel like you are landing on a slightly tilted table.

This is why many instructors in Southern California will talk through Catalina illusions before ever heading out with a student pilot. The airport encourages disciplined airspeed control and an approach you stick to, not one you “eyeball.”

Downdrafts on short final
Approaching runway 22 in a westerly breeze can surprise you. The air flows over the ridge and spills downward near the cliff. Pilots often add a small power cushion and stay mentally ahead of the airplane during the last few seconds before touchdown. It isn’t mountain flying in the Rockies, but it is enough to make you rethink how a coastal airport “should” behave. This is not an airport that you would want to be “low and slow” at.

An island airport with unusual weather behavior
The marine layer is the real character here. Catalina’s ASOS sits around sixteen hundred feet. On days when a thin stratus deck forms over the ocean, coastal airports like Long Beach or Torrance may stay VFR while KAVX goes IFR simply because the cloud layer sits right at the airport’s altitude. A few hours later the sun breaks through and the entire island clears to blue sky.

For PaperMETAR users, it is a perfect reminder that surface elevation matters just as much as cloud height. It is a rare instance where a single METAR can tell you a lot about the vertical structure of the atmosphere. But we all know TAF is just critical so you don’t get stuck there!

Weather - METAR

KAVX 161151Z AUTO 22008KT 10SM BKN005 BKN012 12/11 A2995

This METAR shows a classic Catalina setup: good visibility with a low broken layer hanging right at the airport’s elevation. With the field around sixteen hundred feet, a broken deck at five hundred feet AGL sits near two thousand one hundred feet MSL, which often places clouds inside the normal pattern altitude. A one-degree temperature and dew point spread means the air is nearly saturated, so thin stratus and fog can drift over the ridge even when the sky looks clear from the mainland.

Just like KHAF - Half Moon Bay coastal airport that I previously covered, such contrast is part of what makes Catalina special. Coastal airports might be wide open while KAVX is wrapped in a cloud layer that forms at exactly the wrong altitude. For pilots, a METAR like this is a reminder that elevation and terrain shape the weather you fly into. Importantly, METAR is just the current picture, and you must consider the TAF to see what’s going to happen. Unfortunately, there is no TAF published by KAVX, so you have to rely on the general forecast and TAF from close airports like KLGB to get a rough idea of what’s coming.

Planning your first landing at the Airport in the Sky

Even from a comfortable Midwest flying background, the operational quirks at KAVX offer good lessons that apply anywhere. The airport also publishes Airport Procedures that you really should read through before going. Note - Touch-and-Go's are not permitted.

Fuel
There is none. Not a drop. Plan conservatively. Know your reserves and alternates on the mainland.

Pattern and terrain
Pattern altitude sits around twenty six hundred feet. Approaches typically keep you over the more forgiving side of the terrain. A go around is always on the table, and the Conservancy recommends making the decision early. If you are not firmly down by the two thousand foot remaining sign, it is time to try again.

Island operations
There is a landing fee ($38 for a single piston as of November 2025), and you will usually park on the ramp near a small terminal and the DC 3 Gifts & Grill. This spot is famous for buffalo burgers and cookies the size of small charts. It is also a gathering point for hikers, cyclists and tourists who come up from Avalon by shuttle.

Density altitude
The elevation is modest, but warm California afternoons can quickly push density altitude well above three thousand feet. With a short runway and sloping terrain, hot day takeoff performance is something to think through before you ever power up.

Airport in the Sky Restaurant

The on-field restaurant at Catalina Airport, called Airport in the Sky Restaurant, adds a welcoming touch to the high-altitude experience. Pilots and visitors often stop in for its simple comfort food, which includes well-loved buffalo burgers and warm cookies that have become a bit of an island tradition. With its relaxed atmosphere and wide views across the island interior, it offers a memorable place to unwind after landing or before heading back to the mainland. The friendly vibe makes it a favorite stop among those passing through the Airport in the Sky. They even do catering and events.

Why KAVX matters

Catalina Airport is a reminder that general aviation is not just about getting from A to B. Sometimes it is about the geography, the challenge, the marine layer sitting at exactly the wrong altitude, the approach that feels a little different, the runway that makes you focus in the best possible way.

For pilots in Southern California it is a rite of passage. For the rest of us, it is a great example of how terrain, weather and human engineering shape the flying experience, and an airport that we always dream about flying to.

KAVX Videos

One of my favorite aviation YouTube channels, Outside the Cockpit, even has two videos about KAVX.

• Catalina Airport (KAVX) | WHERE’S TRANSIENT PARKING | Avalon, California
• Catalina Airport (KAVX) | The ULTIMATE Pilots Guide

There are many other videos from this airport given its location in California.

• Flying Myself to Catalina Island (KAVX) from Long Beach (KLGB) in my Cirrus SR22T by Sarahnautics
• Mu2 Approach into Catalina Island KAVX by Turbine Dude
• Plenty more...