Question for those who have been to Catalina before....

C

ClearedToTakeoff

Well-Known Member
I went for the first time today. I noticed in the AFD they say you are required to have permission to land/takeoff from unicom. Alright cool, I talked to some people said they just clear you on your initial checkin and then the rest is like normal non towered ops. That's what I was expecting. I also did some research online and saw someone who apparently got reamed because they landed without the permission over unicom so I was kind of cautious about this today. We checked in 10 miles out and nothing. not what I was expecting so we checked in again on unicom and with an annoyed voice it came over the radio, "call when you're on right down wind abeam" so I figured, okay... they don't give permission on initial contact, that's fine. So we called on abeam. Nothing. Called turning base, nothing. Called turning final and also requested a verification of permission to land, nothing. Short final, one more call... nothing. So we went around and finally got permission.

So was the decision to go around a good one because we did not have permission? It is a non towered airport after all, and no landing clearance required. So to those more familiar with Catalina, what would you have done?

I'm going back again on Saturday and don't want to make the same mistake.
 
Honestly, I'm not sure. Catalina is a strange airport in that its uncontrolled but the UNICOM guys really run the field. I probably would have gone around too because I would have felt as though I were doing something wrong. You aren't really breaking any written rules that I know of if you land without them giving you the ok, but you don't want to get off on the wrong foot with those guys. They are your only way to and from town, and its a long narrow windy road with hundreds of drop offs. That being said, I'm surprised they didn't respond to you, the guys there are usually lightning quick to jump on the radio from what I saw in the time I spent upstairs with them at the airport and from flying in and out.

I talked to the guys who "run the airport" when I went there in a friend's Bonanza. They were rough around the edges at first(that's a whole other story), but turned out to be really cool guys. They kind of described Catalina to me as a controlled uncontrolled field. I'm totally confused as to the legality of all this, and the $50 landing fee that wasn't written on Airnav or in the AFD, but whatever. When in Rome...

I suggest you talk to them about it when you return, everybody upstairs loves to chat and they'll try to answer any questions. You should also check out all the pictures one of the guys has taken at the airport, some really awesome stuff on there that would be real popular online.
 
If your worried just call [SIZE=-1]the airport manager, [/SIZE]Paul Moritz at [SIZE=-1]310-510-0143 and tell him your ETA.
[/SIZE]
 
ChasenSFO said:
Honestly, I'm not sure. Catalina is a strange airport in that its uncontrolled but the UNICOM guys really run the field. I probably would have gone around too because I would have felt as though I were doing something wrong. You aren't really breaking any written rules that I know of if you land without them giving you the ok, but you don't want to get off on the wrong foot with those guys. They are your only way to and from town, and its a long narrow windy road with hundreds of drop offs. That being said, I'm surprised they didn't respond to you, the guys there are usually lightning quick to jump on the radio from what I saw in the time I spent upstairs with them at the airport and from flying in and out.

I talked to the guys who "run the airport" when I went there in a friend's Bonanza. They were rough around the edges at first(that's a whole other story), but turned out to be really cool guys. They kind of described Catalina to me as a controlled uncontrolled field. I'm totally confused as to the legality of all this, and the $50 landing fee that wasn't written on Airnav or in the AFD, but whatever. When in Rome...

I suggest you talk to them about it when you return, everybody upstairs loves to chat and they'll try to answer any questions. You should also check out all the pictures one of the guys has taken at the airport, some really awesome stuff on there that would be real popular online.
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It is $25.

The payment is for the Catalina Island Conservancy and helps to prevent the island from being littered with condos and strip malls. I love Catalina and will pay anything to keep it the way it is. The Wrigley's have set up a brilliant trust for the island that we can enjoy for a long time.

They require permission to land because one end isn't visible from the other. The just don't want one pilot departing 4 while another guy is doing the same on 22. It is a good thing. Also, make sure you aren't late on the departure. When their shift is over they want to go home, not wait around for some dork to depart.
 
Codyjp said:
It is $25.

The payment is for the Catalina Island Conservancy and helps to prevent the island from being littered with condos and strip malls. I love Catalina and will pay anything to keep it the way it is. The Wrigley's have set up a brilliant trust for the island that we can enjoy for a long time.

They require permission to land because one end isn't visible from the other. The just don't want one pilot departing 4 while another guy is doing the same on 22. It is a good thing. Also, make sure you aren't late on the departure. When their shift is over they want to go home, not wait around for some dork to depart.
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What's the deal with the "control tower" guy not even lifting his head to look at the runway when people are calling in and he's clearing them to land? I have always thought they are just trying to keep track of who has paid and who hasn't.
 
Like others have said, it's an uncontrolled field with a person that monitors the unicom and collects landing fees. I probably would have just landed, walked upstairs and paid the landing fee. I've been there so many times; the folks are a little salty but friendly and helpful, too.
 
IMHO, it's not worth the trip over to spend the $25 to land, then another $30-50 to get to and from town (price depending on the "now" shuttle, or the scheduled shuttle). And everything there is soo expensive. It's one of those airports that you get to say, "Yeah, I've been there."
 
My understanding is that Catalina is privately held and doesn't recieve any federal funding. Ive been there a number of times but also haven't spent the money to go into twon. Basically landing there is logbook candy but the photo op is worth it. I look at it as if I'm making a conscious contribution to support something I'd hate to see disappear even if I never flew there again.
 
Mmmmm. Buffalo Burgers. It's a cool place and the ride into town is definitely worth it. That was my first overnight as an instructor. The guy I was flying with had a friend who was sailing out and we spent the night on his boat after several rounds of various liquors with the locals. Loved the no car rule and seriously wish I could live there.
 
delmar said:
What's the deal with the "control tower" guy not even lifting his head to look at the runway when people are calling in and he's clearing them to land? I have always thought they are just trying to keep track of who has paid and who hasn't.
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Humm. I've never had this problem in the 100+ times I've been there. I can't manage to see his head though when I call in from 10 miles out so I can't say whether or not he actually lifts his head. I've also never once heard him clearn anybody to land. He does tell you to have a good day when you call for departure. The other option would be him saying "Nooo! the DC-3 is rolling on 4, hold short!"

vikingair said:
My understanding is that Catalina is privately held and doesn't recieve any federal funding. Ive been there a number of times but also haven't spent the money to go into twon. Basically landing there is logbook candy but the photo op is worth it. I look at it as if I'm making a conscious contribution to support something I'd hate to see disappear even if I never flew there again.
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Yup, your correct. During the summer I spend an average of one day a week on the island either at the airport, diving of the coast, staying on a sailboat offshore, camping at Little Harbor or enjoying Avalon or Two Harbors. It is expensive, but worth every penny to me!
 
Its expensive there for sure, but if you go with some buddies and split the cost on stuff its a lot of fun. I had a great time there and I'm going to go back next time there is a big event of some kind going on there.

The drive down was pretty scary. The dude almost ran a pickup with guys riding in the back off a cliff(almost is probably an under-statement). When we broke the silence and asked him why a pickup full of guys was way up there, he says "Pickup? What the hell are you talking about? I guess I didn't see it". Good times.
 
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