Camarillo Airport
Camarillo Airport | |||||||||||||||
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AMSL 77 ft / 23 m | | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 34°12′50″N 119°05′40″W / 34.21389°N 119.09444°W | ||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Helipads | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2020) | |||||||||||||||
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Camarillo Airport (
According to the
History
Camarillo Airport was established in 1942 when the
In the years following the closure of Oxnard AFB in January 1970, the
From 1995 to 2012, one of the last Lockheed EC-121 Warning Stars underwent a major restoration and dominated the tarmac. After completion of work, it was flown out to the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.[8] The Ventura County Department of Airports began work in 2022 on a layout plan dealing with maintenance and other near-term projects for the airport.[6]
Facilities and operations
Camarillo Airport covers an area of 650 acres (260 ha) and contains one runway (8/26) which measures 6,013 x 150 ft (1,833 x 46 m). It has two helipads, both measuring 50 by 50 ft (15 x 15 m). For a 12-month period ending December 31, 2020 the airport had 108,566 aircraft operations, an average of 297 per day: 94% general aviation, 2% air taxi and 3% military. There were 383 aircraft based at this airport: 301 single engine, 35 multi-engine, 24 jet aircraft, 22 helicopters, and 1 glider.[1]
The airport is an
The Camarillo Composite Squadron 61 of the California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is based at this airfield, located near Sky Blue Air, at the east end of the airport.
The Ventura County Fire Department and Sheriff's Office each support large, separate facilities at opposite ends of the field to support new recruit and recurring refreshment training.
A "Viewport" opened in 2014, providing a child-friendly area to view the airport activities which had become difficult with increased security concerns.[9]
The Chapter 723 of the Experimental Aircraft Association[10] and its facilities are located to the west of CAF museum in two hangars.
CAF So. Cal. Air Museum
The Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force[2] and its museum are located to the west of the Waypoint Cafe in three large hangars. In addition to a collection of displays, models, and artifacts, the museum is home to the following aircraft:[11][12][13]
Airworthy
- Alon A-2 Aircoupe c/r N5694F
- Fairchild PT-19B c/r N50426
- Fairchild F-24R-46 c/r N77696
- Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat Minsi III c/r N1078Z
- Messerschmitt Bf 108 D-1 Taifunc/r N2231
- Mitsubishi A6M3 Mod. 22 Zero c/r N712Z
- North American PBJ-1J MitchellSemper Fi c/r N5865V (only surviving PBJ-1)
- North American SNJ-4 Texan c/r N6411D
- North American SNJ-5 Texan c/r N89014
- Ryan Navion c/r N91644
- Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk. XIVe c/r N749DP
Warbird rides are sold on the PBJ-1J Mitchell, SNJ Texans, PT-19, and Aircoupe.[14]
Static/Restoration
- Curtiss C-46 Commando China Doll c/r N53594
- Fieseler Fi 156 D Storch c/r N40FS
- Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat c/r N7825C[15]
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21MF c/n 965306 (cockpit section only)
- Yakovlev Yak-50 c/r N950DK
Though not part of the CAF's fleet, the hangars are also home to the following aircraft:
High Alpha Airshows[16]
- Antonov An-2R Big Panda II c/r N50670
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F c/r N117BR
Privately Owned
- Beechcraft T-34B Mentor c/r N134RR
- Boeing-Stearman Model 75 c/r N68837 (restored as a PT-13)
Accidents and incidents
On August 7, 2019, a private aircraft from Wheeler Express crashed 1,000 feet (300 m) from the runway of the airport. Both people on board were killed.[17]
On January 26, 2020, a helicopter en route to Camarillo Airport crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California, under heavy fog, killing all nine people on board, including basketball player Kobe Bryant.[18][19] The cause of the crash was pilot error and spatial disorientation.[20]
The Ampaire Electric EEL completed the longest flight to date for an airplane employing electric propulsion after launching from the airport on October 8, 2020. The hybrid electric aircraft, developed by U.S. startup Ampaire, will be used in a series of demonstration flights with Mokulele Airlines on its short-haul routes. The plane had just undergone four weeks of flight testing over the Oxnard Plain.[21]
References
- ^ PDF, retrieved 2022-05-22
- ^ a b Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. Retrieved 2022-05-22
- ^ Appendix A of Report to Congress: National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), 2011-2015. Retrieved 2022-05-22
- ^ "Camarillo Airport". US Army Corps of Engineers: Los Angeles District: Formerly Used Defense Sites. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ "Camarillo Airport History". County of Ventura Department of Airports. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Varela, Brian J. (July 12, 2022). "Ventura County to announce plans to ditch Camarillo Airport Master Plan update". Ventura County Star. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ History of Camarillo Airport Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Lawrence, Carol (January 14, 2012). "'Connie' spy plane leaves Camarillo Airport for new home". Ventura County Star. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- ^ Foster, Jeremy (June 27, 2014) "Camarillo Airport lands outdoor space for aviation buffs, public" Ventura County Star
- ^ Chapter 723
- ISBN 978-0851303857.
- ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.
- ^ "Aircraft - CAF SoCal" CAF So. Cal. Wing Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Warbird Ride Program - CAF SoCal" CAF So. Cal. Wing Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ^ "F8F-2 N7825C restoration" CAF 12 Planes of Christmas Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "High Alpha Airshows fleet" High Alpha Airshows Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "2 Dead After Single-Engine Homebuilt Plane Crashes Off Camarillo Airport Runway: VCFD". KTLA. August 7, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ Cohen, Ben; Ailworth, Erin (January 27, 2020). "The Last Flight of Kobe Bryant's Life". The Wall Street Journal. New York: Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ "Investigators report Kobe Bryant's pilot got disoriented in clouds". February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Madler, Mark (October 13, 2020). "Record Flight for Electric Airplane at Camarillo Airport". San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
External links
- Camarillo Airport at County of Ventura website
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective March 21, 2024