Fly To Catalina Island From Van Nuys

There are no scheduled commercial flights to Catalina Island. No airline sells a ticket to Catalina Airport, and no amount of searching will turn one up, because the airport has no airline service. The ways to reach the island are the ferry, a helicopter service to the heliports at Avalon or Two Harbors, a private boat, or a general aviation aircraft into Catalina Airport, and this page is about the last of those.

From Van Nuys there are two realistic ways to fly there. If you do not hold a pilot certificate, a 120-minute discovery flight at $399 is enough aircraft time to fly out, land on the island and fly home, with you at the controls for most of it. If you already hold a certificate, you can rent one of our aircraft and fly it yourself once you have completed a checkout. Both are set out below. For the broader picture of what we fly and what it costs, see airplane rides in Los Angeles.

Why There Are No Commercial Flights To Catalina

Catalina Airport sits on a plateau in the middle of the island at 1,602 feet, with a single 3,000-foot runway and cliffs at both ends. The airport operator limits aircraft to 12,500 lb maximum takeoff weight, the field is open in daylight hours only with no night operations, and there is no instrument approach to fly in poor visibility. That combination rules out every aircraft an airline would use and every schedule an airline would want to keep.

So the practical options for a visitor are these. The ferry runs from Long Beach, San Pedro and Dana Point and takes roughly an hour; check the current operator schedules and fares directly. A helicopter service flies into the heliports rather than the airport and is the quickest way over if you are buying a seat. A general aviation aircraft into Catalina Airport is the only way to arrive at the airport itself, and the only way to arrive flying the aircraft yourself.

If you searched for flights to Catalina expecting an airline and found this instead, the honest summary is that the island is reachable by air only in a small aircraft, and the small aircraft can be the one you are flying.

Catalina Airport: The Numbers That Matter

Known locally as the Airport in the Sky, Catalina Airport is one of the more distinctive fields in the country and its published characteristics explain why.

Read those together and the field's reputation makes sense. Three thousand feet of concrete is plenty for a light single and not much for anything else. A field elevation of 1,602 feet on a warm afternoon means real density altitude, so takeoff performance has to be calculated rather than assumed. And the no-touch-and-go rule exists because a go-around from low over a runway that ends in a cliff is not a maneuver anybody wants to practice casually.

Flying There On A Discovery Flight

You do not need any certificate, medical or prior experience to do this. A discovery flight is flight instruction: a certificated instructor is pilot in command in the right seat, you are in the left seat flying, and the time is logged as dual instruction received toward a pilot certificate under 14 CFR 61.109.

The 120-minute booking is the one that works. Van Nuys to Catalina is about 50 nautical miles direct, but the routing is not direct, because it runs south-west across the Santa Monica Mountains, down the coast and then out across the channel clear of the Los Angeles Class B airspace. Allow roughly thirty-five to forty-five minutes each way in a Piper Warrior depending on wind and routing, which is most of a two-hour booking with the landing in the middle.

What you actually get out of it is more than a ride. A flight to Catalina is a genuine cross-country: you will do the planning at the table beforehand, look at the winds, work out the fuel, cross a significant stretch of open water, arrive at an unfamiliar airport on a mountain top, and land there. Students who have done it as their first flight tend to describe it as the moment aviation stopped being an idea.

If you want to stop on the island rather than turn straight round, tell us when you book. Aircraft time is what you are paying for, but the aircraft still has to be blocked out for the day, so call (818) 330-1318 and we will arrange it and quote you.

Flying There Yourself As A Licensed Pilot

If you already hold at least a private pilot certificate, Catalina is one of the best short cross-countries in Southern California and the barrier is a checkout, not a license.

To rent from us you complete a checkout in the aircraft you want: a review of the aircraft, the paperwork and the local procedures, then a flight with an instructor. Our page on aircraft checkout requirements for renters sets out what that involves, and aircraft rental at Van Nuys covers availability and scheduling.

Those are retail pay-as-you-go rates, wet, meaning fuel is included. Package rates inside a course are lower and are listed on the airplanes you will fly. A Catalina round trip in a Warrior is roughly 1.5 to 2.0 hours of aircraft time plus the airport's landing fee.

For pilots working toward the 250 hours in 14 CFR 61.129 for a commercial certificate, this is a useful trip rather than a joyride: it is real cross-country time over water into a challenging field. Our page on time building in Los Angeles covers how to make those hours count, and if Catalina interests you, so will the mountain flying checkout, which covers Big Bear and Mammoth as well.

The Channel Crossing

The San Pedro Channel is about twenty to twenty-five nautical miles of open water on the direct line, and it is the part of the flight that concentrates the mind. Three things matter.

Altitude is your friend. Height is glide range, and glide range over water is the difference between an inconvenience and an emergency. Crossings are normally flown high enough to stay within reach of land or the island for as much of the crossing as the airspace allows, and your instructor will brief the point of no return before you go.

Visibility can differ from the mainland. The island makes its own weather and the channel can sit under a marine layer while Van Nuys is clear. Catalina has no instrument approach, so if the field is not visual, the trip does not happen. That is a normal reason for a reschedule in May and June.

The minimum altitude rule still applies. Over open water, 14 CFR 91.119 says an aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle or structure, and 91.119(a) requires an altitude allowing an emergency landing without undue hazard everywhere. Neither is a constraint at the altitudes a channel crossing is actually flown at.

The Approach Into Runway 22

The published guidance is that Runway 22 is the preferred landing runway because it is upslope, and that the final 2,300 feet of Runway 4 has a steep 2.1 per cent downslope. Full-stop landings only, and intersection takeoffs are prohibited.

What that means in the aircraft is an approach unlike anything at Van Nuys. The runway sits on a mesa with the ground falling away at both ends, so on final it appears to float, and the usual visual cues for height above the ground are missing for the last few hundred feet. The upslope on Runway 22 makes the aircraft feel high when it is not. Add a field elevation of 1,602 feet and a warm afternoon and the true airspeed on approach is higher than the indicated airspeed you are used to seeing at sea level.

None of this is dangerous with an instructor beside you, and it is a large part of why the trip is worth taking. It is also exactly why we will not send a newly checked-out renter there without a conversation first.

What It Costs

The 120-minute discovery flight weight limits are the same as our other flights: 180 lb for a single, 360 lb combined for two in the Warrior and 400 lb combined in the Cirrus.

Related Reading

• Airplane rides in Los Angeles — every route we fly, priced.
• Malibu coast flight — the coastal leg of the Catalina route, on its own.
• Aircraft rental at Van Nuys — rates, availability and how renting works.
• Aircraft checkout requirements for renters — what stands between a certificate and the keys.
• Time building in Los Angeles — making hours count toward 14 CFR 61.129.
• Mountain flying checkout — Big Bear, Mammoth and Catalina from Van Nuys.

Fly To Catalina Island FAQ

Are There Commercial Flights To Catalina Island?

No. No airline serves Catalina Airport. The airport has a single 3,000-foot runway at 1,602 feet elevation, is limited by its operator to aircraft of 12,500 lb maximum takeoff weight, operates in daylight only and has no instrument approach. Visitors reach the island by ferry, by helicopter to the heliports, by boat, or in a general aviation aircraft.

How Long Does It Take To Fly To Catalina From Van Nuys?

Roughly thirty-five to forty-five minutes each way in a Piper Warrior, depending on wind and routing. The direct distance is about 50 nautical miles, but the track runs south-west across the Santa Monica Mountains and down the coast to stay clear of the Los Angeles Class B airspace before crossing the channel.

Can I Fly To Catalina Without A Pilot License?

Yes, on a 120-minute discovery flight at $399. A certificated flight instructor is pilot in command and you fly from the left seat for most of the trip. No medical certificate, student pilot certificate or prior experience is required, and the time is logged as dual instruction received.

How Long Is The Runway At Catalina Airport?

3,000 feet by 75 feet, concrete, on a plateau at 1,602 feet elevation. Runway 22 is the preferred landing runway because it is upslope, the final 2,300 feet of Runway 4 has a steep 2.1 per cent downslope, only full-stop landings are permitted and intersection takeoffs are prohibited.

Is There A Landing Fee At Catalina Airport?

Yes, the airport charges a landing fee. Confirm the current amount with the airport directly before you go, as it is set by the airport operator rather than by us.

Can I Rent A Plane And Fly To Catalina Myself?

Yes, once you hold a certificate and have completed a checkout with us in that aircraft. A Piper Warrior is $269 per hour retail, wet, and a round trip is about 1.5 to 2.0 hours of aircraft time plus the landing fee. We will want a conversation about the field before your first trip, because the approach is unlike anything at Van Nuys.

What Stops A Catalina Flight?

Weather at the island, mostly. Catalina has no instrument approach, so if the field is not visual the trip does not go. A marine layer can sit over the channel and the island while Van Nuys is clear, most often in May and June. The airport is also daylight only, from 0800 to 1700 local.

Book The Flight To Catalina

The 120-minute discovery flight is $399 and is the booking that reaches the island with you flying, or start with the 60-minute discovery flight at $229 if you would rather try the aircraft first. Licensed pilots should call about a checkout. Either way, book a free consultation or call (818) 330-1318 any day from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM and we will tell you honestly whether the weather window works for the date you want. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, on Van Nuys Airport.