Big Bear City Airport
Encyclopedia
Big Bear City Airport is a public airport
located in Big Bear City
, San Bernardino County
, California
, United States
.
The calm wind runway (26) ends at the eastern terminus of Big Bear Lake. There is no suitable landing area for several miles, as the terrain is covered almost completely with coniferous trees and houses. If an airplane can make it over the lake and past the dam, its pilot will enjoy "instant altitude" - there is a deep fissure between mountain ridges that leads roughly south towards San Bernardino. One must be cautious of possible turbulence
and mountain wave
/rotor activity in this area, but aside from that, it is an option for pilots who are having trouble climbing or maintaining altitude.
paved runway
(8/26) measuring 5,850 x 75 ft (1,783 x 23 m).
There are two restaurants in the terminal building. Barnstormer (American cuisine) is open for breakfast and lunch and then closes until dinner. The Chinese restaurant, upstairs, is open all day.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 30,000 aircraft operations, an average of 82 per day: 93% general aviation
and 7% military. There are 141 aircraft based at this airport: 94% single engine, 3% multi-engine, 2% ultralight and 1% glider
.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located in Big Bear City
Big Bear City, California
Big Bear City is an unincorporated, census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California immediately east of Big Bear Lake. The population was 12,304 at the 2010 census, up from 5,779 at the 2000 census...
, San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Arrival and Departure
Big Bear City Airport has published specific flight rules for aircraft. At the time of writing, the established procedure is for inbound traffic to fly in over the ski slopes at 9,500 feet, and for departing traffic to fly at or below 8,500 feet. As this airport is at fairly high altitude and routinely experiences density altitudes of 9,000 feet or higher, it's important (perhaps more than usual) for pilots to double-check the performance tables in their aircraft manuals to ensure that they will be able to take off. The flight rules also contain noise abatement procedures that help the airport, its tenants, and its guests to be better neighbors to the community.The calm wind runway (26) ends at the eastern terminus of Big Bear Lake. There is no suitable landing area for several miles, as the terrain is covered almost completely with coniferous trees and houses. If an airplane can make it over the lake and past the dam, its pilot will enjoy "instant altitude" - there is a deep fissure between mountain ridges that leads roughly south towards San Bernardino. One must be cautious of possible turbulence
Turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic and stochastic property changes. This includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time...
and mountain wave
Mountain Wave
Mountain Wave is a security management company in the United States. It was acquired by Symantec on July 2, 2002....
/rotor activity in this area, but aside from that, it is an option for pilots who are having trouble climbing or maintaining altitude.
Facilities and aircraft
Big Bear City Airport covers an area of 117 acres (47.3 ha) which contains one asphaltAsphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
paved runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
(8/26) measuring 5,850 x 75 ft (1,783 x 23 m).
There are two restaurants in the terminal building. Barnstormer (American cuisine) is open for breakfast and lunch and then closes until dinner. The Chinese restaurant, upstairs, is open all day.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 30,000 aircraft operations, an average of 82 per day: 93% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
and 7% military. There are 141 aircraft based at this airport: 94% single engine, 3% multi-engine, 2% ultralight and 1% glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
.
Accidents and incidents
- Aeroméxico Flight 498Aeroméxico Flight 498Aeroméxico Flight 498, registration , was a Douglas DC-9-32 on route from Mexico City, Mexico to Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California, United States on August 31, 1986. N4891F was a privately-operated Piper PA-28-181 Archer owned by the Kramer family en route from Torrance to...
Cerritos air disaster: On August 31, 1986, a private aircraft owned by William Kramer en route to Big Bear City from Zamperini FieldZamperini FieldZamperini Field is a city-owned public-use airport located three miles southwest of the central business district of Torrance, in Los Angeles County, California, United States....
in TorranceTorrance, CaliforniaTorrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
collided with a Douglas DC-9 owned by AeroméxicoAeroméxicoAirways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia...
en route to Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
from various MexicanMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
cities. Both planes crashed, causing all of the people on both planes to die and some residents in CerritosCerritos, CaliforniaCerritos is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956...
to die or sustain injuries.
External links
- Big Bear City Airport (official site)