Catalina Airport

Catalina Island was developed as a tourist site beginning in the 1920s by William Wrigley Jr., who owned most of the island under the Santa Catalina Island Company. In 1941 his son Philip K. Wrigley, among others, built a runway on the island by blasting and leveling two hills and filling the canyon between them to create a leveled area. The airport opened as Buffalo Springs Airport in the spring of 1941, as a private airport.[http://www.militarymuseum.org/BuffaloSpringsApt.html California State Military Museum: History of the Buffalo Springs Airport, Catalina Island] Prior to this, the island's only air access was via the Hamilton Cove Seaplane Base, just north of Avalon.

In the autumn of 1942 the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) took control of the Buffalo Springs Airport for the duration of World War II, to support Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Maritime Service, and Office of Strategic Services activities on the island. It was also a USAAF Fourth Air Force Replacement Training Station. The airfield operated during that time as a sub-base of March Field, located in Riverside County.

At the conclusion of the war, the military presence departed. A California aviation veteran, Richard Probert (1907–2008), worked to have Buffalo Springs Airport opened to the public. To that end he built a terminal building, and in 1946 the field began operating as a public use airport, called Catalina Airport.[https://catalinagoose.homestead.com/catalinagoose.html "Catalina Goose" – Avalon Air Transport honors co-founder Dick Probert (accessed 10 May 2019)][http://socalmountains.com/e107_files/public/1408944475_7121_FT203173_appendix_c_biography_richard_probert.pdf Biography: Richard "Dick" Probert (20 August 2014, accessed 10 May 2019)]

File:Douglas-DC3---Catalina.1024.jpg at Catalina Airport]]

In the early 1950s, United Airlines served the airport with scheduled passenger service with nonstop flights to Long Beach Airport and direct, one-stop service to Los Angeles International Airport operated with Douglas DC-3 aircraft.[http://www.timetableimages.com/ January 1953 United Air Lines system timetable] During the mid-1950s, Catalina Air Lines was operating de Havilland Dove twin propeller aircraft on nonstop flights to Los Angeles International and Burbank Airport (now Bob Hope Airport).[http://www.timetableimages.com/ June 1955(?) Catalina Airlines system timetable] By the late 1950s, Pacific Air Lines was providing flights with Douglas DC-3 aircraft to Los Angeles International, Long Beach Airport, and Burbank Airport.[http://www.timetableimages.com/ December 1959 Pacific Air Lines system timetable]

In the late 1960s, Catalina-Vegas Airlines was operating nonstop service to San Diego Lindbergh Field.[http://www.timetableimages.com/ 1968 Catalina-Vegas system timetable]

Golden West Airlines provided flights during the early 1970s with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter short takeoff and landing STOL capable twin turboprop aircraft with nonstop service to Los Angeles (LAX) and Orange County Airport (SNA, now John Wayne Airport).[http://www.timetableimages.com, June 1972 & January 1973 Golden West Airlines system timetables] Golden West also acquired Catalina Air Lines, which served the island with seaplane flights operated from Avalon and Two Harbors.

In 1979, the Official Airline Guide (OAG) listed hourly shuttle service operated by Trans Catalina Airlines with small Piper Aircraft prop airplanes from both Orange County Airport (SNA) and Long Beach Airport (LGB) with eleven daily flights operated every hour on the hour from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm from both airports on the mainland to the Catalina Airport.Nov. 15, 1979 Official Airline Guide (OAG), North American edition, Catalina Airport flight schedules

In 1987, Resort Commuter Airlines operating as a Trans World Express air carrier on behalf of Trans World Airlines (TWA) was flying nonstop service to Los Angeles (LAX) and the Orange County Airport (SNA).http://www.departedflights.com, June 1, 1987 Resort Commuter Airlines/Trans World Express route map

Some exterior shots in the movie The In-Laws were shot at Catalina Airport, it doubling as a rural Latin airport.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079336/locations IMDB Shooting Locations: The In-Laws] The tower is readily identifiable.

After some seventy years of use, the asphalt runway was in poor condition, requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in maintenance. The Aeronautics Division of Caltrans directed the Catalina Island Conservancy to create a long-term repair plan. The Conservancy worked with the Marines at Camp Pendleton, whose forces performed the repairs as a training exercise in January 2019. An encampment was erected at the airport to support the 120-man crew, and by 3 May the runway was reopened for operation. The work cost about five million dollars, paid by the airport owners.{{cite news|last1=Sahagun|first1=Louis|title=Marines 'invade' Catalina Island to fix crumbling airstrip at Airport in the Sky|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-catalina-marines-20190107-story.html|accessdate=10 May 2019|work=Los Angeles Times|date=7 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.catalinaconservancy.org/index.php?s=visit&p=visit_airport_in_the_sky|title=Catalina Island Conservancy|website=www.catalinaconservancy.org|access-date=5 May 2019}} The first airplane to land on the {{convert|3,000|ft|m|abbr=on}} runway was a 1944 Douglas DC-3 that had originally been owned and operated by the Wrigley family.[https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/may/07/grand-reopening-of-airport-in-the-sky "Airport In The Sky reopens". AOPA Newsletter, 5 May 2019 (accessed 10 May 2019)]

{{Main|Catalina Island Conservancy}}

The airport is now owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy, which permits air charter aircraft to fly into the airport.

Located in the airport are publicly accessible toilet facilities and a restaurant and gift shop called DC3 Gifts and Grill.{{cite web |url=https://www.catalinadc3.com/ |title=Home |website=catalinadc3.com}}

Runway 4/22 is a tabletop runway. The runway extends nearly to the edges of the flattened area, allowing no overrun protection. The first 1800 feet of Runway 22 slopes uphill toward the southwest, with the remainder being level or slightly downhill. The result is that aircraft on short final for Runway 22 only see the first part of the runway,[https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/new-catalina-island-runway-opens/ "New Catalina Island Runway Opens" (Plane & Pilot article dated 9 May 2019, with illustration of invisible final portion of runway). Accessed 10 May 2019)] the remainder only becoming visible as the airplane approaches the crest. This has resulted in accidents and blown tires as pilots thought they were about to go off the end of the runway. In strong southwest winds there can be a strong downdraft at the approach end of Runway 22. As a result of these factors, many aircraft rental agencies require a "Catalina checkout" with one of their instructors. Pilot caution is recommended.[https://www.catalinaconservancy.org/userfiles/files/HowToFlyToCatalina_PilotInfo.pdf "10 Things That Make Catalina Challenging" (accessed 10 May 2019)]

In January 1984, a private Learjet overshot Runway 22, killing six people.[https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19840130-1 ASN Aircraft accident Learjet N44GA] After that, the Catalina Island Conservancy limited the types of aircraft allowed to use the airport.

On October 9, 2024, five people were killed as a twin-engine Beechcraft 95 crashed shortly after takeoff. The crash occurred just after 8pm, more than three hours after the closing time of the unlit airport.[https://ktla.com/news/local-news/plane-crashes-on-catalina-island-killing-all-5-on-board/ Plane crashes on Catalina Island, killing all 5 on board]

Image:Hangar KAVX Avalon Airport Catalina Photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|Catalina Airport's DC-3 hangar

Image:KAVX Avalon Airport Catalina Photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|The tower in 2013

Image:KAVX from the runway photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|Catalina Airport from the runway

Image:Catalina Island Interior photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|Catalina Island interior

Image:CatalinaAirport-kavx.jpg|Airport aerial view from the west

File:(Aerial view of airfield during construction on Catalina Island showing mainland in background.) - NARA - 295509.jpg|Aerial view during construction

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• [http://www.buffalospringsstation.com/ Buffalo Springs Station restaurant] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004233410/http://www.buffalospringsstation.com/ |date=2006-10-04 }}

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Category:Airports in Los Angeles County, California

Category:Santa Catalina Island (California)

Category:Buildings and structures in the Channel Islands of California

Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in California

Category:Airports established in 1941

Category:1941 establishments in California

Category:Privately owned airports