The Camarillo Airport seems to be a vortex, drawing airplanes during the VFR weekends of the long California flying season. To anyone who is uninitiated to the nonstop flying action so common at this coastal airport, it may seem as if Camarillo hosts a come-one-come-all fly-in every weekend. These weekly fly-ins feature beautifully maintained warbirds and antiques, as well as prime examples of classics and homebuilts. Except for one weekend a year, none of these weekend "fly-ins" is scheduled; they're just part of the flying fun at one of the most diverse airports in California. If airplane watching is a favorite pastime, a person would be hard-pressed to find a better airport than Camarillo to practice his craft. For example, between 2 and 4 p.m. during a recent weekday, a bright yellow Stearman, an F8F Bearcat, and a Martin 404 airliner fired up and took off. On fair-weather weekends, the ramp at Camarillo looks like a chapter out of Jane's All the World's Aircraft.
Camarillo Airport
The Camarillo Airport is located 38 nautical miles up the coast from the Los Angeles VOR, so it's not a country airport. Arrivals listening to the Camarillo ATIS will be directed to contact Point Mugu Approach when within 20 miles for traffic advisories. It's also a good idea to practice up on your radio technique if you're a little rusty because weekends are a busy time on approach and tower frequencies. First-timers to Camarillo should listen closely because the tower often uses left and right traffic patterns at the same time—all going to Runway 26, which measures 6,010 feet by 150 feet. Unless the weather is very unusual, you can count on 26 as being the active runway.
You can easily find the airport by dialing airport identifier CMA into your GPS or loran, or by tuning in the Camarillo VOR (115.8 MHz) that is located on the airport. Visually, the Camarillo Airport is just to the south of and parallel to Highway 101. Point Mugu Naval Air Station is located six miles to the south-southwest, and Oxnard Airport is located six miles to the west of Camarillo. The positioning of the three airports creates three 4.3-mile-radius, surface-to-2,000-foot Class D airspace circles that meet in the middle. In addition to this airspace, there is a restricted area south of Point Mugu.
A walk around the airport
The diversity of the aircraft based at CMA is amazing. There are a number of Yaks, a company that rebuilds and sells T–28s used for military pilot training, two organizations that own Lockheed Super Constellations—which were the luxury airliners of the late 1950s—an active Civil Air Patrol chapter, an active EAA chapter, the Southern California Wing of the Confederate Air Force, and a foundation that maintains a North American B–25 Mitchell and a Convair 240 that used to be owned by movie star Clark Gable. The Martin 404 mentioned earlier is owned by Airliners of America, and it's available for type ratings (see " Four Oh Four," August 1999 Pilot). The aviation community is so harmonious at Camarillo that there's even an ultralight runway, with hangars, located on the west end of the property.
The Confederate Air Force
The Camarillo Airport is host for the Southern California Wing of the Confederate Air Force. People can argue about the true meaning of the word confederate all they want, but no amount of rhetoric will be able to dim the fact that this wing of the CAF maintains and flies a Curtiss C–46F Commando, an F6F Hellcat, a Japanese Zero (no, it's not a converted T–6), an F8F-2 Bearcat, and is rebuilding a North American B–25 Mitchell. Fortunately for aviation nuts in California, the CAF is alive and well at Camarillo. The CAF World War II aviation museum is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To volunteer to help, or arrange for group tours, show up or call 805/482-0064.
The real fly-in
Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 723 is very active at Camarillo. The first Saturday and Sunday of each month the members of this chapter volunteer to introduce aviation-minded youngsters to flying through the Young Eagles program. There are also quite a number of homebuilt airplanes in various stages of construction around the airport. This year, Chapter 723 hosted the official fly-in at Camarillo over Labor Day weekend, with help from the CAF and others. Plans are already forming up for next year. Details can be located on the Web site ( www.eaa723.org/home.htm).
The Waypoint Café
The Waypoint Café faces the transient parking area at the south end of the ramp. Just as the Camarillo Airport draws airplanes, the Waypoint draws airplane people. Open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day but Sunday, when it opens at 8 a.m., this restaurant fuels the people of the airport. Framed photographs of famous and not-so-famous aviation fliers and friends line the walls. There always seems to be a discussion about airplanes around one of the tables or out on the patio. Drift past this table and you'll hear about timing a magneto with a compensated cam, the next table will be talking about how to install a Pratt & Whitney R-985 in a Yak, while a third table will be planning a future flying adventure. It's not all talk, either; between meals there are a lot of airplanes being built, maintained, and flown.
Catalina eddy
Catalina eddy is not an aviation hero; actually, this local weather phenomenon is more often thought of as a villain. Marine fog layers are a fact of life along the coast of California, but because of the location of the Channel Islands lying west of the Camarillo, Oxnard, and Point Mugu airports, and the prevailing northwesterly winds, an eddy is created that seems to pack an extra-thick layer of fog over these airports. Often during the months of May and June, these airports stay IFR for days while Santa Paula Airport, eight miles north, is open. So plan accordingly.
Camarillo Airport has a lot to offer for those who love airplanes. There are volunteer opportunities for anyone who dreams of working on, or flying, the planes of yesteryear. The strong EAA chapter assists and inspires those who are building, or dreaming of building, their own airplanes, and the restaurant quickly and efficiently feeds them all. Camarillo Airport is unique because it hosts such a diversity of airplane types. It's probably fair to say that there are homebuilders who wouldn't fly an ultralight and warbird fans who think airplanes made out of plastic are a joke, yet somehow at Camarillo Airport these groups not only get along, but they seem to inspire and encourage each other. It might be something on the menu at the Waypoint that brings this all about. Why don't you fly in and find out?
Send submissions for "California Flying" to: AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701. Links to additional information about Camarillo Airport may be found on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/pilot/links/links0011.shtml). E-mail the author at [email protected].
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