Zamperini Field in Torrance is named for a man whose life story reads like a novel.
A natural athlete, Louis Zamperini set NCAA long-distance-running records — as the "Torrance Torpedo" — and qualified for and ran in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Forced to ditch following the loss of two engines while aboard a B-24 in the Pacific in World War II, Zamperini survived for 47 days before being captured by the Japanese navy near the Marshall Islands. He was a prisoner of war for 28 months and was severely abused by guards. When he returned home he learned that he had been declared dead. Postwar nightmares and constant thoughts of revenge toward his captors brought on alcohol abuse, but he was strongly influenced by the Rev. Billy Graham. He forgave his captors and turned toward helping others. His autobiography, Devil at My Heels, has been optioned by actor Nicholas Cage for a movie.
The Torrance airport, also home to Robinson Helicopter Co., is located 16 miles south of Los Angeles International Airport, and it provides good access to the beaches of the south coast, as well as to both Los Angeles and Orange counties. Plus it's an easy airport to find because it is located just east of Palos Verdes Hills, which rise up above the airport and the floor of the Los Angeles Basin to an elevation of 1,500 feet.
Zamperini Torrance airport
The Torrance airport has two parallel runways aligned in an east/west direction. Runway 29R/11L is 5,000 feet by 150 feet, and Runway 29L/11R is 3,000 feet by 75 feet. Runway 29R/11L has a displaced threshold resulting in just over 4,460 feet of usable runway. Prevailing winds favor the northwest runways. Patterns for the long runway are flown on the north side of the airport, and patterns for the short runway are flown on the south side. There's an ILS approach to 29R and a VOR or GPS approach to 11L.
VFR identification points are the Union 76 Refinery southeast of the airport and the ExxonMobil Refinery to the northwest of the field. Traffic from the south will be directed to fly to the Vincent Thomas Bridge and then straight in. Unlike most general aviation towered airports, Torrance uses two tower frequencies — 135.6 MHz for traffic from the north and 124.0 MHz for traffic from the south. The airport has a no-takeoff curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekends.
The airport is located in a parallelogram-shape box formed by four major thoroughfares. The Pacific Coast Highway parallels the runways on the south. Lomita Boulevard does the same on the north side. Hawthorne on the west and Crenshaw on the east complete the box. Departure noise-abatement procedures call for best rates of climb until crossing Hawthorne and Crenshaw boulevards.
Now that the boilerplate has been dispensed with, here's an insider's view of the airport from a local senior flight instructor. "There's usually a big hole in the marine layer fog over the departure end of Runway 29 because of the influence of the hills to the west," he reported. "Visitors have to be aware of the LAX [Los Angeles International] Class B airspace to the north and the Long Beach Class D airspace to the south," he added. This flight instructor also suggested that Torrance is a good jumping-off place for a flight to Catalina Island.
Although the airport has a very large and comfortable terminal building, which features a well-equipped flight-planning room, there isn't a restaurant on the field. In fact, there isn't a restaurant close by. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a satellite office in the Power Ford Torrance dealership located right across the street from the terminal building. The phone number is 310/517-8338.
A few local attractions
The Del Amo Fashion Center — one of the biggest shopping malls in the country — is located a couple of miles north of the airport. This mall has more than 300 stores, and includes a U.S. post office, a couple of optometrists, more than 30 eating establishments, and, of course, a Starbucks Coffee. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
About a quarter-mile east of the mall off Plaza del Amo is the Madrona Marsh. This 10-acre marsh with its alkaline margin provides insight into the history of the South Bay region, which was dotted with soggy wetlands before 1850. The Friends of Madrona Marsh hosts tyke hikes on the first Thursday of every month. The group also conducts nature walks, bird walks, and a program titled "Sunday Science" on the second Sunday of each month.
Manhattan, Hermosa, and Redondo — the beaches of the South Bay — draw thousands of sunbathers, beach bums, and surfers. Pilots can log on to surf reports for Palos Verdes surfing spots such as Lunada Bay, The Cove, and Haggerty's, as well as other beach locations online. The live Web cam pictures on the site are helpful for looking at local fog and wind conditions.
The South Coast Botanical Garden is located a few miles south of the airport on Crenshaw Boulevard. Since opening in 1961, the garden has gathered more than 150,000 plants with an emphasis on plant life from Australia and South Africa. In addition to a two-acre lake and stream, there are fuchsia, herb, cactus, Japanese, and children's gardens, as well as a rose garden with more than 1,600 species. Classes also are offered and include drawing in the garden, bonsai, successful gardening, and beginning-gardening essentials. The garden is open each day of the year, except Christmas, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Robinson Helicopter
In the 30 years since Frank Robinson built his first helicopter in the garage of his Palos Verdes home, the Robinson Helicopter Co. has become the world leader in the production of helicopters. More than 6,500 have been sold.
In February 2005 a second building was completed. Company facilities now total 480,000 square feet. The Robinson Helicopter production facility is a poster child for light industry because it's well organized, spic-and-span clean, and packed with acres of digitally controlled manufacturing processes.
Pilots and their families — children must be 11 years of age or older — and groups can join the tours of the facility that take place every Tuesday and Thursday at 1 p.m. The Robinson plant tour is a unique opportunity to get a glimpse into the state of light-aircraft manufacturing and get insight into the makeup of a super-successful American manufacturing facility. For more information, go online or call 310/539-0508.
The Torrance airport is a good stop for those who are venturing into the L.A. Basin. It's easy to find, has a friendly small-airport feel, and can provide an out when there's fog covering the basin. Fly in for a tour of Robinson Helicopter and you'll be glad you visited this South Bay airport.
E-mail the author at [email protected].
Links to additional information about Zamperini Field may be found on AOPA Online.
Where?
Torrance is situated halfway between Los Angeles and Orange counties in the heart of the South Bay area. The 500-acre airport property is located three miles outside the city of Torrance to the southwest.
