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Flying into Big Bear
City Airport ~ L35 |
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Final approach runway 26 at Big Bear
City Airport. Didn't
know it at the time,
I was first plane to land there in five
days.
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Best time of the year to go? |
All year long but, winter is
best |
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Flight time in a Super Viking from KAJO? |
22 minutes |
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Food on the airport? |
Yes, all better than average |
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Fuel on airport? |
Yes, usually cheapest in
SoCal |
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Comments about arriving and departing |
Know the arrival and
departure procedure, you can pick up a copy in the lobby or
find it on line. Watch winds and weather, not the same as
airports 20 miles away. Just one more thing, check you're
density altitude. I've seen it exceed 10,000 feet in the
afternoon. |
Rate this trip
10 being best, 5 being average. |
9.5 About the best meals
I've seen at a airport restaurant. Great views of the runway
while eating. Two restaurants on airport, others within
walking distance. Bus and rental car available. CHEAP FUEL! |
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Click
on image for video of rwy 26 !
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Click
on image for video of rwy 8 !
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Big Bear City Airport,
Big Bear California |
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This is my favorite stop and I make it 2 or 3
times a month. I usually arrive for breakfast at the
Barnstorm
Restaurant which is the best aviation breakfast I know of, only Flo's at Chino comes close. The kitchen is a little slow but the
view is wonderful and I am happy to wait while looking over the
runway and sipping on a cup of
hot coffee. Upstairs there is an above
average Chinese Restaurant. I go their for dinner and have never
been disappointed. There are a
couple of places you can walk to from the airport too. The bus goes
right by the airport and you can ride it for $1.00. There are
several 1st class restaurants and shopping in town.
The airport is very aviation friendly. Fuel at
Big Bear is usually the cheapest in Southern California. The city of
Big Bear owns the pump and fuel is sold at cost. The gentleman who
man CTAF are members of the
Big Bear
Pilots Association and are extremely helpful.
Head's Up!
The
arrival and departure procedure is non standard and pilots who
don't follow the procedure really scare me. Simply put departures go
out at or below 8500 and arrivals at or above 9500. Arrivals for
BOTH runways enter the pattern from the ski slope south of the
airport.
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