Page 20 - July 2022

ASK THE EXPERT
The Airport in the Sky ...
Gary Banker, the fellow whose C90A I have managed since he bought it 16 years ago, is an absolute prince of a man. His generosity, work ethic, thirst for life and intelligence, all are at levels few humans attain. To say I have been blessed to fly for him these many years is a huge understatement.
One of Gary’s primary uses of his There is a great article about
wide, paved in concrete. The two runway end touchdown spots are both shown by Foreflight as being 1,602 feet elevation. But there is a pronounced hump in the runway, about two-thirds of the way from the end of Runway 22 – the runway most typically favored by the winds. Thus, not only is there a noticeable upslope when landing on 22 but also it is impossible to see the far end of the runway until you crest over the hump. More than one airplane has come to grief when the pilot thought he was running out of runway, when he wasn’t and attempted a belated go-around.
There is a Pulsating/Steady VASI on the left side on Runway 22 which is a very nice aid to have. Both ends of the runway have huge dropoffs all the way down to the ocean 1,602 feet below. This makes judging pattern altitudes a bit more challenging than
King Air is to take his hundreds of friends, three at a time, from our home base at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport (KIWA) to Catalina airport (KAVX) which is listed as located in Avalon, California, but actually a 45-minute drive away on one of the roughest, yet most scenic roads one could ever experience. Depending on wind the typical flight to Catalina takes about 1:45 and the return is usually 1:30, for a total of 3.3 on the hour meter. As of the end of May 2022, we have made 58 round trips!
18 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
Catalina, written by Pia Bergqvist, in the Q2 2022 issue of Flying magazine. That was one of the incentives for me to write this article. The runway at KAVX was redone in 2019 as a joint venture between the Catalina Island Conservancy and the U.S. Department of Defense, using about 200 Marines and Navy Seabees. The runway condition – which had fallen into a rather grim condition years before – was wonderfully improved, although it is still somewhat uneven. The Runway 4 – 22, is 3,000 feet long and 75 feet
by Tom Clements
JULY 2022