Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
McClellan-Palomar Airport, commonly known as Palomar Airport, is a county-owned public aerodrome serving Carlsbad in northern San Diego County, California. It combines a busy general aviation base with limited scheduled airline service on a single, well-used runway, and for many years ranked among the busiest single-runway airports in the United States.
McClellan-Palomar Airport is a public airport owned and operated by the County of San Diego, situated a few miles southeast of downtown Carlsbad. It handles a mix of general aviation traffic, business jets and a small amount of scheduled airline service, making it a useful and interesting destination for a visiting VFR pilot given its single-runway layout, control tower and proximity to the coast.
The airport lies about 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of downtown Carlsbad in northern San Diego County, California, close to Legoland California, which sits roughly 4 miles from the field. Approach and departure services in the area are provided by Southern California TRACON (SoCal Approach/Departure). Given its control tower, arriving and departing traffic should expect to operate within controlled airspace around the field.
The airport has a single physical runway, 06/24, of asphalt construction and lit for night operations. Runway 24 is 4,884 feet long and is equipped with an ILS approach; the reciprocal, runway 06, is 4,587 feet long. Field elevation is 328 feet.
Pilots should expect the following frequencies: SoCal Approach/Departure on 127.3 MHz, ATIS on 120.15 MHz, Clearance Delivery on 134.85 MHz, CTAF on 118.6 MHz, Ground on 121.8 MHz, and Tower also on 118.6 MHz. A remote radio outlet associated with San Diego is listed on 115.3 MHz.
Legoland California, around 4 miles from the airport, serves as a useful visual landmark for pilots orienting themselves in the vicinity of the field.
The airport traces its origins to an 80.4-acre parcel quitclaimed by the Navy to the County of San Diego in 1947, which was used as a civilian airfield until 1959. That original site was then transferred to the state for the Interstate 5 right-of-way, and a replacement facility, Palomar Airport, opened on 20 March 1959, taking over from the earlier Del Mar Municipal Airport. In 1982 the airport was renamed McClellan-Palomar Airport in honour of the late aviator and North County civic leader Gerald C. McClellan. The site of the airport also served as a landfill between 1962 and 1975. By March 2013 it was recorded as the fourth-busiest single-runway airport in the United States, reflecting decades of steadily growing general aviation and light commercial use.
Palomar Airport today is predominantly a general aviation field, with the great majority of movements being general aviation traffic alongside a small proportion of air taxi, scheduled commercial and military operations. Several hundred aircraft are based at the field, spanning single-engine and multi-engine piston types, jets, helicopters and at least one glider. The airport is classified under an Airport Reference Code of B-II, reflecting its design for smaller aircraft with lower approach speeds and modest wingspans, and city planning discussions have centred on whether any future runway extension should be permitted. Limited scheduled airline service continues to operate from the field's passenger terminal alongside the general aviation traffic that dominates daily operations.
