Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Half Moon Bay Airport, officially named Eddie Andreini Sr. Airfield, is a small general-aviation field perched on the Pacific coast of San Mateo County, California, about six miles northwest of the town of Half Moon Bay and some 20 miles south of San Francisco. Built in 1942 as a wartime auxiliary strip and later a Navy outlying field, it is now a county-owned general-aviation airport with a single hard-surfaced runway, home to light aircraft, flight training and an annual classic vehicle and aircraft show.
Half Moon Bay Airport (KHAF), officially renamed Eddie Andreini Sr. Airfield in 2015, is a county-owned general-aviation field on California's Pacific coast near Moss Beach, close to the town of Half Moon Bay. It is a popular VFR destination for pilots flying the coastline south of San Francisco, offering a single runway, uncontrolled operations, and a strong general-aviation and flight-training presence, alongside an emergency-services role for the local community.
The airfield lies on the Northern California coast, about six miles northwest of Half Moon Bay and roughly 20 miles south of San Francisco. It sits within the wider San Francisco Bay Area airspace environment, with NORCAL Approach/Departure providing terminal radar service to aircraft in the area on 135.1 MHz. The field itself is uncontrolled, with pilots using the common traffic advisory frequency for self-announced arrivals and departures.
Half Moon Bay Airport has a single physical runway, 12/30, a hard-surfaced strip that is lit for night operations. Runway 12 measures 4,241 feet and Runway 30 measures 4,227 feet. There is no ILS approach at the field.
NORCAL Approach/Departure serves the airfield on 135.1 MHz. The field itself is uncontrolled, with UNICOM/CTAF operating on 122.8 MHz for local traffic advisories and airport information.
Half Moon Bay is an uncontrolled airfield, with all arriving and departing traffic using the 122.8 MHz UNICOM/CTAF frequency to self-announce intentions. Pilots are advised to familiarise themselves with the airport's noise abatement procedures before arrival, though specific circuit heights and noise-abatement routings are not detailed in available guidance.
The airfield is readily identified by its position directly on the Pacific shoreline near Moss Beach, roughly six miles northwest of the town of Half Moon Bay and about 20 miles south of San Francisco, making the coastline itself the primary visual reference for pilots approaching from either the north or south.
The site was constructed in 1942 by the California State Highway Department for the U.S. Army as an auxiliary airfield for Salinas Army Air Base, known then as the Half Moon Bay Flight Strip. It supported training of light observation and reconnaissance squadrons flying light aircraft and camera-modified fighters, and Salinas AAF also used the site in its coastal patrol mission, garrisoned by a detachment of the 301st Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron. Following the Army Air Forces reorganisation of early 1944, the field passed to the Air Technical Service Command under the 4159th Army Air Forces Base Unit, which operated it for emergency landings, transient aircraft and training. On 1 June 1945 the War Department granted the U.S. Navy a five-year permit to run the site as Outlying Field, Half Moon Bay, serving Naval Air Station Moffett Field and providing target-towing support for the Anti-Aircraft Training Center at Point Montara. San Mateo County acquired the airport from the Navy in 1947. In December 2015 the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors renamed it Eddie Andreini Sr. Airfield in honour of the veteran air show pilot, who received the International Council of Air Shows' Sword of Excellence Award in 2004 and was inducted into the Air Show Hall of Fame in 2013; the airport remains registered with the FAA under its original Half Moon Bay Airport name.
Today Half Moon Bay Airport functions as an important general-aviation, business and emergency-services asset for the local community, supporting air ambulance and medevac flights, law enforcement and homeland security patrols, Coast Guard sea-rescue operations, and use as a disaster relief staging site when roads are closed. The airport is self-funded through user and business fees and receives no money from the county's general fund. It is home to around 80 aircraft and several aviation-related businesses, and hosts the annual Pacific Coast Dream Machines event each April, featuring aircraft and automobiles. Visiting pilots have access to a pilot's lounge, restroom facilities and free parking, and the field is known for allowing camping on the airport grounds, with picnic benches, a fire pit and a café on site. Prior permission is required for some visiting activities such as camping.
