Watsonville Municipal Airport is a public airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 (CBD) of Watsonville

Watsonville, California

Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 51,199 according to the 2010 census.Located on the central coast of California, the economy centers predominantly around the farming industry. It is known for growing strawberries, apples, lettuce and a host...

, a city in Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The airport covers 330 acres (134 ha) and has two runway

Runway

According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

s. The largest aircraft to ever land at Watsonville were 05-5141 and 05-5143, C-17 Globemaster III

C-17 Globemaster III

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...

s from March ARB, CA.

Facilities

The Watsonville airport's longest runway

Runway

According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

 is 02-20 and its dimensions are 4501' x 150'. The crosswind runway, 08-26, 3999' x 100', is used when winds favor it and when the fog

Fog

Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...

 is moving across the field from the Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....

.

The airport is uncontrolled

Non-towered airport

A non-towered airport, sometimes referred to as an uncontrolled airport, is an airport with no operating tower, or air traffic control unit...

, and the CTAF is 122.8 MHz, and the ASOS can be received on 132.275 MHz or by calling 831-724-8794.

Instrument Approaches

The airport has three approaches, making it a popular instrument training area.

• Localizer Runway 02 (needs overwater flight)
• VOR/GPS-A (from Salinas VOR)
• NDB/GPS-B (from PAJAR NDB located 1.1 nm SW of the field)

Instrument pilots have been advised that Watsonville is occasionally surrounded by non-IFR traffic that (illegally) climbs/descends to low stratus layer. ATC usually calls them out, but they can not always see them. There are frequent traffic calls to CTAF even when IMC prevails become important.

See also

• List of airports of Santa Cruz County, California
• List of airports in the San Francisco Bay Area

External links

• Watsonville Municipal Airport (official site)
• History of the Watsonville Municipal Airport
• Watsonville Fly In and Airshow
• Watsonville Pilots Association
• Experimental Aircraft Association: Chapter 119
• Monterey Bay Ninety-Nines - local chapter of Ninety Nines organization for women pilots
• CAP Senior Squadron 13 - local Civil Air Patrol
  Civil Air Patrol
  Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
  
  squadron, search & rescue and aviation education
• AirMonterey, LLC Part 135 On-Demand Air Charter (Passengers/Cargo)
• Ocean Air Flight Services Flight Training and Maintenance
• United Flight Services Flight Training FBO
• West Coast Sport Aircraft TECNAM Aircraft Regional Distributor
• "Watsonville Airport is a wonderful asset for the city", article in Watsonville Register-Pajaronian, 2009-08-18