Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO, KSMO)

Attempt to ban large aircraft

🔗 Thu, 10 Jan 2008
— @david at Santa Monica Municipal Airport, United States Reply

In fall 2007, Santa Monica city council introduced a law to ban large aircraft from the airport:

http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2007/071203ca.html

A Great GA Alternative To KLAX or KVNY

🔗 Tue, 24 Jul 2007
— @hamish at Santa Monica Municipal Airport, United States Reply

A great GA alternative to LAX or Van Nuys, convenient to the Westside, Santa Monica / Venice, Pacific Pallisades, Malibu, and (at a stretch) Downtown.

If you arrive IFR, note that the VOR / GPS approach (the only approach) is sometimes nicknamed the "Santa Monica Slam" with good reason: SoCal Approach will often vector you inside DARTS (the IAF) at 6,000' to keep you above opposing traffic going into Van Nuys, meaning you are some 4,000' above the minimum altitude for that segment with only a few miles to lose it at the inevitable "best forward speed" with a bunch of business jets in trail...

Note that transient parking here is minimal, and sometimes non-existent: if you're planning an overnight stay, best book it with one of the FBO's (I used Supermarine, who were friendly and competent, even though I was in a lowly 172 surrounded by the Citations and Hawkers to the stars, etc.).

Note also that with a few exceptions there are no defined runway exit points here -- you get off the runway wherever you can on the continuous apron (try not to hit a runway light...), and taxi past the continuous hold short line as fast as you can (otherwise tower will get rather unpleasant).

Oh, and this is a busy airport, with a very diverse mixture of aircraft and pilots. (there's a lot of training being done here), and some stringent noise abatement procedures.