Big Bear (L35)

Here we are on the Base-leg at Big Bear Airport (L35). This high altitude airport sits at 6,800 feet in the mountains east of Los Angeles. From LA it takes 2 hours to drive up the hill to Big Bear. But only 30 minutes to fly there. I land a lot at Big Bear because the avgas is so cheap. At the time of this posting 100 low-lead was selling for $2.49 a gallon!

If you intend to fly into Big Bear be careful. Quite often there are reasonably high winds. Even if they are down the runway (which they usually are) you must be cautious on approach because of strong wind-shear.

If you are into the $100 hamburger, there is a restaurant in the airport terminal. The Barnstorm Cafe serves good tasting food, plus the service is great. If you are planning a trip to Big Bear, be sure to stop by and eat a meal, yo won't regret it.

Interesting Note: once, I flew from Big Bear Airport to Redlands Airport in 10 minutes. At times my ground speed was as high as 190 knots. To drive the same distance with a car would take you over an hour.