SEPTEMBER 2019 FLYINGMAG.COM | 47currently selling for less than $5 a
gallon. While Fredericksburg does
not charge a landing fee, arrival
does come with a $65 ramp fee that’s
waived with a fuel purchase. The
airport offers on-site rental-car
facilities (gillespiecounty.org/page/
airport) and is active on Twitter,
Facebook and Instagram.Santa Catalina Island, California:
This island is part of the Catalina
Island Conservancy, one of the old-
est private land trusts in California,
and includes more than 62 miles
of unspoiled beaches and secluded
coves. The recently rebuilt runway
at the Airport in the Sky sits squarely
atop a 1,602-foot-tall mountaintop
at the center of the island 10 miles
from the city of Avalon. AV X’s single
3,250-foot long runway was con-
structed by blasting and leveling
two adjacent peaks and using the
resulting debris to fill in the gaps.
The airport’s DC-3 Gifts & Grill
restaurant is famed for its buffalo
burgers and other specialties, as well
as live music during the summer.
The drive to Avalon from the airport
demands patience and about 35 min-
utes once a taxi arrives. Pilots are
advised to reserve one before arrival.
There are great hotels and dining
opportunities in town, not to men-
tion scuba diving, glass-bottom boat
rides, and ocean and fishing tours.
The island is also a hiker’s paradise
with more than 165 miles of trails,
including an assortment of loops
that give hikers a great glimpse at a
variety of island locales. The “grand
daddy” hike is the Trans-Catalina
Trail, a 38.5-mile trail spanning the
entire island. Catalina also offers
eco-tours, cycling and camping
opportunities.
Because Santa Catalina’s a nature
conservancy, easy-to-find permits
are required for most outdoor
activities. No permits are needed to
explore any of the dozens of shop-
ping and dining opportunities in
Avalon, nor any of the places to
stay. Airport in the Sky is active on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
(visitcatalinaisland.com/ ).Opposite top:
Food, boating
and a variety of
sports activities
await Ocean Reef
visitors.
Left: Digging into
Wright brothers
history is only
the beginning of
a visit to Dayton.
Below: Visitors
can easily spend
days combing
through Arizona’s
four major
boneyards.
Opposite bottom:
The annual
Stearman Fly-
In at Galesburg
attracts biplane
devotees from
around the
world.