Has anyone here got anything good or bad to say about operating out of Oxnard as home field? I've been quite spoiled with the atmosphere while renting at Santa Paula but I'm about to need a hangar and Oxnard has 2 good qualities, a) there are hangars available and b) they are reasonably inexpensive. Anybody been there done that at Oxnard in the last 10 years?

Zack is this you ? Thought you were going to use SZP ? Tim is delivering PA14 there maybe this weekend .

Hey Bill,

Yes it is, I'm just having a heckuva time finding a spot at SZP. The spot discussed earlier on Stearman Taxi is a nogo as of a few hours ago. I figured OXR is a sure bet even if only for a short time while I continue pounding the pavement at SZP. I would much rather find something at SZP but keeping my options open in case that doesn't pan out quickly enough. Sure would hate for Tim to have no place to drop it off.

Zack

Small world, I'm sitting in a motel in Camarillo on a job hunting trip.
I flew in and out of Oxnard quite a bit during the last ice age....well maybe not that long ago....
The only compaint I would pass on is the summertime marine layer would sometimes hold us up even though we were IFR and the airport has a full ILS available. Other than that I can't comment due to the limitations on my long term memory....

John, what are you hunting in Camarillo???

My first solo XC years ago was IZA-CMA. I only overflew OXR. I'd say as long as it's secure and not too far a drive from home, why not? Seems like anywhere on the central coast is going to suffer from marine layer creeping in.

Took my PP check ride to OXR. Think the examiner chose OXR to make sure I could find it and not land at CMA. It's been a long time since I flew regularly in that area, but my recollections match those mentioned by PorterJet...…there are times you can get in and out of CMA and SZP while OXR will be socked in, even though they aren't that far apart.

Flynengr

Straydog wrote:Hey Bill,

Yes it is, I'm just having a heckuva time finding a spot at SZP. The spot discussed earlier on Stearman Taxi is a nogo as of a few hours ago. I figured OXR is a sure bet even if only for a short time while I continue pounding the pavement at SZP. I would much rather find something at SZP but keeping my options open in case that doesn't pan out quickly enough. Sure would hate for Tim to have no place to drop it off.

Zack

Tims brother Pat has hanger there at SZP and knows a lot about the airport. I'd still suggest a storage unit 10x30 x 8 ft. Or so with roll up door. It was(is) in 2 car garage . First order of business is to get stuff in fusualage like wiring and instruments/radio provisions . Get fuselage covered - do uncovered wing . Flight controls are already covered . clean up and inspect engine and prop. Hang engine . There are some small t hangers at White man for rent. After you get it all together and flown look to get it painted - and go after a hanger ,best of luck should be a ass kicking PA14 when your done. Welcome to the club of building a classic, check into getting your A&P @ going to work on what you enjoy. Yes the 135 is available when your ready.

porterjet wrote:I flew in and out of Oxnard quite a bit during the last ice age....The only compaint I would pass on is the summertime marine layer would sometimes hold us up even though we were IFR and the airport has a full ILS available.

During the last ice age when I flew out of Oxnard full IFR in a non-IFR plane never stopped us. 1983, and I was taking aerobatic lessons in a 150 Aerobat with Bob Gililland (sp?). This character was too old to fly in WWII, so they made him an instructor.

I recall many a day when I'd show up and the soup was all the way to the ground. Nothing was flying, not even the birds. Bob would arrive with a foot long submarine sandwich and we'd climb into the 150 and taxi out. The Aerobat hardly had anything but Needle, Ball, Airspeed. Bob would call the tower and they'd clear us for takeoff. As soon as we were out of the soup he turn the controls over to me, then eat the sandwich while I climbed to the aerobatic area. We'd do about 45 minutes of instruction, at which point I was about to puke, then it was straight and level with the windows open so I could try and recover.

By the time we got back to the airport the sun was always shining. He'd chew me out cause there'd be oil dripping off the tail - I loved hanging from the straps.

I asked him once why the controllers let us take off under those conditions. He explained that he learned to fly before there were instructors, and before planes had instrumentation, and before there were any restrictions (rules) about flying. He just climbed into a plane and taught himself how to fly. The controllers knew that.

It's easy to locate Bob's entries in my log book. He could write smaller then anyone. Fit an entire paragraph of information in the Remarks And Endorsements column - and it is legible!

Before I found Bob I began my search for an aerobatic instructor at Santa Paula. I wandered into this guy's hangar that had a Christen Eagle, but I couldn't afford the rental rate. I did notice a photo hanging over his desk. It was of a helicopter at the top of a loop. Yep, I was talking to Sammy Mason. Pretty cool.

Z,
Just on an exersise passing out resumes in socal, my wife thinks I should find a new flying job before our savings runs out. Just happened to be in CMA last night.
The one thing I'm finding is a lot of companies are using contract pilots instead of hiring a second or third full time pilot. I guess that's good if I lived in one of the big cities but commuting north from the central coast for one gig then a week later commuting south for the next one sure would get old. I don't mind moving one way or the other for a full time position but I'm not sure that is in the cards the way things look.

Barnstormer wrote:

porterjet wrote:I flew in and out of Oxnard quite a bit during the last ice age....The only compaint I would pass on is the summertime marine layer would sometimes hold us up even though we were IFR and the airport has a full ILS available.

During the last ice age when I flew out of Oxnard full IFR in a non-IFR plane never stopped us. 1983, and I was taking aerobatic lessons in a 150 Aerobat with Bob Gililland (sp?). This character was too old to fly in WWII, so they made him an instructor.

I recall many a day when I'd show up and the soup was all the way to the ground. Nothing was flying, not even the birds. Bob would arrive with a foot long submarine sandwich and we'd climb into the 150 and taxi out. The Aerobat hardly had anything but Needle, Ball, Airspeed. Bob would call the tower and they'd clear us for takeoff. As soon as we were out of the soup he turn the controls over to me, then eat the sandwich while I climbed to the aerobatic area. We'd do about 45 minutes of instruction, at which point I was about to puke, then it was straight and level with the windows open so I could try and recover.

By the time we got back to the airport the sun was always shining. He'd chew me out cause there'd be oil dripping off the tail - I loved hanging from the straps.

I asked him once why the controllers let us take off under those conditions. He explained that he learned to fly before there were instructors, and before planes had instrumentation, and before there were any restrictions (rules) about flying. He just climbed into a plane and taught himself how to fly. The controllers knew that.

It's easy to locate Bob's entries in my log book. He could write smaller then anyone. Fit an entire paragraph of information in the Remarks And Endorsements column - and it is legible!

Before I found Bob I began my search for an aerobatic instructor at Santa Paula. I wandered into this guy's hangar that had a Christen Eagle, but I couldn't afford the rental rate. I did notice a photo hanging over his desk. It was of a helicopter at the top of a loop. Yep, I was talking to Sammy Mason. Pretty cool.

I love this story... Bob was my instructor when the airport was VTU (Ventura County) He signed me off for my first solo, and my PP checkride. I feel really fortunate to have had him as an instructor and exposure to aerobatics as a young teen! A couple years ago, I stopped by where Aero-flite had been and was sad to see it all gone... I had hoped someone was still there who could tell me some stories about Bob in the last few decades. But, no luck... I assume he has passed on, but if not, I wish I could visit him and say hi...

I fly in there often from KVNY and luckily when I have its always been sunny. However i use to live on the Channel Islands harbor which is about 2 miles from KOXR and as others have mentioned that in the summer the fog can get pretty thick. Camarillo is much better option to avoid the marine layer, but unsure on their hangar availability and pricing. I will say this, Oxnard in the winter is just about the best weather in the world. Its sunny most of the time and its a town with great beaches without the crowds of the westside...

How much are the hangars going for?

Marc

MikesT182T wrote:Bob was my instructor when the airport was VTU (Ventura County) He signed me off for my first solo, and my PP checkride. I feel really fortunate to have had him as an instructor and exposure to aerobatics as a young teen! A couple years ago, I stopped by where Aero-flite had been and was sad to see it all gone... I had hoped someone was still there who could tell me some stories about Bob in the last few decades. But, no luck... I assume he has passed on, but if not, I wish I could visit him and say hi...

I was hoping someone here had flown with Bob. Very cool. Like you I assume he's passed on. I wish I'd of taken the time to sit down, buy those old timers lunch, and listened to their stories.

Addicted2climbing,

The county has a few T-hangars open that they're asking $250/mo for.

Camarillo is great and it's very convenient, consequently the wait list is somewhere near 200 names long for a T-hangar. With Santa Paula's character and amenities, it's where I really want to be but was just looking into OXR for the meantime since they have immediate availability.

Thanks for all the input guys,
SD

Barnstormer wrote:
I was hoping someone here had flown with Bob. Very cool. Like you I assume he's passed on. I wish I'd of taken the time to sit down, buy those old timers lunch, and listened to their stories.

Your description of Bob was right on. He took me on my long x-country to Tehachapi via the Mojave area. We were cruising along over the Desert and suddenly we start loosing altitude about 2K fpm. Added full power and we were still loosing 1500 fpm. Starting to freak out, I looked over at him and he just had a grin on his face with no worries. About 30 seconds later, we were climbing about 2K fpm... Nice lesson...

I own a hangar at Oxnard and like it there. Not as much activity as Camarillo, but as you observed county hangars are available. If you are building, you can operate out of Oxnard in Phase 1 testing. It's a little more restrictive than CMA or SPZ due to the populated area to the east. Biggest difference is the weather in the summer. Oxnard often gets morning fog when CAM and SZP are clear. Usually the fog burns off by noon, and because of the low traffic volume you can usually get a special VFR clearance in and out. If you do IFR, OXR has better approaches.
County T hangers tend to be old and rusty, but I think all have electricity and recent exterior paint. I expect many if not most get wet when it rains. There is one large county hangar available which would hold 3 or maybe 4 light aircraft. There is one private T hanger for sale cheap, but it has no electricity. There are also several private hangers for sale or rent, so you have quite a few options. If you need any more info, send me a PM.

S51driver,

Thanks a bunch, that's just the kind of stuff I'm looking for. It sounds like maybe you built in your hangar there, if so is it true they dont hassle you about doing so? That may be an odd question but I live in a neighborhood which forbids automotive repair in your garage . Would things like air compressors etc cause any alarm?

The wet county hangars, is that a result of surface water going under doors, leaky roofs or both?

thanks again for the input, I'll be pounding the pavement at OXR and SZP tomorrow to try to secure something.

SD

CMA and OXR are both Ventura Co airports, so the rules are the same. They are pretty laid back about most things, but they don't like boats or motorhomes/trailers in the hangars (either county or private) because they are obviously non-aviation uses. As far as working on aircraft goes, no problem with that. You are supposed to have an airworthy, insured aircraft in the hangers, however if you are building or restoring they will make allowances provided you are actually working on it (as opposed to storing it). As public airports go, they are not unreasonable. Of course at SZP you can do virtually anything you want, so if you're used to that it may seem restrictive.

I bought a rusty T hanger, demolished it and built a new box hanger on the same site. That was doable, but required some negotiation with the Dept of Airports to avoid a reversion clause. Ventura Co is a very difficult place to build as far as getting permits is concerned because hangars are considered commercial buildings. CMA is especially difficult because you have to deal with County Fire in addition. OXR is easier because you deal with Oxnard City Fire.

I expect you will get under the walls/doors in virtually all the county hangars. The amount will depend on the specific site and probably the wind direction during the storm. They have improved drainage on the ramp (a shovel-ready project), so maybe it's not as big a problem now. Also, I expect most have some leaks in the roof, but that's probably minor compared to the doors and walls.

If you want to look around OXR, give me a call. I'll try to PM the phone number to you.

Well after kicking around at OXR all morning dealing with 2 very helpful airfield ops guys and one very accommodating airfield manager I left about 90% sure that I wouldn't be able to beat it at SZP. After a half dozen landings in the rental Citabria I walked SZP in its entirety talking to everyone I met and asking about rental space. While I made a lot of new friends and furthered my love of SZP I couldn't find anything that beat having my own T-hangar with electricity facing the numbers at the approach end of 25 for $217/month. So I signed the papers and after I pick up my gate key tomorrow I'll be able to post in the "show us your hangar" thread. Now, to find an airplane.....
Just kidding, will post pics of that when it arrives.

Thanks for all the help and support guys
SD

Sounds like a Barbara Hale special. I'm in P-3, near gate V4.

So last evening I took the wife and Jr. down to show her our hangar and bask in all it's miniature glory. I pulled up in front and as we got out our next door hangar neighbor comes out and says "oh so you must be the new neighbor. Word travels fast, I was just reading your comments on BCP", Then proceeded to invite us in and gave us the warmest welcome of any place I've ever lived or had interest.

I knew that our BCP community was big, but was floored at the the occurrence last night. Zzz, thanks for facilitating such a huge community so diverse and yet so family.

I'll be honest, I was a little uneasy when I first entertained the idea of a hangar at Oxnard but I'm daily glad I did.

SD