Petaluma Municipal Airport is a public

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

one mile (1.6 km) northeast of

Petaluma Petaluma (Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census. Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village nam ...

, in

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States. It covers and has one

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...

measuring 3601 x 75 feet. It is used for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

. FedEx feeder flies Cessna Caravan 208Bs into Petaluma.

General information

Founded in 1915, the Petaluma Municipal Airport is a class G general aviation airport located on Skyranch Drive in

. The airport accommodates 60,000 takeoffs and landings each year.Public Works. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2016, from http://cityofpetaluma.net/pubworks/airport.html It has one runway of heading 110 and 290, with 290 being the primary runway due to typical wind conditions in the area.Federal Aviation Administration. (2016). Airport Facility Directory (pp.173). Washington D.C., MD: Federal Aviation Administration. p.173 The airport is non-towered, and aircraft with radios are required to communicate on frequency 122.7. Departure procedures require that all aircraft climb to 1500 feet above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

. All arrivals are required to follow noise abatement procedures due to roads and residences adjacent to the airfield.

Airport facilities

The Petaluma Municipal Airport is operated by the city of Petaluma 24 hours a day, and is staffed from Monday through Friday 0800-1700, and Saturday through Sunday 0800-1600. It is staffed on all holidays.

Aircraft storage

Hangars and tie-down spaces are available for rent on a limited basis. Aircraft

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

s are available in multiple sizes, and tie down spaces are available for both single and twin engine aircraft.

Two-Niner Diner

Named after ideal flying conditions ( 29.92 inches of mercury on the

altimeter An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth under water. The m ...

),McNaughton, M. T. (2011). Two-Niner Diner to celebrate 20th anniversary. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from http://www.petaluma360.com/csp/mediapool/sites/PressDemocrat/News/story.csp?cid=2298638 the Two-Niner Diner is located at the end of runway 29. Opened in 1991, the restaurant is frequented by pilots flying into the airport from all over Sonoma County. It uses local ingredients and serves typical diner fare.

Mangon Aircraft

Originally opened at Smith Ranch Airport, in 1969, Mangon Aircraft is an aircraft maintenance facility that has since relocated to the Petaluma Municipal Airport. Owned and operated by Ronald Mangon, Mangon Aircraft provides various services to many types of aircraft, and shares employees with the pilot training center. PPTC

Petaluma Pilot Training Center

The Petaluma Pilot Training Center is a pilot training facility located at Petaluma Municipal Airport (O69). It provides instruction to those without a pilot license, and aircraft rental to those who are certified. It offers instruction to obtain a private pilot certificate, as well as an instrument rating and additional endorsements. The center operates a fleet of five aircraft: a 1975 Cessna 150M, a 1974

Cessna 172M The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.PA28R-200, and a 2007 Cessna 172SP, outfitted with a glass cockpit. The pilot training center cooperates with personnel from the airport, as well as employees from Mangon Aircraft Repair.

Accidents and incidents

* On January 4, 2002 a pilot flying a Cessna 152 fatally collided with mountains near the airfield, destroying the aircraft, owned and operated by Aeroventure. According to the owner of Aeroventure, the pilot was neither qualified nor endorsed by the school to fly the Cessna 152, and did not possess a license that allowed him to fly solo at night. Eyewitnesses said that the pilot began flying the aircraft without performing any preflight or departure checks. According to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department, the pilot involved in the accident was under criminal investigation. Earlier that day, police had seized his computer for criminal investigation while he was flying a different aircraft. An autopsy report ruled the manner of death to be suicide. *On April 3, 2015, a pilot was killed after his aircraft crashed into a rural area near the airport. The aircraft was a 1984 fixed wing, single engine lightweight similar to a glider. The aircraft crashed across the street from a

PG&E The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building, in San Francisco, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 millio ...

power station located along the base leg of the traffic pattern of the airport. *On July 3, 2022, a Cessna 182 Skylane crashed into a hangar at Petaluma during a landing attempt. The aircraft became wedged into the side of the structure, and a gas leak found at the scene was fixed. Though the aircraft was substantially damaged, the sole pilot was not injured. The incident is under investigation.

Nearby airports

Santa Rosa

Approximately 18 miles north of the Petaluma Municipal Airport is the Charles M Schulz airport (STS). It operates two runways: runway 14/32 and runway 2/20. The Santa Rosa airport operates in a class D tower controlled airspace during the hours of 1500-0400, and is a class G airspace at all other times. It is a popular destination for pilots departing from the Petaluma Municipal Airport.Federal Aviation Administration. (2016). Airport Facility Directory (pp.204). Washington D.C., MD: Federal Aviation Administration. p.204 Pilots flying into the airfield during its attended hours are required to contact the Santa Rosa tower controller on radio frequency 118.5; during unattended hours, they must communicate on the

UNICOM A UNICOM (universal communications) station is an air-ground communication facility operated by a non-air traffic control private agency to provide advisory service at uncontrolled aerodromes and airports and to provide various non-flight services ...

frequency 122.95.

Gnoss Field

Located just south of the Petaluma Municipal Airport is Gnoss Field (DVO). It has one runway, 13/31, surrounded by ditches. It operates under a constant noise abatement procedure due to residences nearby. There are mountains and electrical towers in the vicinity of the runway, making approaches to the airfield challenging depending on wind conditions.Federal Aviation Administration. (2016). Airport Facility Directory (pp.160). Washington D.C., MD: Federal Aviation Administration. p.160 Gnoss Field is frequently traveled to from the Petaluma Municipal Airport. Communications near this airport use the UNICOM frequency 123.075.

References

External links

*
Petaluma Area Pilots Association
{{Airports in the San Francisco Bay Area Airports in Sonoma County, California Petaluma, California