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Santa Paula (KSZP), California

Aeromot

Aeromot

Superior Pilot
Joined
Sep 30, 2019
Messages
7,580
Location
Santa Paula Airport (KSZP), the west end
I thought I'd make my first post about my home airport (literally, I live in one of the airport's hangars), Santa Paula, California KSZP. It is a privately owned (by the hangar owners), public-use airport with a rich history.

Santa Paula California Airport - Santa Paula Airport - KSZP - info, weather, what's on

Nestled in the valley, just 1 mile east of the central business district of Santa Paula city, KSZP is a privately owned, public use airport with a big heart. De
www.santapaulaairport.com www.santapaulaairport.com

Because it is slightly short (2670 feet) with a tight, low pattern (600 AGL, 850 MSL) with terrain (rising to 2000 feet) close in, some pilots are intimidated by it. You shouldn't be. I have never felt like there was inadequate room for my T210, and have even comfortably done touch-and-goes here. There a strip of grass on the north edge of the runway that those wanting to land on grass occasionally use (at their own risk) too. However, the runway is NOT lighted.

There are plenty of reasons to drop in. SZP usually has the cheapest fuel prices for many miles, from the self-serve or truck. The on-field restaurant serves a pretty hearty breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The First Sunday of every month is Display Day, and the many historic aircraft based here, including some 100-year-old DeHaviland Moths, flown regularly, are on display. There are rides for kids, weather permitting, and usually one or more car shows. It runs from 10 to 2.

Lots of services here too: 4 maintenance shops and an avionics shop and at least two flight schools.

Most of all, it is an active, busy airport. Walk around on any day, and you'll find interesting stuff going on.
 
What Aeromot said. Santa Paula is a unique experience, one that should not be missed. I took my first aerobatic training there in 1969; and my dad bought his '78 Skyhawk (which I'm still flying) from CP Aviation's for-sale line at SZP in 1988. For many years the on-field coffee shop was famous for the best pies in Southern California.

 
It is a way cool airport. My in-laws used to live in Camarillo (since have passed away :(). I took some spin training there. The first Sunday open house is awesome. I even met the real Mike Dewey.

Of course, Waypoint Cafe over at KCMA is my favoritest airport restaurant. My in-law's names are on one of the benches there. The chocolate shakes are great.
 
Santa Paul Airport was founded in 1930 because of a flood. In 1928, the St. Francis Dam, one of the projects William Mulholland built to bring water to the Southern California desert, failed catastrophically. It was the primary receptacle for water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct. A few minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the dam failed wholly and suddenly, releasing 12.4 billion gallons of water in a 140-foot-high wave into San Francisquito Canyon, which lead to the Santa Clara River Valley. The water, now perhaps 70 feet high, overflowed the Santa Clara riverbed and raced 54 miles to the Pacific, leaving a wide swath of death and destruction. Over 400 people were killed, though the efforts of a couple of cops, one a Santa Paula motorcycle cop, who sped around the valley sounding the alarm, warned many. Among the losses in the flood was an air strip upstream of the present site of Santa Paula Airport.

Local farmers and ranchers felt the loss of the airstrip, and by April 1930, they had raised enough money to establish SZP in its current location.

In 2005, another flood almost closed the airport for good. This was just caused by heavy rainfall. It washed away a large section of runway, which was taken as the banks of the river eroded.

SZP-flood.jpg
Santa Paula Airport after 2005 flooding.

For a while, it looked as though the airport would have to be abandoned. But then a source of a loan (but not from the FAA) was found, and the runway was restored and the banks or the river were restored and reinforced. (The loan was paid off a few years ago.)

Last night was the toughest test that the new river banks have faced in the ensuing 18 years, but everything held up well, although some of the drains around the airport instead became fountains, with muddy water popping out over a foot high. A few hangars had some flooding as a result. But the rain stopped this morning (for a few days), the tiver is receding and all is back to normal.
 
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The 1969 storm was pretty impressive, too. Santa Paula Airport was severely threatened, bridges over the river upstream and downstream were washed out, including the Hwy 118 Saticoy Bridge, and the Ventura Marina was thoroughly trashed. I took these photos from my dad's C-150E a few days later. In the first photo you can see a Citabria on the back side of a loop over the river.

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Those of us "of a certain age" remember the seven-year Southern California drought in the 1970s. Water conservation measures were implemented, water utility rates were increased, and "experts" predicted all manner of woe.

The drought ended with a vengeance with a monster storm in December 1978. Floods and mudslides devastated hillside areas, and many homes were swept away.

Johnny Carson came on one night and in his monologue said, "The Department of Water and Power tells us that we must continue to practice water conservation in our homes ... as soon as the Coast Guard returns them to us."
 
When I saw Art's photo from today, up above, my heart almost stopped. I thought it was a photo from today.

"Oh, no!" I said out loud and commenced to read. I'm thankful to hear that the river banks have held up so far and I dearly hope that they will continue to do so.

Oddly, having flown in and out of SZP multiple times over the course of each of 3 or 4 weekends back in 2014, I have no memory whatsoever of a river in that location.
 
Pilawt said:
The 1969 storm was pretty impressive, too. Santa Paula Airport was severely threatened, bridges over the river upstream and downstream were washed out, including the Hwy 118 Saticoy Bridge, and the Ventura Marina was thoroughly trashed. I took these photos from my dad's C-150E a few days later. In the first photo you can see a Citabria on the back side of a loop over the river.

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Cool photos.
 
Brian said:
When I saw Art's photo from today, up above, my heart almost stopped. I thought it was a photo from today.

"Oh, no!" I said out loud and commenced to read. I'm thankful to hear that the river banks have held up so far and I dearly hope that they will continue to do so.

Oddly, having flown in and out of SZP multiple times over the course of each of 3 or 4 weekends back in 2014, I have no memory whatsoever of a river in that location.
Click to expand...
Funny story: the first time I ever tried to use a simulator when I was a student pilot, I couldn’t figure out where SZP was. That’s because the simulator showed this large blue lake-like area, apparently intending to depict the river, even though there’s no water in the river 11 months of the year
 
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