Introduction: Van Nuys Airport

Fire fighting aircraft wait for the call

Pilot navigational chart showing Van Nuys and surrounding airspaces.
Los Angeles Sectional Chart
Click image for larger view - 148K

Group 3 Aviation, Inc. is located at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in the heart of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. With in excess of 537,500 total operations annually, VNY is ranked as the world's busiest general aviation airport and is the 7th busiest airport in the United States. The airport is one of four, including Los Angeles International, owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports. The system operates under the direction of a policy-making Board of Airport Commissioners appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles. Some 758 aircraft are based at VNY, including 128 jets, 27 turboprop, 531 piston aircraft and 52 helicopters.

Navigational chart used by Helicopter Pilots showing approach and departure routes for helicopters at Van Nuys airport
Los Angeles Sectional Chart
Click image for larger view - 148K

Interestingly, the weather has been a major factor in the growth of the airport through the years. When one thinks of "the weather" in Southern California, thoughts of sunny days and warm temperatures immediately come to mind. Our climatic conditions in this region, however, are far more complex. The San Fernando Valley is located north of the Hollywood Hills and is protected from coastal conditions that frequently ground VFR aircraft at airports located near the shoreline. For this reason, VNY has become the base of operations of aircraft where favorable weather conditions are crucial. Craft of the Los Angeles Fire, Police and Water Departments, all of the major network news ships, the Super Scooper Fire Fighting tankers during our fire season (pictured at the top of the page) are but a few of the aircraft you will see at VNY.

The benefits to our students and clients by being based at VNY are numerous. The weather and rarely ever being grounded are the most obvious and certainly unique. Further, our flight environment is challenging yet not overwhelming. VNY is located in class delta airspace with Burbank Airport (BUR) being adjacent and located in class charlie airspace. The variety of airspaces and environments afford us the opportunity to train our students to a level of proficiency not possible in many areas of the country and with little or no interruption caused by weather.

Airport Features Include:

Aerial view of Runways at Van Nuys Airport
    Two Parallel Runways
  • Runway 16R/34L - 8,000-foot runway with instrument landing system
  • Runway 16L/34R - 4,000-foot training runway
    FAA Control Tower
  • Operates between 6:15 a.m. and 10:45 p.m. daily
    Los Angeles Fire Department
  • Provides crash, fire and rescue service in the event of an emergency.
    City Helicopter Center
  • Consists of ramp, hangar space and maintenance facility for Los Angeles Fire, Police and Department of Water & Power helicopters.
    Television News Air Support
  • Helicopter camera ships for CBS 2, NBC 4 (serviced), KTLA 5, ABC 7, FOX 11, UPN 13 and TV34.
    Traffic Watch Air Support
  • KLOS and KFWB
    California Highway Patrol (CHP)
  • Ships of the Air Support Division are serviced at VNY.
Select an image for a larger view
Vintage Aircraft Air-crane Condor Squadron
NBC 4 ABC 7 KTLA 5
CBS 2 LA City FD In Action Fire Brigade
FOX 11 LA City FD Servicing Bells

We encourage you to visit the VNY site, other Los Angeles World Airports including LAX and Intellicast for the current local weather conditions.