John Wayne Airport
VFR Procedures

I. Runways: Despite being aimed at a 90° angle to the shoreline (photo left), the runways are aligned close to magnetic north/south: 1 and 19 (photos on left).

II. Airspace: John Wayne airport is governed by Class C airspace. The Class C foot- print is irregular in shape and requires study to ensure compliance.

A. Class C operations require Mode C Transponder operation and two-way radio communication with appropriate facility (Tower or Approach).

1. Surface Area: controlled by the John Wayne Tower on one of two frequencies (East and West).

2. Outer portions: belong to “SoCal Approach,” a TRACON.

B. Class C operations require two additional radio calls when compared to standard Class D.

1. Arriving VFR pilots, regardless of point of origin, must establish contact with SoCal before entering the Class C. Frequencies are shown on the LA Area and Sectional charts.

2. Departing VFR pilots must obtain departure instructions prior to contacting Ground control.

a. The VFR “Clearance” frequency is 121.85.

b. The same controller works IFR Clearance Delivery on 118.0, so care must be taken to avoid conflicts when it becomes clear an IFR pilot will be making a response not audible on the VFR frequency.

i  There are only four possible departure headings. If you have forgotten these options, simply tell Clearance your desired destination.

(i) “El Toro” 080° (ii) “Newport” 150° (iii) “Mesa” 220° °(iv) “Orange” 330°

III. Ground Operations:

A. John Wayne has two parallel runways.

1. 19R (1L) is 5800’. It serves the west side of the airport and all larger airplanes.

2. 19L (1R) is 2800’. It serves the east side of the airport, but cannot handle large aircraft.

B. There are two major taxiways, roughly parallel to the runways.

1. Alpha on the east side

2. Bravo on the west side

3. Both taxiways are commonly shared by opposite direction traffic when authorized by Ground.

C. Most General Aviation businesses are located on the east side of the field, between mid-field and the south end.

Sunrise Aviation
John Wayne Airport
19531 Campus Drive, Suite 7
Santa Ana, California 92707 USA
Voice (800) 717-4200  •  (949)-852-8850
Fax (949) 852-1401

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