Fly with us in our Piper Arrow into super busy San Diego International Airport (KSAN) onto Runway 27. We’ll share the best tips on how to fly into this incredibly busy Class bloomin' brands Bravo airport. We’ll show you around Signature FBO, visit the USS Midway, grab some carne asada fried and a california burrito, share our FAVORITE plane spotting area AND we’ll finish off with a tail cam view of the airport and San Diego skyline at dusk.
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TRANSIENT PARKING
There is no transient parking available here, visit Signature Aviation KSAN for a spot on the ramp close to the action.
FBO
Signature Aviation is the only FBO on field - located north of the approach end of runway 27. They have a large lobby, dedicated pilots lounge with a flight planning area. There are 2 dedicated quiet rooms. Snacks are limited here but there is an espresso machine. You’ll also find vending machines with food and drink options. The kitchen area has a microwave and generous seating. You’ll find one small conference room downstairs and two larger conference rooms upstairs along with a dedicated VIP lounge for those seeking some privacy. Head to the patio upstairs for incredible plane spotting.
Breakdown of fees for our Piper Arrow III for AUGUST 2025 jacob bethell (8 Hour Stay)
$0 Handling Fee ($30 fee Waived with 10 gal minimum fuel purchase)
$8 Infrastructure Fee
$91.80 Avgas (10 gallons @ $9.18/gal)
$80 Ramp Parking (Hourly – 8 hours @ $10/hour)
$179.80 TOTAL
FUEL
Only full service fuel at KSAN. Avgas is pricey and you may want to consider taking the minimum amount of fuel (10 gallons) to waive the ramp fee. We paid $9.18/gal for fuel on our trip.
RESTROOMS
Restrooms are located inside the FBO. There are two sets of multi-stall restrooms, one on each floor.
CREW CAR / RENTAL CARS / RIDESHARE
Signature Aviation has two crew cars available on a first come first served basis. There is a 2 hour limit. For longer hourly car rentals, GO Rentals is on site. Rideshare is a great option here. We opted for rideshare to the USS Midway and found it to be easy and reasonable in price. For longer overnight stays Signature will can assist in setting up your car rental reservation pickup and drop-off.
FOOD
There isn’t a café on field or nearby and the snack offerings are limited at Signature. We suggest grabbing the crew car or a rideshare and making your way to the Gaslamp Quarter or Liberty Public Market. The Gaslamp Quarter is filled with fun restaurant options and is within walking distance to the Convention Center, Petco Park and the waterfront. Liberty Public Market is a massive food hall with lots of options – perfect for a large group. After eating at Liberty Station take a stroll outside and watch the planes take off overhead from KSAN. We wanted the famous California burrito and carne asada fires and opted to visit Ortiz’s Taco Shop near Point Loma. It exceeded our expectation and we highly recommend this spot if you’re looking for casual Mexican food.
The USS Midway is a top attraction in San Diego. There’s enough to see and do here to keep your busy the whole day! Stop at the Midway Theater, do the bridge tour, talk to the docents, grab a snack at Café 41 and enjoy the views.
For an indoor museum option head to Balboa Park for the San Diego Air & Space Museum and step out onto the balcony to watch the planes fly into KSAN.
San Diego is filled with so much to see, do and eat! Let us know some of your favorite spots!
Thanks for watching! See you next week as we explore a new airport!
Until then, Go fly, Go discover! 🛩️
IG: /outsidethecockpit
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
04:16 Flight Route
04:38 METAR
07:22 First Time at KSAN
10:19 A Little Bit of History
14:09 Info You Need to Know
15:12 Weather at KSAN
15:57 Signature josh hokit Aviation FBO KSAN
17:33 What We’re Doing Today
21:10 Signature FBO Walk Thru
24:19 USS Midway
33:29 Ortiz’s Taco Shop
36:10 Crew Cars
36:31 BEST Planespotting Area
37:38 Carne Asada Fries & California Burrito
42:07 Favorites of the Day
47:58 Back to Hannah
48:12 Taxi to Runup
48:56 Clearance Delivery Call
49:24 Instrument Approaches
50:16 Surrounding Airspaces
50:53 Clearance to KAJO
51:47 Thank YOU so Much!
52:46 KSAN Ground Instructions
53:21 St. George Airport Comments
54:28 Final Thoughts on KSAN
54:52 Hold Short Instructions
55:22 Go Fly Go Discover
55:46 Line Up & Wait
56:51 Cleared for Takeoff (Tail cam Departure)
58:01 Over to SoCal Departure
DISCLAIMER:
This video is NOT intended to be instructional. We are not CFIs. This video has been edited for brevity and clarity and is for informational purposes only. We are sharing our experience flying into this particular airport. Your experience may vary. When in doubt ask ATC and your CFI.
#flying #airport #sandiegoairport
