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Flying Into Oceanside (KOKB): A Coastal Cross-Country Worth Every Mile

Flying from Redlands to Oceanside is one of the most rewarding cross-countries in Southern California. Oceanside's Bob Maxwell Memorial Airfield (KOKB) is about 53 nautical miles south-southwest of Redlands Municipal (KREI), far enough to count as cross-country time toward a private, commercial or instrument certificate, and the trip ends a few miles from the Pacific.

The airport

• Elevation: 28 feet
• Runway 7/25: 2,712 by 75 feet, asphalt
• Traffic pattern: left traffic for Runway 7 and right traffic for Runway 25, so the pattern is on the north side of the field
• CTAF and UNICOM: 122.725
• Runway lights: preset to low intensity, and you can turn them up on the CTAF
• Fuel: 100LL and Jet A

At 2,712 feet, the runway is short by Redlands standards. It's fine for a Cessna 172 or 150 flown at the right speeds, but it's no place for a long, fast final. Work out your landing distance before you go, and plan to go around if you're not where you should be.

Know the local procedures

The FAA's remarks for Oceanside are worth reading in full before your first trip:

• Skydiving. Parachute operations are in effect from sunrise to sunset every day, with jumpers landing on the north side of the runway, between the runway and the downwind leg. Listen for the jump plane, and keep your eyes open in the pattern.
• Right traffic for Runway 25. Left traffic to Runway 25 is prohibited for noise abatement.
• Noise abatement on departure. Follow the riverbed all the way to the coast before making any turns, don't fly over the houses along the river banks, and don't turn out early before you reach the ocean.
• Terrain and look-alikes. The FAA notes high ground up to 280 feet MSL to the west, northwest and southwest of the Runway 7 end, and a road south of the airport that's easy to mistake for the runway.
• Birds on and near the airport.

The route from Redlands

The direct course from Redlands runs south-southwest, past Lake Elsinore and Temecula, toward the San Luis Rey River valley, which leads down to the airport and the coast. A few things to plan around:

• March Air Reserve Base's Class C airspace sits almost on the direct line, about 13 nautical miles south-southwest of Redlands. Either establish two-way radio communication with March or SoCal Approach before you enter it, or plan a route that stays clear.
• Camp Pendleton's restricted areas lie to the north of Oceanside. Check the sectional and their status, and keep well clear.
• Terrain. The route crosses rolling hills, with the Santa Ana Mountains to the west. Plan an altitude with comfortable clearance, and descend toward the coast only once you know where you are.

Flight following with SoCal Approach is worth having the whole way. It's a busy part of the world, with Carlsbad's towered airport about 6 nautical miles to the southeast.

Plan around the marine layer

Oceanside often sits under the marine layer in the morning, especially in late spring and early summer, while Redlands is clear. The airport reports METARs but doesn't issue a TAF, so use nearby forecasts, such as Carlsbad's (KCRQ), along with satellite imagery for timing.

• Leave late enough for the coast to clear, and watch the trend, not just the current report.
• Plan your return before the layer starts moving back inland in the late afternoon or evening.
• Carry the fuel to turn back toward the inland valleys, which usually clear first.

Making it count in your logbook

Because Oceanside is more than 50 nautical miles from Redlands, the flight meets the cross-country definition for a private, commercial or instrument certificate (14 CFR 61.1). It also makes a good leg in longer flights:

• For a private pilot's long solo cross-country of at least 150 nautical miles with three full-stop landings, Oceanside can be the leg of more than 50 nautical miles.
• For commercial time building, it's a pleasant way to log pilot-in-command cross-country time.
• For instrument students, the trip works as practice under IFR with an instructor, with approaches at nearby airports along the way.

Before you go

• Read the Chart Supplement entry and NOTAMs for Oceanside, including the skydiving and noise procedures.
• Check the marine layer timing for both your arrival and your return.
• Plan your route around March's Class C and Camp Pendleton's restricted areas.
• Run the landing distance for a 2,712-foot runway.

Cornerstone Flight Academy rents a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 150 at Redlands Municipal Airport, and an instructor can fly the trip with you the first time. Call or text (909) 330-4748, or visit flycornerstone.com.

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