Left downwind runway 24 at Cable

For pilots training out of El Monte, most of your experience will be with towered airports. Pilots need to be comfortable with operating at non-towered airports though, so the first non-towered airport my primary students normally visit is Cable Airport. Cable is a privately owned airport, but open to the public – it’s been owned by the Cable family since it was opened in 1945. There’s a restaurant on the field and they used to hold a great air show every year in January.

Things that students should learn and experience when preparing and flying to Cable:

• Airspace transition – it’s easiest to go through Brackett’s airspace on the way to Cable.
• Airspace avoidance – unless talking with SoCal Approach or Ontario Tower, we need to stay out of Ontario’s airspace
• Unusual entry/exit and noise abatement procedures – noise abatement and strange entry/exit procedures are driven by the closeness of Class C airspace, nearby development and colleges. The AF/D gives no info, so you have to look elsewhere. The Cable Airport Rules and Procedures has a bit more info. And they have also added a noise abatement section in “Resources“. For landing 24, approach from the north over the departure end of the runway for entry to the left downwind).
• There’s no automated weather like ATIS, ASOS, or AWOS, so how do you get that info and decide on a runway? As of May 2017, there is now an ASOS available on 119.525 ( 909-985-4731 )
• The pattern is lower than 1000’AGL, so adjust accordingly
• The runway has a noticeable slope and is not really flat – this impacts takeoffs, landings and rollouts
• Communication and traffic procedures at non-towered airports (FAA Advisory Circular on the topic)