A number of those around the Fullerton Airport were surprised to see a Learjet apparently coming in for a landing around 1pm on January 7th. At the last minute the jet climbed out, turned south, and disappeared.

It was an FAA jet verifying that the localizer beacon at Fullerton Airport which assures pilots are accurately aligned with the runway while making a landing was working correctly. Whenever any work is done on the equipment, the FAA must confirm it is operating as required, thus the landing approach test flight. Airport Manager Brendan O’Reilly is responsible for airport operations, and is always working to assure those operations are safe and efficient.

The public is always welcome to visit the free Classic Aircraft Display held on the second Sunday of every month between 10am and 1pm. Owners of older aircraft are provided a tax incentive if they show their planes to the public a certain number of times a year. Fullerton is one of the airports that participate in this public exposure event.

For the last few Decembers, Santa Claus and his Elf have flown in by helicopter to join the Classic Aircraft Display event. He visits with the children, gets their Christmas requests, gives each child a candy cane and then allows them to select a gift of their choice. The parents come along to take photos of their kids with Santa and his Elf.

The airport also opens the field for the annual free, family-friendly Airport Day event. Multiple aircraft displays, both military and civilian are featured along with a tour of the control tower plus jump houses and train rides for the kids. Food, plane and helicopter rides are available for purchase. If you missed 2018’s Airport Day, mark your calendar for this year’s event on Saturday, June 22 from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free. The Fullerton Municipal Airport is located at 4011 W. Commonwealth Ave.