Explore Catalina Island’s Airport in the Sky and its storied history on the island

CATALINA ISLAND — Catalina Island’s airport, known as “Airport in the Sky,” has been in the news lately, as the U.S. Marine Corps prepares to repair the aging runway as a training exercise. Those who are not too familiar with Catalina’s history and layout may not be aware of the airport’s own unique story. Airport in the Sky, another one of the island’s hidden treasures, is still active today and offers an array of activities, but how it began is truly an interesting part of the island’s beginnings. The original airport hangar was actually created to operate in cooperation with Wilmington-Catalina Airline, Ltd. and was built on Hamilton Beach in the 1940s. Imagine if Hamilton Beach, one of the busiest tourist locations in Avalon, had remained an airplane landing area. Builders too must have also recognized this dilemma and carefully took the hangar apart, relocating it to the current location where Airport in the Sky, hangar and all, still stands today. Philip K. Wrigley, whose part in creating the Catalina Island many folks know today, was largely responsible for the construction of Airport in the Sky. The hangar, which can hold several large planes, also held Wrigley’s DC-3 when he visited the...