Nervous about flying into SNA...shorter runway?

[zelda1rn]

Hi all,

We have our tickets and we are set to be there Dec. 22-26. We are flying in to John Wayne Airport (SNA) and when I looked this up, there are horror stories about the "dive" landing and straight up take offs. Anyone heard of this...or if you have flown in or out, is it really that bad? I am not a "good" flyer...and my two younger girls have never flown. I just want to be prepared if this is going to be a huge deal...Thanks

 

[skiingfast]

You probably wouldn't even notice if you had read about it.

The reason they do this is not because of a short runway at all. It is for noise abatement. They do not dwell at low elevations above the houses when going in and out of John Wayne.

Again try not to worry. If you didn't find this out you probably wouldn't even know it was happening on your flight.

 

[azax456]

I share this with you for information, not to scare you. Most people have said it is different than most take off's and landings but it is not like you are riding California Screamin'. I am flying into SNA on Dec 8th and came across this article the other day on a major news website. The article was entitled "Secrets pilots don't want you to know" and it was very interesting. I also found it interesting in the article SNA was mentioned not once but TWICE by pilots out of the thousands of airports as being difficult. Here is the quotes from the article about SNA:

“The two worst airports for us: Reagan National in Washington, D.C., and John Wayne in Orange County, California. You’re flying by the seat of your pants trying to get in and out of those airports. John Wayne is especially bad because the rich folks who live near the airport don’t like jet noise, so they have this noise abatement procedure where you basically have to turn the plane into a ballistic missile as soon as you’re airborne.” -Pilot, South Carolina

“At some airports with really short runways, you’re not going to have a smooth landing no matter how good we are: John Wayne Airport; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Chicago Midway; and Reagan National.” -Joe D’Eon, a pilot at a major airline

 

[SplashMo]

I like flying into SNA better than Denver.

I think it is nice going in to know that things are a little diffrent. There is a fairly sharp turn. Enough to say what is going on... But you will know

Then the landing is a bit abrupt. But again you will be prepared....

Best Wishes - SplashMo!

 

[SeansMom]

Okay, call me crazy but I actually ENJOY taking off and landing at SNA...it's like a little piece of Disneyland .
I'm going to edit this to add I'm not crazy about flying and I'm sensitive to changes in altitude, etc. I DO think you can feel a bit of a difference in the landing, the biggest thing is the approach can seem "weird". Last time we banked out over the water, then banked back towards the airport, and the drop down was faster than PDX airport. The take off seems steeper to me as well. But I seriously don't mind, which is saying a lot for someone who would drive or take a train if time permitted!

 

[squidlet]

What skiingfast said "you probably won't even have noticed if you hadn't read about it".

The landings are perfectly smooth. The take-offs are just fine. You really have nothing to worry about.

SNA is a really nice airport.

 

[RangerPooh]

The landings are just fine, and take offs are different but not bad by any means. Just think of it as escalating upwards and then plateauing out, and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Funball]

Hi all,

We have our tickets and we are set to be there Dec. 22-26. We are flying in to John Wayne Airport (SNA) and when I looked this up, there are horror stories about the "dive" landing and straight up take offs. Anyone heard of this...or if you have flown in or out, is it really that bad? I am not a "good" flyer...and my two younger girls have never flown. I just want to be prepared if this is going to be a huge deal...Thanks

no no jone wayne airport is fine. you wont have a problem landing its just like any othe airport. i live here and i land at it all the time when i go on trips. its not a big deal, there is nothing to get hyper about...

 

[Disney Dreams]

It's just a steeper angle. That's the bottom line. You may notice it, because you are looking for it. We fly in and out of JWA any time we can. Easier and smaller than LAX. As mentioned above, the home owners nearby have be successful at having various measures put in place to keep the enjoyment of their homes. This includes airport curfew at night and the steeper angle for the planes coming in and going out. No worries from a flight perspective as a passenger.

Enjoy your trip,
Dreams

 

[ShellyMouse]

i read a post here a couple weeks ago that turned into a "sna horror"...freaked me out because im a terrible flyer! i take xanax, and am still fanning myself with a paper the whole time! i was thinking oh no, what have i gotten myself into....

well, i am here at dland now....flew into sna on tuesday....it was completely fine!! i noticed nothing strange or scary...trust me, i was waiting for it
when you do hit the runway, you do break ALOT harder than at other airports....i guess bc the runway is shorter. but TRUST ME, it was fine! not bad at all.... and if i can say that, it really is!

now, our plane takes off tuesday at 5:30pm tuesday (back to denver...which is always a rocky landing bc of the wind/mountain combo, again, xanax) .....i will report back and let you know how it was....1 bad flyer to another...

 

[specialks]

I am a frightened flyer and I don't mind SNA. Nothing feels weird about flying in/out of there. What ShellyMouse said is true -- maybe they break really hard, but I have had that at other airports as well. It is a wonderful airport and I think you will be fine.

 

[yupikgal]

Ok, I'm not the greatest flyer either, and have flown in and out of SNA plenty of times. It's just fine! If you want scary, try coming in for a landing to the Anchorage Alaska airport from a small community over the inlet (water) it's not for the faint at heart! First you fly over a mountain range (bumpy) then you start the rollercoaster ride, and just when you think you are for sure going to take a nice little dip in the "pool" there's the runway! There are huge mountains surrounding it, I imagine it similar to Denver...

 

[spacemermaid]

Count me in as another "nervous flyer who's never had a problem with flying in/out of SNA". The only thing I notice that's different from flying out of LAX is that the plane flies way out over the ocean before turning around...probably due to the aforementioned noise abatement measures. Not a big deal at all. The only scary takeoff/landing I've experienced at SNA was quite a bit of turbulence during landing, but that was weather-related rather than plane or runway related.

Now, if you want real airport horror...fly into LAX on Christmas Eve. Or better yet, drive someone to LAX on Christmas Eve.

 

[Danibelle]

You probably wouldn't even notice if you had read about it.

The reason they do this is not because of a short runway at all. It is for noise abatement. They do not dwell at low elevations above the houses when going in and out of John Wayne.

Again try not to worry. If you didn't find this out you probably wouldn't even know it was happening on your flight.

I believe there is similar noise abatement at the Burbank airport. It is not that noticeable.

 

[Matthew Saville]

The REAL fun is when the Santa Ana winds blow, ...they turn everything around and land / take off in the other direction! Good fun. Actually, not to scare people, but the far greater risk is down in San Diego. They have a relatively "dangerous" landing that skims very close to downtown skyscrapers and parking structures. Still, compared to the crazy stuff you see on youtube, (google "crosswind landing") ...both airports are perfectly safe and you'll hardly notice a thing.

I live in Orange County (The one in CA, not FL) and I've flown in and out of John Wayne all my life. If you can handle the Matterhorn or Space Mountain, you can handle the take-off at SNA. If you don't like bumpy / jerky flights, just avoid Southwest maybe; find a flight that uses a Boeing 727. They're very rare, but the engines are towards the back of the plane and WOW is it a smooth, quiet ride!

=Matt=

 

[shannonj.swafa]

I am a flight attendant for Southwest and fly out of SNA all the time! The takeoffs and landings are completely safe and you have nothing to worry about!

 

[mdsoccermom]

Hi all,

We have our tickets and we are set to be there Dec. 22-26. We are flying in to John Wayne Airport (SNA) and when I looked this up, there are horror stories about the "dive" landing and straight up take offs. Anyone heard of this...or if you have flown in or out, is it really that bad? I am not a "good" flyer...and my two younger girls have never flown. I just want to be prepared if this is going to be a huge deal...Thanks

Are you flying in a Harrier?

 

[beautyqueen]

Ok I just got back yesterday and this is what I noticed at SNA

On landing you do break REALLY hard to stop, I didn't notice the angle or anything tho.

On take off, you get up to top rev and then once in the air you gear down quickly..that freaked me out but the girl in front of us said they do that on every flight, they get up to top speed on takeoff and then once in the air gear down.

 

[momrek06]

OP, I lived in Newport Beach for 2 years (2008-2010) before moving to San Diego and flew in and out of John Wayne many many times going back east. My family and friends all flew in and out of John Wayne coming to see us and see DL. Along with that, I have some serious FOF issues and believe me, John Wayne is a breeze!

Please do not worry yourself about this at all as you prepare for your trip. Get busy with all your planning and packing and do not give the take offs and landings at John Wayne a second thought.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I've never even noticed a difference between SNA or any other airport.

I did read recently that pilots HATE to fly into that airport (and one other but can't remember which one) more than any other.