This week we had an Aviation Festival at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima! it was a free festival that invited families and kids to come out to the airport to see what general aviation is all about. everyone had their planes on display and pilots gave free rides to kids! Over 100 kids flew thanks to the generous pilots at EAA chapter 40!
Whiteman airport is home to small piston powered aircraft. Cessna’s Pipers, and this beautiful 1946 Globe swift. Small aircraft like these are mostly used for flight training. Every pilot learns the basics of aviation in small planes. Whiteman is home to a number of flight schools. so, it is essentially an aviation college. you can even learn to fly Gyrocopters there!
I love this yellow Gyrocopter, it looks just like Little Nellie.
Whiteman is also a base for LA country Fire operations, The fire department had on display an S2 Tracker, and an OV10 Bronco, these are used to survey fires that often break out in the LA Hills. The tower at Whiteman provides critical air traffic control services to the fire operates in the region. You can also see the Sikorsky Firehawk. Which was used to combat the Hurst, Hollywood, Altadena and Eaten fires in 2025.
There were plenty of food trucks and old cars too!
Whiteman airport is one of the last general Aviation airports in Los Angeles. Small airports are important because they provide a pathway to aviation careers and are the roots of the aviation industry. America excels in aviation because we have such a robust aviation infrastructure.
People don’t think about small airports that much, which is why they are always under attack from local homeowners’ associations. Homeowners and developers often team up in local politics to try and shutdown General Aviation airports. And such is the battle that Whiteman Airport faces every day. I’m not sure why you would move next to an airport if you don’t like planes. But I suppose there is a lot of money to be made if you have redevelopment goals in mind. The anti-airport crowd has outright stated they would like to turn this place into a “light industrial zone”.
You can stay up to date on the aviation communities’ efforts to save the airport by checking out the Whiteman Airport Coalition, page and emailing your city representatives today!