Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport
| Continent: North America | Country: United States | Region: California |
| Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport | |
| Location | Santa Rosa, California, USA |
| IATA code | STS |
| ICAO code | KSTS |
| Airport type | Commercial |
| Website | http://www.sonomacountyairport.org/ |
| Overview map | Google Maps |
| Communications | |
| Tower | 118.500 |
| Ground | 121.900 |
| Clearance | |
| Approach | |
| ATIS | 120.550 |
| Departure | 118.500/122.950 |
STS is a small airport in the city of Santa Rosa, California. Horizon Air operates the de Havilland Dash-8 on behalf of Alaska Airlines. The small commuter plane is the largest aircraft at the airport on a regular basis. STS serves as the main airport for the northern Bay Area for short flights to larger airports.
Official Spotting Locations
Location
Other Spotting Locations
Rental Car Parking Lot
Adjacent to the STS terminal, there is a small parking lot used to store rental cars for the companies in the terminal. West of the parking lot a small grassy area can yield good shots. One problem is that part of the chain link fence is blocked with green plastic weaved between the holes. This makes the view smaller and only allows photos to the north of the grassy area. If they are taking off to the south, the Horizon Airlines departure will taxi right and takeoff, right past this area. General aviation traffic taking off to the south will lift off the runway before they pass you and can yield good shots. Past 4pm, the area is shaded and will result with dark shots. This is a good location during the day for taxi and takeoff shots for all STS traffic.
Locations to Avoid
Location
Regular Traffic
Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air operates the Bombardier Q400 into STS. They are the only airline at STS and operate daily flights to a few west coast destinations (Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, and Seattle). Kaiser Air has a hangar on airport property. They charter Gulfstreams and Citations. Most of the traffic at STS consists of general aviation traffic.
Facilities and Transportation
The only restaurant at STS is the Sky Lounge Steakhouse & Sushi Bar. It is located inside the main terminal.
Rental cars are available from Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, and National inside the main terminal. The Airport Express stops at STS and provides transportation to Oakland International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.
Events
Wings Over Wine Country Air Show
Every year the Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM) organizes the Wings Over Wine Country Air Show. The air show is held in the late summer (late August to early September) and attracts a large gathering. The attractions for this year's show can be found through the link above. The air show is a great place to get close to many planes (flying and stationary), take great pictures, and even climb aboard a few.