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 Bombardier Q400 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.

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.

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.

As of summer 2014, STS is expanding their main runway and improving their secondary runway. Once this project is finished, STS hopes to attract other airlines to the airport. With the expansion and upgrades of the runway, the airport will be able to accommodate larger aircraft like the CRJ series and other regional aircraft. Jon Stout, the airport manager, said in an interview with the Press Democrat, "The most promising developments include a future United Airlines flight to Denver, which is a major hub for east coast connections, and American Airlines service to Phoenix. Neither airlines have made commitments, though". This project will hopefully result in more traffic at STS.

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.