KMYF vs KSEE (Montgomery-Gibbs vs Gillespie)

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farmrjohn

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farmrjohn
It looks like I'll be moving down the coast to San Diego, most likely to either Mission Hills or Point Loma. I'd like to get some comparison/opinions of basing out of KMYF vs KSEE to include things like facilities, airspace, driving times, etc. Thanks.
 
It has been decades since I got my private at Montgomery Field but I liked it more than Gillespie, which is a long way out to the east. Myf might be busier, not sure.
 
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Bill Greenwood said:
It has been decades since I got my private at Montgomery Field but I liked it more than Gibbs, which is a long way out to the east. Myf might be busier, not sure.
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???

Gibbs is one of the FBOs at MYF. In fact, during WWII Montgomery Airport was called Gibbs Field.
 
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farmrjohn said:
It looks like I'll be moving down the coast to San Diego, most likely to either Mission Hills or Point Loma. I'd like to get some comparison/opinions of basing out of KMYF vs KSEE to include things like facilities, airspace, driving times, etc. Thanks.
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Do you have your own airplane or renting?

I am partial to MYF because I was based there. It will be closer to where you will be living, but SEE does have some advantages:

-SEE is easier to get in/out of from an airspace standpoint.
-Marine layer typically burns off at SEE before MYF and occasionally MYF will be fogged in, but SEE still VFR, but almost never the other way around.
-SEE is a little cheaper.
-SEE has longer runways.
-Both airports can get really busy, but in my experience there is a lot more corporate turbine traffic getting sequenced into 28R at MYF that can make it challenging/create delays getting in/out compared to SEE.
 
I had to make the same decision about a year ago. My Sonex is hangared at SEE and I fly out of MYF for work. What do you own? Hangar or tie down?

You need to get on a hangar wait list now! It took me about 4 months and I got lucky. I think the average wait is 12 months+. I couldn't find anything available at MYF. It was also much more expensive.

Traffic will be generally in your favor going to SEE. The 8 is clear Eastbound in the morning and Westbound in the evening. Weekends aren't a problem, The only time traffic is a factor for me is when I'm taking my kayak to my hangar in the evening after a day of fishing. It is just under 30 minutes from my condo in PB to my hangar, about the same as it would be from PL. I definitely like my 15 minute commute to work at MYF a lot more.

Just saw the Self Service fuel at $5.29 at MYF. SEE was $4.45 last time I was there a couple days ago.

Marine layer will hold you up significantly more at MYF if you aren't IFR. Oftentimes it won't make it that far inland, and if it does, it burns off a lot faster. If you are IFR, then MYF has much, much better approaches.

Both are busy but easy enough as far as airspace and traffic.

SEE is a lot friendlier. There are a lot of other experimentals around my hangar and more people hanging out at their hangars. MYF is a lot of corporate aviation.
 
You say "my condo in PB". If that is Pacific Beach, I used to live there in '68 and 69 when I got my private at NAT AIR COLLEGE. We lived at 1576 Law St which is the nw corner of Law running east and west and Ingraham running north south. In the old Victorian farm house, 2 1/2 storied with the widows walk in top, It was painted a soft yellow then. If you go by there I would love to see a photo of the house now. Thanks
 
Bill, yes I live in pacific Beach. On sail bay near Fanuel Park. I'll grab a picture of that house next time I am in North PB. In the meantime, looks like the Google street view shows what you describe, except blue.

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farmrjohn said:
Own
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SEE is definitely going to be cheaper and better chance of getting a hangar, although the environment at either MYF or SEE is not as harsh as people might think. An airplane can doo ok just fine tied down in San Diego IF you take care of it and fly it regularly.

Outdoor tie downs at MYF are as expensive as hangars are in other parts of the country.
 
C51, yes that's it! It is so good go see it still standing in good shape, its a pretty special house. When I sold it we put a clause in the contract that it could not be torn down for 5 years. I don't like the paint, a little too bright blue. Too much for that tall of house. Garage is or was behind the hedge. It looks like they need to water the grass in front.
Thank you
 
Bill, that house is worth over $1.1 million right now. Should have kept it. ;)
 
Thanks for the information so far. How about shops (quality, price, availability etc.) and independent A&Ps and IAs at each?
 
C51m the house is pretty nice, but to really have top value it needs to be about 8 blocks north, if it was in La Jolla it would be likely $2 mil. Last time I was in PB, there were unfortunately some neighbors who didn't care much about taking care of their property.
 
farmrjohn said:
Thanks for the information so far. How about shops (quality, price, availability etc.) and independent A&Ps and IAs at each?
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There are quite a bit more options for MX at SEE. MYF has a much smaller footprint. Gibbs might have some GA MX shops over on that end of the field. I fly an experimental and hold the repairman's certificate for it, so I can't comment much beyond that.
 
One point not yet made is that MYF is a City run airport (like SDM) and SEE is a County run airport. The City is incompetent at running airports and as a result investments are few and MYF is run down.

As noted by others, SEE is a large and pretty friendly community of airplane people, lots of aircraft resources and even manufacturing on the field. MYF is a place where people who fly airplanes park them. The advantage of MYF is that it’s closer to the city of San Diego but a lot of people who live on the coast drive to their hangars at SEE instead to enjoy the benefits.
 
I own two airplanes. They are both based at MYF. I absolutely hate having to drive to SEE from Downtown, where I live, and I dislike the awful instrument and visual approaches even more. SEE has terrible approaches, tons of terrain (literally a mountain on the final to 27R) and the flight training gets even more intense there than MYF. The only cool thing are the overpriced hangar houses.

If you are instrument rated, MYF is a no brainer. It has matching ILS and RNAV approaches with 250' DHs and predictable winds. The difference in hangar pricing is MAYBE $100 a month. Far fewer sweltering summer days, and you're nearly never going to miss on the approach there. Hangar availability isn't great at either.

Airspace is not an issue at either airport, as long as you are not a an ATC chicken and get FF, which you get on the ground at both. Flying out of MYF gets you a Class B clearance 99% of the time by the time you get to the shore, and sometimes instantly (usually weekends, holidays, early and late). SEE on a right downwind gets you a Class B clearance 99.5% of the time to steer you towards OCN.

From where you are planning to live, you'd literally drive right past MYF to get to SEE.

Fearless Tower said:
SEE is definitely going to be cheaper and better chance of getting a hangar, although the environment at either MYF or SEE is not as harsh as people might think. An airplane can doo ok just fine tied down in San Diego IF you take care of it and fly it regularly.

Outdoor tie downs at MYF are as expensive as hangars are in other parts of the country.
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The difference in price between MYF and SEE for a hangar is negligible.

Direct C51 said:
There are quite a bit more options for MX at SEE. MYF has a much smaller footprint. Gibbs might have some GA MX shops over on that end of the field. I fly an experimental and hold the repairman's certificate for it, so I can't comment much beyond that.
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MYF has 2-3 full service shops on the field. SEE maybe has the same. MYF doesn't have any serious avionics shops on the field, while SEE does, but most folks prefer going to RNM or elsewhere.

Tusayan said:
One point not yet made is that MYF is a City run airport (like SDM) and SEE is a County run airport. The City is incompetent at running airports and as a result investments are few and MYF is run down.

As noted by others, SEE is a large and pretty friendly community of airplane people, lots of aircraft resources and even manufacturing on the field. MYF is a place where people who fly airplanes park them. The advantage of MYF is that it’s closer to the city of San Diego but a lot of people who live on the coast drive to their hangars at SEE instead to enjoy the benefits.
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The City has been relatively incompetent with certain aspects of running MYF, but the actual people who work for the city there are quality. SEE is far from where the OP is going to be and sucks operationally..
 
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Well, that makes abundantly clear the difference in culture and personalities between the two airports :cool:
 
N1120A said:
The difference in price between MYF and SEE for a hangar is negligible.
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Hangar price may be comparable, but availability is going to be a little better at SEE.

And outdoor tiedowns at Gibbs (MYF) are ridiculous $$$
 
Fearless Tower said:
Hangar price may be comparable, but availability is going to be a little better at SEE.

And outdoor tiedowns at Gibbs (MYF) are ridiculous $$$
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MYF has covered tie downs that are cheaper than hangars at either. SEE outdoor the downs are cheaper, but not worth the hassle.
 
Thanks again for the replies. It helps to have more variables to consider. I’ve been spoiled with the drive to my current hangar with only two stop signs and five traffic lights going to and three stop signs and five lights coming from for a 30 min. drive. Traffic is a major consideration. Unfortunately I’m not instrument current nor is the plane, and it’s not a good IFR platform to make it worthwhile to update. Initially it will most likely come down to where I can find a hangar first, and I think I have one at MYF.
 
Getting a hangar would be my priority too. At both airports it usually comes down to who you know. Waiting lists are lists of people who want a hangar, order unimportant, from which the lease holder selects who he wants in his hangar at his discretion.

Gillespie has a great collection of aircraft and activity... privately flown military jets, a great many Yaks and RVs, at least two serious Reno racers, something like eleven Buckers including two Jungmeisters, numerous other antiques, businesses like Grove, Whirlwind, two busy avionics shops and an autopilot manufacturer etc etc and the good news is they if you’re at MYF the more interesting action is just over the hill.
 
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When we lived in Pacific Beach, a few blocks from the ocean, and I was getting my private license at Nat Air College, I used to ride my new Honda 400 four to Montgomery Field. It seemed like a long long drive out to Gillespie. My friend Eddie lives in Del Mar but owns a large hangar at Gillespie.
And 90 % of the time you don't need an ifr rating to fly in that area, I didn't have one then. By the way there is a fine aviation museum in Balboa Park.
 
Tusayan, If you are flying one of those "Buckers" make sure to tighten your seat belt.
By the way, that old 1930 technology is one on the finest flying airplanes I have ever been in.
 
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