Flying a Small Plane into LAX (KLAX) | No Avgas, Crazy FBO Fees & Must-Know Tips

Fly with us in our Piper Arrow into insanely busy Los Angeles International Airport onto Runway 25L. We’ll cover what it’s like to fly into LAX as a small plane. You'll hear the confusion that we caused with SoCal TRACON to seeing a 747 holding short - this was one unique experience we won’t soon forget. We’ll also share our best tips for how to make your trip into LAX seamless and memorable! TRANSIENT PARKING You won’t find any transient parking here. FBOs are your only option. FBO Signature Flight Support and Atlantic Aviation are the two main FBOs at LAX. They are located on the south side of the airport. Signature is located just north of Sepulveda Blvd and Atlantic is located just south of Sepulveda Blvd. We opted for Atlantic on this trip. There was plenty of ramp space and we were parked right in front of the FBO. The FBO was undergoing renovations at the time we visited. Fresh baked cookies, premium coffee and water were available. Breakdown of fees for our Piper Arrow III for May 2024 (3 Hour Stay) $300 Facility Fee $55 Security Fee Piston $355 TOTAL FUEL You won’t find any 100LL avgas at LAX. Please plan accordingly! RESTROOMS Restrooms are located in the FBOs. These restrooms are typically stocked with amenities of all sorts from mouthwash to travel size deodorant. CREW CAR / CAR RENTAL Signature Flight Services and Atlantic Aviation have crew cars available for a 2 hour limit. The crew cars are on a first come basis. Either FBO can coordinate a car rental for your visit if needed. Otherwise rideshare is a great option for getting around the LA area for a short day trip. Traffic can be brutal and if you’re unfamiliar with the area and aren’t interested in battling the LA traffic – rideshare is your BEST option. FOOD There is no shortage of food in the LAX area! The most famous In N Out is located near the northeast end of the airport. If you’re craving a burger and want to watch planes fly overhead – this is the spot. If you’re looking for more food options with a side of planespotting The Proud Bird is a fun spot. You’ll have your choice of BBQ, pizza, salads and more – snag a window seat or sit outside if the weather is perfect and watch the airliners descend as they come in for landing. Go south of the airport for more fast food/fast casual options and head north for more local options. For some iconic LA spots: Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles and Randy’s Donuts are not too far from the airport. Aviation buffs listen up! The Flight Path Museum & Learning Center is a fun place to spend an afternoon at LAX. You’ll find LAX history, airline trivia, space exhibits, a collection of travel poster AND you can request to be escorted out onto the ramp and ask all kinds of questions from the amazing docents here. This is definitely worth doing but be aware the museum is only open Thursday – Saturday 12pm-4pm. Dockweiler Beach is the sliver of shore between LAX and the Pacific Ocean. Catch a view of the planes departing from LAX overhead. SoFi Stadium provides tours of the venue with field access. This is a fun behind the scenes view for any football fan but is also pretty interesting for those not interested in sports! Thanks for watching! See you next week as we explore a new airport! Until then, Go fly, Go discover! 🛩️ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:49 METAR 01:01 Why Fly a Small Plane Into LAX? 01:36 Socal TRACON Confusion 02:22 Getting IFR Flight Plan Into LAX 02:54 SoFi Stadium 03:12 100th Airport – More Like the 67th 03:51 LAX Info You Need to Know & Instrument Approaches 04:12 Weather 04:32 Airport Diagram & Progressive Taxiing 04:53 No Transient Parking & No 100LL Avgas 05:08 “You Can’t Go There!” 05:36 Tower Instructions at Landing 06:19 Over to Ground 06:54 747 Holding Short for Us 07:37 Atlantic FBO 07:53 Flight Path Museum & Learning Center 08:16 What Does It Cost to Fly Into LAX? 08:40 Airport Diagram & Summary 09:09 LAX Clearance Delivery Call 10:49 400 Hours Flying – Thanks Tower! 11:20 Do Not Slow Down Operations 12:05 Ground Taxi Instructions 12:19 Can’t Wait to Hear YOUR Stories About LAX 13:02 Taxiing for Departure 14:00 Monitor Tower 14:34 Runway 25R Instructions 15:39 Runway 25R Cleared for Takeoff New video released every Friday. Don’t miss the next airport video and help our channel grow by subscribing! IG: /outsidethecockpit 🎵 Music by Epidemic Sound Get your free 7 day trial: https://share.epidemicsound.com/rb4bei DISCLAIMER: This video is NOT intended to be instructional. We are not CFIs. This video has been edited for brevity and clarity and is for informational purposes only. We are sharing our experience flying into this particular airport. Your experience may vary. When in doubt ask ATC and your CFI. #flying #airport #LAX