Ramona Airport

Ramona Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCounty of San Diego
LocationRamona, San Diego County, California
Elevation AMSL1,395 ft (425 m)
Coordinates33°02′21″N 116°54′55″W / 33.03917°N 116.91528°W / 33.03917; -116.91528
Map
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
9/27 5,001 1,524 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
H1 340 104 Asphalt/concrete
Statistics (2020)
Aircraft operations144,979
Based aircraft135
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Ramona Airport (ICAO: KRNM, FAA LID: RNM, formerly L39) is a public airport two miles west of Ramona in San Diego County, California, United States.[1] The airport is mostly used for general aviation.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) jointly operate a fire attack base. The airports hosts the Ramona Air Fair & Fly-In every year in October.

Most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, but Ramona Airport is RNM to the FAA and has no IATA code.[2]

Facilities

Ramona Airport covers 342 acres (138 ha) and has one runway (9/27: 5,001 x 150 ft.) and one helipad (H1: 340 x 66 ft.).[1]

In 2020 the airport had 144,979 aircraft operations, averaging 397 per day: 100% general aviation, and <1% military. 135 aircraft were then based at this airport: 119 single engine, 10 multi-engine, 1 jet, 3 helicopter, and 2 ultralight.[1]

Classic Rotors Museum

Classic Rotors Museum, a flying aviation museum specializing in helicopters and other rotorcraft, is based at Ramona Airport.[3][4][5][6] The museum bills itself as "the rare and vintage rotorcraft museum" and claims to be one of "three dedicated rotorcraft museums in the world".[3]

Ramona Bombing Target and Emergency Landing Field

During World War II the airport was used by the US Navy as the 'Ramona Bombing Target and Emergency Landing Field. The site was 405 acres and opened on October 15, 1943. The site closed after the war and was turned over to San Diego County on February 26, 1947.[7]

Aerial firefighting operations

Ramona Airport is home to the Ramona Air Attack Base operated by CAL FIRE. The base was established in 1957 and is CAL FIRE's oldest air attack base. In 1960, USFS began operating a separate base from CAL FIRE. In 1966, the bases merged and became jointly operated.[8] As of June 2026, four aircraft are stationed at Ramona Air Attack Base, two S-2 Trackers, one OV-10 Bronco, and a C-130H Hercules .[9][10][11] In June 2026, a Helitack base was established at Ramona, which hosts a Sikorsky-70i Firehawk helicopter, as well as a CAL FIRE Helitack crew.[11]

The base responds to an average of 450 calls per year and on average, the base outputs 850,000 U.S. gallons a year. Its direct protection area covers 1.4 million acres for CAL FIRE, 300,000 for USFS, and covers all of San Diego County.[8]

In August 2025, CAL FIRE began a $12 million, 8 to 12-month upgrade project to support an incoming C-130H air tanker and increase operational efficiency. The upgrade includes replacing aging tarmac, constructing a new retardant loading station, reconfiguring current stations, and a new 4,192-square-foot barracks for fire crews during major fires to improve readiness and response times.[9][12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "FAA Airport Form 5010 for RNM" (PDF). FAA. , effective 2023-09-07
  2. ↑ Great Circle Mapper: KRNM - Ramona, California
  3. 1 2 Classic Rotors Museum (n.d.). "About Us". Archived from the original on 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  4. ↑ Kaman H-43 Huskie (April 2009). "Classic Rotors, Ramona, California". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  5. ↑ Riordan, Jack (August 2009). "Public treated to inside look at county airport". Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  6. ↑ Musicar, Jessica (July 2005). "Museum pays homage to 'rotorcraft'". Retrieved 2009-11-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ↑ US Army Ramona Bombing Target and Emergency Landing Field
  8. 1 2 "Ramona Airport". San Diego County Government. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Cal Fire's Ramona Air Attack Base being upgraded for more efficient firefighting". NBC 7 San Diego. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  10. ↑ "Firefighting Aircraft Recognition Guide" (PDF). California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Ramona Airport now home to Cal Fire's 4th C-130 airtanker, new Helitack base". KPBS. June 4, 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Cal Fire Launches $12 Million Upgrade at Ramona Air Attack Base". San Diego Country Estates Association. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 27 March 2026.


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