Naval Air Station North Island, Military airfield in Coronado, California, US
Naval Air Station North Island sits on the Coronado peninsula and hosts two aircraft carriers plus 23 aviation squadrons. The facility stretches across several kilometers and includes runways, maintenance hangars, and pier and dock structures right on the water.
A Navy officer named Theodore Ellyson started flight training here in 1911, launching the story of American naval aviation. Decades later, test pilots used the same grounds to trial experimental jet aircraft.
The station trains Navy pilots and serves as an active carrier support point with daily takeoffs and landings. Visitors can sometimes watch aircraft moving between hangars and the water from public access areas.
Access remains limited to authorized personnel, but public areas along the waterfront offer views of landings and carrier movements. Tours may be available with advance registration, and identification checks are required.
Charles Lindbergh prepared his Spirit of St. Louis aircraft for the transatlantic flight right on Rockwell Field, an earlier part of this facility. His 1927 departure took place from this coast before he continued toward New York.
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