Lodi Airport (O26) — Acampo, California
Lodi Airport, officially designated with the FAA identifier O26, is a general aviation facility located in Acampo, in the northern San Joaquin Valley of California. Situated at approximately 37.97°N, 121.25°W at an elevation of 66 feet above mean sea level, the airport serves the greater Lodi and Stockton metropolitan area, providing critical infrastructure for private pilots, agricultural aviation operators, and small charter services operating throughout California's Central Valley.
The airport features a single paved runway — Runway 13/31 — measuring approximately 3,600 feet in length, suitable for single-engine and light twin-engine aircraft. The field is uncontrolled, operating without an active control tower, which means pilots use the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) of 122.8 MHz to self-announce their positions and intentions. Standard traffic pattern altitude is 1,066 feet MSL, and the airport is open to the public during daylight hours.
Lodi Airport plays a particularly important role in supporting agricultural aviation in the region. The fertile farmlands of San Joaquin County — including the vineyards that have made Lodi a nationally recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA) — rely on aerial application services operating out of O26 for crop dusting, pest management, and frost protection operations. The airport's proximity to active agricultural land makes it a logistically ideal base for ag-aviation contractors working Lodi's roughly 100,000 acres of wine grape cultivation.
For transient pilots flying through Northern California, Lodi Airport offers a conveniently positioned fuel stop between the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada foothills. The airport is located approximately 40 nautical miles east-northeast of Livermore Municipal Airport (LVK) and roughly 8 nautical miles north of Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK). Pilots routing between the San Francisco Bay Area and destinations such as Lake Tahoe, Reno, or Yosemite Valley often find O26 a practical intermediate waypoint for fuel and rest.
The surrounding Acampo community is a small unincorporated locality within San Joaquin County, with the airport bordered by vineyards and rural farmland characteristic of the Northern San Joaquin Valley. The nearby city of Lodi — approximately 5 miles to the southeast — provides services including fuel, lodging, and dining for visiting pilots. Lodi's downtown district is accessible by car via Highway 99 and offers access to the local wine country that draws visitors from across California and beyond.
Instrument approaches are not available at Lodi Airport; the field is VFR-only. Pilots planning arrivals should consult current NOTAMs through the FAA's AIS system and check weather at nearby reporting stations, as the Central Valley is prone to tule fog during winter months — a dense radiation fog that can reduce visibility to near zero and ground VFR traffic for days at a time. The Stockton ASOS and the Sacramento Executive Airport AWOS provide the nearest official weather observations.
Hangar and tie-down space is available at the airport for based aircraft. Operators and FBO services support the local flying community, which includes members of area flying clubs and private owners who use Lodi Airport as their home field. The airport is managed under the jurisdiction of San Joaquin County and falls within the county's general aviation improvement planning framework, which aims to preserve and modernize rural airfields as essential transportation and economic assets.
Whether you are a student pilot on a cross-country training flight, a crop-duster operating in the Central Valley, or a wine-country visitor arriving by private aircraft, Lodi Airport (O26) provides a functional and accessible gateway to the Acampo and Lodi region of Northern California.