Hollister Municipal Airport (CVH): San Benito County's Public General Aviation Hub
Hollister Municipal Airport (FAA identifier: CVH) is San Benito County's primary public-use general aviation facility, located on the valley floor north of downtown Hollister at an elevation of 230 feet MSL. With two paved runways—the primary at 6,350 feet accommodating turboprops and light jets—CVH is one of the more capable general aviation airports in the California Coast Ranges south of San Jose. The FAA Western-Pacific Region provides airspace and instrument approach oversight, and Caltrans Division of Aeronautics classifies CVH in its regional aviation system as a reliever airport for the congested San Jose and Monterey metro airfields. The airport hosts flight schools, agricultural operators, skydiving operations, and a growing maintenance and repair organization (MRO) sector.
Hollister has become a notable skydiving destination, with Skydive California and other operators using CVH as their jump facility—the airport's location in the broad San Benito Valley provides jumpers with consistent winds and ample open land for drop zone operations. The area's thermal activity, generated by the sun-baked Coast Range hillsides, also attracts glider and soaring enthusiasts. The annual Hollister Air Show and Independence Rally weekend attract thousands of visitors by air and ground, temporarily transforming CVH into one of the busiest general aviation airports in central California and showcasing the vibrancy of the local aviation community to a statewide audience.
What instrument approaches are available at Hollister Municipal Airport?
CVH is served by RNAV (GPS) approaches to both runway ends, providing instrument landing capability for IFR-rated pilots navigating the marine layer that can settle in the Coast Ranges. The approaches are published in the FAA's Chart Supplement and available through Jeppesen and ForeFlight avionics databases. There is no ILS at CVH, so minimums are higher than at larger airports with precision approaches.
Is skydiving permitted at Hollister Municipal Airport?
Yes. CVH is a well-established skydiving center with commercial drop zone operations active on weekends and summer weekdays. Pilots operating in the Hollister area should monitor the CTAF frequency for skydiver jump run advisories and plan their traffic pattern entries to avoid conflict with jump aircraft and descending skydivers. NOTAMs for skydiving operations are routinely issued for CVH.
What fuel grades are available at CVH?
Both 100LL avgas and Jet-A turbine fuel are available at Hollister Municipal Airport through the FBO operations on the main ramp. Self-serve 100LL is typically available after-hours for pilots with credit card access. Contact the FBO directly for current pricing and operating hours, as fuel availability can vary.
How close is CVH to Pinnacles National Park?
Hollister Municipal Airport is approximately 30 miles north of the west entrance to Pinnacles National Park via Highway 25. The drive takes approximately 35–40 minutes through the rolling San Benito Valley. For visitors arriving by air, CVH provides the most convenient aviation access to the park's climbing routes, cave tours, and California condor viewing areas.
Hollister Municipal Airport Contact Information
Address, Phone Number, and Hours for an Airports in Hollister, California.
| Name | Hollister Municipal Airport |
| Address | 90 Skylane Drive, Hollister CA 95023 Map |
| Phone | (831) 636-4365 |
| Website | |
| Hours |
Map of Hollister Municipal Airport
CVH Facilities, Ground Services, and the Hollister Valley Aviation Ecosystem
Hollister Municipal Airport's infrastructure has expanded steadily over the decades as San Benito County's population and agricultural economy have grown. The airport's T-hangar complex provides storage for locally based aircraft, and the open ramp accommodates transient visitors ranging from student pilots on solo cross-country missions from Bay Area flight schools to retired professionals making weekend wine-country tours in their personal Bonanzas and Cirrus aircraft. The airport's café, a staple of the general aviation fly-in culture, provides local meals for pilots and crew. Caltrans Division of Aeronautics periodically includes CVH in its aviation capital improvement grant programs, funding runway resurfacing and lighting upgrades that maintain the airport's operational capability for instrument operations in marginal weather.
The Hollister area's micro-climate, with reliable afternoon west winds and minimal fog compared to the coastal airports 40 miles to the northwest, makes CVH a consistent performer for VFR operations even when Half Moon Bay and Salinas report low IFR conditions. The airport's elevation of 230 feet MSL keeps it above the shallow fog layers that sometimes fill the San Benito River lowlands on autumn mornings. For pilots operating cross-country along the California coastal corridor, CVH represents an ideal fuel stop between Monterey (MRY) and the Santa Maria/Santa Barbara airport complex to the south, offering a quieter alternative to the busier Salinas Municipal Airport with comparable fuel pricing and superior ramp availability.