Cable Airport (CCB) — Upland, California
Cable Airport, designated by the FAA with the identifier CCB, is a public-use general aviation facility located in Upland, San Bernardino County, California. Situated at an elevation of approximately 1,444 feet above mean sea level, Cable Airport serves the Inland Empire's western corridor and has been a cornerstone of private aviation, flight training, and light cargo operations in the region for decades.
The airport occupies roughly 145 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley, with its primary runway — Runway 6/24 — stretching 3,885 feet in length and 75 feet in width. This asphalt-surfaced runway is equipped with MIRL (Medium Intensity Runway Lights) and a PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator) system on Runway 24, making it suitable for both daytime and nighttime operations under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). A secondary runway, Runway 18/36, provides additional capacity and is frequently used during training circuits.
Cable Airport is owned and operated by the Cable family, making it one of the few privately owned public-use airports remaining in Southern California. It falls under FAA Class G and Class E airspace depending on altitude, and pilots operating in the pattern are advised to monitor the CTAF/UNICOM frequency of 122.725 MHz for traffic advisories. The airport does not have an operating control tower, so self-announce procedures are standard practice for all arriving and departing aircraft.
The facility supports a robust flight training ecosystem. Several FAA-certified flight schools operate on the field, offering Private Pilot License (PPL), Instrument Rating (IR), Commercial Pilot License (CPL), and multi-engine endorsement programs. The proximity to the San Gabriel Mountains and the varied Inland Empire terrain makes Cable Airport an excellent training environment, exposing student pilots to density altitude considerations, mountain wave turbulence awareness, and complex airspace navigation near Ontario International Airport (ONT), which lies approximately 7 nautical miles to the southeast.
Ontario International Airport (IATA: ONT), the closest commercial service airport, handles millions of passengers annually and serves as a useful reference point for Cable Airport operations. Pilots transitioning from CCB to the Los Angeles Basin must coordinate with Southern California TRACON (SoCal Approach) when entering Class C airspace around ONT or navigating toward Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located approximately 35 nautical miles to the west.
The airport's fixed-base operator (FBO) services include 100LL AvGas and Jet-A fuel, tie-down and hangar rental, aircraft maintenance, and avionics services. Hangars range from T-hangars accommodating single-engine piston aircraft to larger conventional hangars capable of housing twin-engine and light turboprop aircraft. Long-term and monthly tie-down leases are available on the apron, which can accommodate a mix of Cessna 172s, Piper PA-28s, Beechcraft Bonanzas, Cirrus SR22s, and similar general aviation types commonly based at the field.
Upland's location within the Pomona Valley means Cable Airport experiences the Inland Empire's characteristically warm, dry summers and mild winters. Density altitude is a significant operational consideration during summer months when temperatures routinely exceed 90°F at field elevation. Pilots are advised to carefully calculate performance data — particularly on Runway 6/24 — during afternoon departures in peak summer conditions. Winter months can bring occasional marine layer intrusion from the Pacific, reducing visibility, though IFR conditions are far less common here than at coastal Southern California airports.
The surrounding community of Upland, with a population of approximately 79,000, is part of the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Cable Airport contributes to the regional economy through aviation employment, business aviation access, and tourism to the Inland Empire. The airport is also a popular destination for fly-in breakfast events and aviation community gatherings, reinforcing its role as a social hub for the local general aviation community in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.