Catalina: you normally need a check-out for it. It’s a bit weird flying into a 1200 ft cliff! Don’t know about others, but Justice have life jackets (but do require a prior check-out). Ideally try to combine that with your rental check-out. That would also give you a fam trip of the LAX VFR transit routes (you need to go through the Bravo from KSMO to get to Catalina, unless you want to fly a pretty big detour over the Pacific).
Yes Catalina is striking to fly into but worth it. I had to go around as I misjudged the height and turning final ended up way too high. Not a runway you want to float down for too long.
Right climbing 270 out of KSMO, south through LA special flight rules corridor on common pilot-to-pilot frequency, then direct Avalon once clear. No Class B – but still a good idea to study the chart very closely. Re runway altitude, you can take off westward from Catalina, climb about 100 ft then level off. Soon you’re at a reasonable altitude over the water. Makes for a nice scenic route around the west side of the island. Hope the engine keeps making noise.
Euro GA for travelers 
One thing I found helpful as a first fimer to Catalina (in a DA42) was making an initial low approach over the runway.
Gives a nice point of reference for the subsequent landing, and also shows you clearly where the runway downslope begins midway along the runway. Once in a while unfamiliar pilots freak out when reaching the middle part of the runway during landing, and thinks they’re about to roll off the cliff prematurely…
But apart from that, Catalina’s pretty straightforward. Runway’s a tad bumpy…
No Class B – but still a good idea to study the chart very closely
Having a pedantic day …. not quite correct, Silvaire. The Special Flight Rules area does go through the Class B, it’s just one of several VFR routes through it.
Oh, and btw, if you fly to Catalina during the whale migration season, look out below between the mainland and the island, you quite often see a pod of these magnificent creatures!
Once in a while unfamiliar pilots freak out when reaching the middle part of the runway during landing, and thinks they’re about to roll off the cliff prematurely…
Yep, there are a lot of skid marks at that point where people lock up not realising that there is another 1000ft (or so) beyond it. I think the main thing is fly the pattern altitude accurately. Don’t try to eyeball it as it is very deceptive.
Just so people know what we are talking about, here’s a couple of pics:
(They call it the “runway in the sky” with good reason!).JPG)
And one of the local aviators (photographed from the airport cafe verandah in January 2006, before the devastating fire from which the Island is only now recovering)..JPG)
And my two photos.
Downwind
Turning Base
Is this
the real horizon, or is the camera inclined? If the latter, it’s quite a pitch-up angle visible on the wing.
There are lots of airports which need to be flown by the numbers. Kalymnos LGKY could be confusing.
Probably the camera. I was a bit busy at that point to steady the thing to the aircraft reference frame! 
