I think Hodja’s idea of a low approach first is a good one. It gives you the visual references that will be helpful.
Essentially there are three ‘gotchas’ at Catalina:
1) visual – flying on to an ‘aircraft carrier’ (at least this one doesn’t move!) – one tends to be high
2) wind – you know that there will be a downdraft on short final, as the prob95 wind from the west rolls over the cliff. That means, one tends to be a bit high – again
3) the hump in the runway, which, in the flare or after t/d makes it appear a lot shorter than it is
1&2 combine for a too-high approach, 3 is just a bit of a WTF moment. None of the above is really serious, it’s just not the sort of field most people are used to flying into. In any case, if you are renting you’ll have to go there with an instructor first, so you’ll be fine.
I used to have Catalina Flying Club membership and fly over every few weeks from Hawthorne. I never considered it particularly tricky. But some renter’s do seem picky that you have a check out first; likewise with Big Bear City.
I don’t really have much experience with the rental market. I did use A&E at Hawthorne (KHHR) to do my IR and they were economical if you did more than an hour or two per month, but it’s a 50 member shared ownership club, so not really practical for a short visit. Beach Cities on the North side are pretty good as Adam described. But be prepared for flying 1/4 mile from Class B airspace and LAX aircraft alongside you as you come in to land.
