Uploaded February 2020 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
Want to know what it takes to fly to Catalina Island (KAVX)? Join the AOPA Air Safety Institute in the first episode of Beyond Proficient, a new series focusing on getting you out of your comfort zone, challenging your flying skills, and doing it safely.
A note about life jackets: The life jackets available to us would've interfered with our ability to operate the airplane had we worn them throughout the flight. That is why we put them behind our backs on our seats. At our altitude and with the crew we had (our video producer is in the backseat) we would've had time to put them on or at least have them in hand before encountering the water. This makes a great case to invest in low profile personal flotation devices, but we also wanted to show the renter experience where those types of life jackets might not be available.
Want to know what it takes to fly to Catalina Island (KAVX)? Join the AOPA Air Safety Institute in the first episode of Beyond Proficient, a new series focusing on getting you out of your comfort zone, challenging your flying skills, and doing it safely.
A note about life jackets: The life jackets available to us would've interfered with our ability to operate the airplane had we worn them throughout the flight. That is why we put them behind our backs on our seats. At our altitude and with the crew we had (our video producer is in the backseat) we would've had time to put them on or at least have them in hand before encountering the water. This makes a great case to invest in low profile personal flotation devices, but we also wanted to show the renter experience where those types of life jackets might not be available.
