Gillespie Field (KSEE), California
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Gillespie Field (KSEE) is a towered public airport in El Cajon, California, serving the San Diego metro area roughly 29 nautical miles away. The field handles a mix of general and business aviation traffic across three paved runways, with the longest stretching 5,342 feet. Customs clearance is not available onsite; the nearest customs facility is San Diego International, located about 12.3 nautical miles away. Operators should note the field's active noise abatement program and several close-in obstacles documented near multiple runway ends.
Runways
Gillespie Field has three paved runways. The longest, 09L/27R, is 5,342 ft long and 100 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Gillespie Field has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available from 7am to 9pm, daily, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Gillespie Field does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is San Diego International (KSAN), 12 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Gillespie Field recorded 3,231 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in September and October. Business aviation traffic at KSEE is somewhat concentrated in the late summer and fall months, with September and October posting the highest monthly operation counts of the year.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month September, 307 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is 2.3 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Gillespie Field has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, noise procedures, environmental and other notes.
Prior permission is required for all military aircraft, and for all military or civil VFR low approaches below 1,000 feet AGL; contact airport operations.
For clearance delivery when the tower is closed, contact SoCal Approach.
When the airport traffic control tower is closed, pilots must activate the REIL for runway 27R. PAPI is available on runways 09L, 27R, 17, and 35. MIRL serves runway 09L/27R and runway 17/35, controlled via CTAF.
The runway is unlighted and closed from sunset to sunrise.
The runway 17 end lights are non-standard, with spacing narrower than the runway pavement width.
Runway 17 has an 8-foot fence located 30 feet from the runway end, offset 85 feet to the left.
Runway 35 has an unlit 8-foot fence located 1 foot south of the runway end, along with trees up to 20 feet tall located 100 to 200 feet from the runway end, offset 130 feet to the left.
Runway 17's approach ratio to the displaced threshold is 20:1.
Runway 27R's approach ratio to the displaced threshold is 30:1.
Runway 35's approach ratio to the displaced threshold is 40:1, accounting for a 30-foot pole located 1,203 feet from the displaced threshold, offset 40 feet to the left.
Runway 17-35 traffic pattern altitude is 1,188 feet (800 feet AGL) from sunrise to sunset, and 1,388 feet (1,000 feet AGL) from sunset to sunrise.
Runway 27R's centerline is in close alignment with terrain; use of LOC/DME is highly recommended.
Runway 27R traffic pattern altitude is 1,588 feet (1,200 feet AGL) for right traffic from sunrise to sunset, and 1,388 feet (1,000 feet AGL) for left traffic from sunset to sunrise, due to an 893-foot AGL mountain 2.1 nautical miles east-northeast of the airport. Runway 27L traffic pattern altitude is 1,388 feet (1,000 feet AGL) for left traffic from sunrise to sunset.
Helicopter skid or run-on landings are prohibited on runways 9L/27R and 9R/27L.
Noise abatement procedures are in effect. Runway 17 is the preferred noise abatement departure runway when the tower is closed. Touch-and-go landings and jet departures are strongly discouraged between 2200 and 0700. Noise sensitive areas surround the airport in all quadrants. Noise abatement pattern information is available through the airport operations office or online. The helicopter noise abatement pattern altitude is 700 feet MSL, departing south from runway 35 north ramp, crossing wind between Bradley and Vernon Way, flying downwind at Wing Avenue, turning to base leg to fly over the east-west taxi line on the east transient ramp, avoiding overflight of taxiway Delta, then via runway 17 to runway 35 north ramp. Aircraft must remain south of taxiway B4 due to crossing ground traffic and must not overfly parked or taxiing aircraft.
Coyotes and birds are occasionally present on and in the vicinity of the airport.
Simulated engine failures are prohibited over residential areas.
For fuel service or assistance during business hours, contact the airport. Self-service 100LL is available 24 hours a day.
The PAPI is unusable beyond 6 degrees right of course.
It is unusable beyond 4 degrees left of centerline.
Formation flights are available as traffic permits, limited to no more than 3 aircraft per formation.
The west transient ramp and portions of taxiway Delta between D2 and the west transient ramp are not visible from the airport traffic control tower.
When the tower is closed, aircraft must self-announce on CTAF prior to landing or departure.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Gillespie Field has five airfields within 15 NM. The closest is Montgomery-Gibbs Executive (KMYF), 8.46 NM west.
Part of the Orange County and San Diego area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KSEE
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$2,400.00 catering order at KSEE.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What runways are available at KSEE?
Gillespie Field operates three paved asphalt runways. The longest is 09L/27R at 5,342 feet by 100 feet wide, followed by 17/35 at 4,145 feet by 100 feet, and 09R/27L at 2,738 feet by 60 feet. Runway 27R centerline is in close alignment with terrain, and use of LOC / DME is highly recommended on that approach. All three runways are unlighted and closed from sunset to sunrise. Dispatchers planning operations at KSEE should account for the narrower dimensions of 09R/27L relative to the other two runways.
Is fuel available at KSEE outside business hours?
Gillespie Field stocks both 100LL and Jet A, though full service fuel and assistance are limited to business hours and require contacting the field directly. Self-service 100LL is available on a 24-hour basis, giving pilots access to avgas at any time. Jet A availability outside the attended schedule is not addressed separately in the airport remarks, so operators needing Jet A should plan around the posted attendance schedule of 0700 to 2100 daily. This split between attended and self-service fuel is a key planning point for after-hours arrivals at KSEE.
What noise abatement procedures apply at Gillespie Field?
Noise abatement procedures are actively enforced at Gillespie Field, with runway 17 designated as the preferred noise abatement departure when the tower is closed. Touch-and-go and jet departures are strongly discouraged between 2200 and 0700 local. Noise sensitive areas surround the airport in all quadrants, and a specific noise abatement pattern applies to helicopter traffic, including a defined altitude of 700 feet MSL and a prescribed ground track. Detailed pattern information is available through airport operations for pilots operating at KSEE. Simulated engine failures are also prohibited over residential areas near the field.
Are there terrain or obstacle hazards near KSEE approaches?
Yes, Gillespie Field has several documented obstacles near its runway ends. Runway 17 has an 8-foot fence located 30 feet from the runway end, offset 85 feet left, with an approach ratio of 20:1 to the displaced threshold. Runway 35 has an unlit 8-foot fence just south of the runway end plus trees up to 20 feet tall located 100 to 200 feet from the runway end, 130 feet left, and a 30-foot pole near the displaced threshold factors into its 40:1 approach ratio. Runway 27R's approach ratio to the displaced threshold is 30:1. Pilots at KSEE should brief these obstacles before flying visual approaches to these runways.
What is the seasonal traffic pattern at Gillespie Field?
Business aviation traffic at Gillespie Field, per FAA TFMSC data for 2025, ranges from a low of 243 operations in April to a peak of 307 operations in September. Traffic builds through the second half of the year, with September and October showing the highest monthly counts at 307 and 299 operations respectively. Winter and spring months show comparatively lower activity, with January through April all falling below 275 operations. Total annual business aviation operations at KSEE reach 3,231 out of 5,304 total operations recorded for the airport in 2025. This pattern is useful for dispatchers planning seasonal slot or ramp availability.