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Originally Posted by Streamliner
San Diego is the closest airport to any downtown I've seen. If you measure from the runway apron, it's basically across the street from the edge of downtown. Less than a mile to City Hall (in the absolute center) for sure. Landing in San Diego has the most dramatic/scary city views.
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The telephoto lens used in this pic makes it look much closer, so it is misleading.. It is a safe distance. It is at least a mile or two from where you have a few 500' buildings at the height limit. If you look carefully the buildings near the I-5 freeway near the flight path are just a few floors tall, well below (at least 200 below', maybe more) the planes at that point. The FAA says the setup is very safe, and I trust them. Most of the taller buildings are on the side of downtown away from the flight path near the bay. These telephoto pictures are misleading. Logan in Boston is almost as close, and often has worse weather than SD and buildings in downtown Boston are sometimes higher than SD. The last major accident in SD was 44 years ago in 1978, and that happened several miles away from downtown when a small plane collided with an incoming PSA jet. Since then there have been no repeats. It had nothing to do with downtown. It was pilot error on the part of the small plane which I believe had an elderly pilot who was where he shouldn't have been. Possibly controller error was involved as well. Can't remember.
So, Lindbergh International is very safe and very convenient. On the rare times when visibilty is impaired because of ground fog or other weather issues, the airport is closed. The airport also closes late at night because of noise restrictions. I believe 10 PM is the last, but it may be earlier. Most arrivals and departures are in daylight. Lindbergh International scores near the top for convenience and passenger satisfaction. Enjoy the view! It is spectacular.