Flight on a Cessna 172SP from Montgomery field MYF around San Diego
In aviation, a touch-and-go landing or circuit is a maneuver that is common when learning to fly a fixed-wing aircraft. It involves landing on a runway and taking off again without coming to a full stop. Usually the pilot then circles the airport in a defined pattern known as a circuit and repeats the maneuver. This allows many landings to be practiced in a short time.[1]
If the pilot brings the aircraft to a full stop before taking off again then it is known as “stop-and-go”.
Montgomery Field (MYF) is centrally located in the Kearny Mesa area of the City. The airport is home base to approximately 600 aircraft and offers a 3400′ lighted runway served by an Instrument Landing System (ILS), with 4,577 feet available for takeoff, a 3,400′ parallel runway, a 3,400′ crosswind runway, a control tower operating 6:00 am – 9:00 pm daily, and a full range of aviation support facilities.
On May 20, 1950 the City of San Diego named Montgomery Field in honor of John J. Montgomery who is credited with making the first controlled flight in a fixed wing aircraft. Montgomery’s first glider flight took place in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego in 1883.
The City of San Diego purchased the airport from Willliam (Bill) Gibbs in 1947. The airport, originally known as Gibbs Field, opened in 1937 with a single runway. In 1940 Bill Gibbs leased the airport to Ryan School of Aeronautics to train Army Air Corps cadets to fly.