Chofu Airport is the only general aviation airport within Tokyo, located in the city of Chofu in the western part of the metropolis. Its code is RJTF. It features a single 17/35 Runway measuring 800 meters in length and 30 meters in width. It lacks ILS equipment, operating under VFR (Visual Flight Rules) only, and caters exclusively to propeller aircraft.

Every year, the airport opens to the public for a day to host a small air show. There are simple flight performances and static aircraft displays on the ground. They sell aviation-related books and goods, hold aviation awareness lectures for children—such as a flight simulation class—and offer local snacks and specialties from various regions. All in all, it’s a lively event. Among the aviation items, there are some unique finds, such as old instrument panels and broken propellers—fresh curiosities that you generally can’t buy on the open market.

Then there are the charts. They are slightly outdated but still very clean. Items originally priced at 2500 yen can be had for just 100 yen—less than the cost of a can of cola. (Actually, I bought one myself. Recently, to pursue realism, I’ve been flying in the X-Plane simulation software without using any electronic maps or GPS, relying solely on these charts and the navigation station information plotted on them. The fun of flying has increased immensely.)

The most attractive event on Open Day is the opportunity to fly for free on a general aviation aircraft by applying in advance. These are mainly small aircraft like Cessnas, flying a traffic pattern around the airport. Although the flight time is short, it is free after all, so this event is quite popular.

This year was my first time visiting, so I will write a simple report.

First is the Tower. As expected, it is the same as other airports, with nothing particularly special.

Hangars and various small shops

There are also many local snack stalls like this. Doesn’t it look like a Chinese temple fair?

Many private aircraft and planes from small companies were displayed on the Apron. Most looked to be Cessnas and Pipers.

There were also some unique ones, such as this biplane in the hangar. It’s quite beautiful. It seemed there was also a firefighting helicopter demonstration, but I didn’t manage to capture it.

Below is the scene of the flight simulation class. The organizers are some X-Plane enthusiasts, and naturally, the software used is X-Plane. Their lecture has a unique feature: they spend 10 minutes explaining the principles of flight to teenagers—essentially a ground school session personally explained by enthusiastic pilots holding a Commercial Pilot License. Then, everyone performs Takeoff and Landing on X-Plane, choosing Chofu Airport as the location. The flight route allows for a tour of the Tokyo skies. Since it is scenery everyone is familiar with, the children find it easier to fly.

Let’s look at a few photos of the Cessnas flying the free perimeter flights. There are mostly 172s, so nothing particularly special in the photos.

The largest aircraft at Chofu Airport is likely the Dornier 228.

It belongs to New Central Air, a small airline based at Tokyo’s Chofu Airport. They mainly operate small routes to Kozujima, Niijima, Izu Oshima, and other destinations. If you travel to Kamakura for sightseeing, you might have a chance to see this airline’s planes flying overhead. Because their cruise flight altitude is only about 3000 feet, or roughly 900 meters, they are easily observed.

The Dornier Do 228 is a small passenger aircraft manufactured by the German Dornier company, capable of carrying 19 people. Its design features a boxy fuselage and a nose resembling a dolphin; it looks very cute. (Last month, a Dornier Do 228 crashed in Nepal. Among the 19 victims were 5 Chinese nationals, making headlines for a time.)

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