Santa Barbara Approach SBA
Santa Barbara Approach (SBA) is the approach and departure control facility that public NASR records list as the primary approach control for 6 airports, 3 of them with a control tower. Pilots call it "Santa Barbara Approach".
Airports it serves (6)
| Airport | City | Tower |
|---|---|---|
| San Luis County Regional Airport (KSBP) | San Luis Obispo, CA | Tower (page) |
| Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field (KSMX) | Santa Maria, CA | Tower (page) |
| Vandenberg Space Force Base (KVBG) | Lompoc, CA | Tower (page) |
| Lompoc Airport (KLPC) | Lompoc, CA | No tower |
| Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (KSBA) | Santa Barbara, CA | No tower |
| Santa Ynez/kunkle Fld (KIZA) | Santa Ynez, CA | No tower |
Pay level
The FAA rates this facility level 8 on its scale of 4 to 12. Busier, more complex facilities get higher levels, and higher levels pay more. A fully certified controller at a level 8 facility was paid between $92,723 and $125,176 a year in 2025, before the local cost-of-living addition. Overtime, night and Sunday pay come on top.
Level: National Academies (2025), The Air Traffic Controller Workforce Imperative, Appendix C, Table C-2, which reproduces FAA data with staffing as of September 23, 2023; the FAA may have changed the level since. Pay range: FAA pay band table effective January 12, 2025, as posted by NATCA.
Source
FAA National Airspace System Resource (NASR) data, 28-day cycle effective 2026-10-01 (FAA NASR subscription). Facility data changes every 28 days; check current FAA publications before flight.
Public records, summarized in plain language. Not for navigation or operational use. Privacy: no cookies, no tracking.