Definition
KLGB is the four-letter ICAO location identifier for Long Beach/Daugherty Field Airport, a Class C airport located in Long Beach, California. In the FAA system, U.S. airports with three-letter identifiers (such as LGB) are prefixed with the letter 'K' to form their ICAO identifier (KLGB), which is used in flight plans, weather reports, and international operations.
Plain English
KLGB is the official code for Long Beach Airport in California. The 'K' is added to the front of U.S. airport codes when they are used in flight plans and weather reports.
Context Anchor
Seen on instrument procedures, airport diagrams, flight plans, and FAA examples that refer to Long Beach/Daugherty Field Airport.
Derivation
ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) assigns each country a starting letter for airport codes. The contiguous United States uses 'K'. So the three-letter FAA identifier 'LGB' (Long Beach) becomes 'KLGB' when written in the international ICAO format.
Why Pilots Care
Identifies the exact airport when reviewing procedures or safety notes about its runway hot spots.
Intuition Check
Do not read KLGB as a runway, taxiway, or navigation fix. It identifies the entire airport: Long Beach/Daugherty Field.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot filed an IFR flight plan from KSNA to KLGB for the short hop up the coast.
Example Sentence 2
Flight plans to Long Beach list KLGB as the destination identifier.