Once again, we are focusing on Destinations in the January print issues of General Aviation News? Do you have a favorite destination you like to travel in your plane? Can you share any advice, tips or tricks to make the journey more enjoyable for our readers? Post your comments below or send them to editor Janice Wood and they may appear in our Jan. 20 issue. Feel free to include photos!
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I have always loved visiting airports with restaurants on the field. My favorite airport restaurant so far has been Sky Galley at Lunken Field near Cincinnati, Ohio. The airport has a lot of history and is very unique. During the summer you can sit outside and have the perfect view of the runways. I’ve flown there with friends on multiple occasions. My favorite meal is the Swiss Mushroom Burger with the dreamy chocolate brownie for dessert. It’s hard to beat the great food and the awesome view of downtown as you fly out of Lunken.
Meadow Creek 0S1 in the beautiful big sky country of Montana.
A picturesque airstrip with very nice camp sites on a bench overlooking the South Fork of the Flathead River. Fishing and hiking are both spectacular. Nothing finer than a camp fire and a star filled night sky with an owl hooting.
My favorite destination is Santa Fe, NM. I like the feel of the small city and I have done the following:
1. Visit Tribe’s Coffee House
2. Visit the Pyramid Cafe
3. Taken the Road Runner railway to Albuquerque (a commuter train with a nice view)
4. Visit Moriarty, NM for glider rides
5. Santa Fe Southern Railway rides with dinner and brunch
6. Visit Sandia Peak – for tram rides to the top (restaurant at the peak) and hiked down
7. To just relax away from home
Sedona AZ is a quick and beautiful flight that I take several times a year. In fact I just flew a couple of my friends and myself of course up there this past weekend for a breakfast fly-in that was organized by some friends of mine. We had like 9 planes show up and 23 people all together.
Some tips for flying in and out of KSEZ. First off it’s on top of a mesa and has the nickname of the USS Sedona. The field elevation is 4830 feet and it’s not a towered airport so be listening for traffic 20 miles and and be giving your position reports as often as necessary.
I am coming from the south most of the time and so I approach the airport from it’s east and overfly the field at tpa 5900′ and then enter a left downwind for RWY 3.
I have some personal minimums for this airport because often times it can get windy / gusty being on top of the mesa and make for a exciting approach and landing. First off I will only land on RWY 3 and take off on 21 and it’s recommended to land on 3 with up to a 10kt tailwind. RWY 3 is uphill and there is plenty of runway at 5132 x 100 ft. I personally aim for the 1000′ marker and stay high over the approach end that way I don’t have an issue with the down drafts.
There has been many a corporate jet land on 21 and remember it’s downhill coming from 21 and end up running off the end of 3. I’ll take the slight tail wind and land uphill every time.
The last bit of advice is do a full power run up and lean for max RPM because remember you are already at 5000′ and depending on the time of year you will have density altitude to deal with.
Hope this helps and enjoy the scenery.
Cheers,
Chris
Block Island (KBID) off the Rhode Island coast is a great destination. For a quick visit there is a nice restaurant right on the field with outdoor seating during nice weather where you can watch the planes taking off and landing. For a longer visit, walk or take a taxi to the downtown area and spend hours visiting shops and restaurants and watching boats in the harbor. The runway is on the short side at 2,500 feet, but very doable for most 4-seaters. I go there at least once or twice every year that I have been flying. It’s a great day trip from most airports in the northeast.
Martha’s Vineyard in the late Spring or early fall before and after the hordes of ferry travelers. Flying is the best way to get there if your time means anything to you. Bring or rent a bicycle and enjoy the quaint villages and magnificent ocean views. It’s a marvelous place.
You know, funny you should ask. We’ve been putting together trip reports to a lot of different, fantastic destinations. Let me share a few here that we’re particularly fond of:
Upper Loon Creek (Backcountry): http://disciplesofflight.com/upperloon-creek/
Chamberlain Basin (Backcountry): http://disciplesofflight.com/chamberlain-basin/
Sun Valley, Idaho: http://disciplesofflight.com/fly-perfect-recreation-destination/