Your favorite regional airport to fly to

[Alaskaairlines]

Hello guys!

I thought it would be interesting to hear what your favorite regional airport to fly into is? Why do think this? Nice approach, quite, etc???

This should be interesting........

 

[LearLove]

For regional airports I always liked (and still do) State College, PA (SCE) also called university park/happy valley/penn state. 5000ft uncontrolled strip that sits in happy valley in the middle of PA. Very green in the late spring early summer. Allegheny has a very senior crew base there, I was based there for a month when first hired but decided not to live there as it would have been years before I could have held capt there. Mesaba and ACA go in there too. Always a 20 knot TW on the ryw24 ils in the winter funfunfun. On final for 24 just to the north of the cl is bellefont a 3000ft uncontrolled strip. This area was one of the stops on the orginal mail run and there is one of thoes airway light beacons around there somewhere. Also supposed to to be a pitcarin mailwing in one of the hills around bellfonte.

Upstate NY airports are fun due to the ever changing wx. Mid to late May the area turns this awsome deep but at the same time brite green not seen anywhere else in the country except the NY, PA WV allegheny mountain region. Read "Fate is the Hunter" the first few chapters he talks about AM-21. This is basically all the airports in upstate we fly too. If you know where the orginal SYR airport was (pre WW2, down in Amboy) read where he talks about the "instrument" approach they used ref. the RR, canal and mountain south on the city. I can look out my apartment (or from the roof that is) and see what he was talking about.

Second would be Norfolk - many ships to see - if your goin into Chambers (Navy) landing 02 if I remember correctly you go right over carriers in dock, preety coll when your doin the PAR and pop out with the stern of a carrier in front of you.

As for major airports - you can't beet LGA or DCA. DCA especially now, we've got missles pointed at us, don't F*ck up over KRANT. Personally I enjoy racing blackhawks and other helos up the Potomac. Landing 15 is a blast, you come w/in 50 ft of the pentagon roof. can't believe they still let us do that. Plus don't land long or you goin for a swim.

If you look a the area ALG flys it encompasses the history of early America (rev+civil war) including alot of industrial history if you know what your looking for. Coal mining, steel mills, the whole Erie Canal system, Aberdeen by BWI, Hudson river valley, mohawk river valley, industrial revolution areas outside of boston.

When flying into LGA and they use rt traffic for 31 or LOC 31 you can pick out (if you know where to look) the remnents of Mitchelle field and its sister field the area Lindy used to takeoff for Paris. Also the old Gurmman (orginal plant not cav) and Bethpage aircraft plants.

And then there's Woodstock. If you go to Hugenot VOR
(HUO /116.1) north of Sparta VOR (SAX/115.7). Off of hugenutts vor to the NW is RAGER intersection. Just to the NE of Rager about 8 miles or so at a lake called Fillipo (sp?) is the field where woodstock 1969 took place. For some reason I always want to smoke a fatty when flyin up that way. Its about 8 miles or so west of sullivan county airport, that 5000ft strip in the middle of nowhere.

 

[FL000]

White Plains (HPN). It's actually easier to get to the city from there on public transportation than it is from LGA, or especially JFK. If you don't like the city, there are lots of cool hamlets with good restaurants/pubs around there. It's exceptionally pretty during leaf season, and the homes in that area are unbelievable.

 

[LearLove]

Whitey Plains S*cks Dog Sh1t

gee where to start:

a$$hole controlers

a$$hole lawyers flyin around with more $$$ than flying ability/brains

crazy a$$ pilots skerting TCA to the north

No f'in parking space

gotta repo the a/c at night and ops leaves you on the remote pad and won't send a van to pick you up

Giant overpriced homes on approach path

rich snotty ahole pax all the time - worse than the vynard or nantucket or the isp springer crowd

f'ed up terminal

worst TSA aholes in the biz

hotel (we stay at) in middle of nowhere plus it s*cks balls

10 bucks for a chicken ceaser salad / 9 dollar beers

o yeah - CLINTON LIVES THERE

and what the he11 is the deal with that ice melting machine

my second day as a capt I landed there and the fo didn't turn on the standby pumps, I shut down number 1 as we were taxing in and almost wound up parking inside that crappy terminal.

 

[145EXR]

my favorite has to be nantucked (ack)...we only go there in the summer but the approach over the water when doing the back course kicks a$$ !!...very nice hotel too..right across from the airport (close to aiport AND no van to take to get to hotel..pilots dream)!

 

[LearLove]

ACK and the vinyard are cool but the pax thats another story.

In my 135 days I went to ack and picked up 3 purebred golden retrievers for some family and brought them to, you guessed it, Whitey Planes. Where esle would someone charter a navajo for 3 dogs. It was cool, they were jumping all over the cabin and me the entire flight.

 

[General Lee]

CRW---or Charlie West (Charleston, WV)---is interesting at night. You land on an aircraft carrier---pitch black with a cliff on all sides, and the city at one end.

For Intl Airports---Bermuda. Very windy during the summer with trade winds. I landed there behind a British Air Force C-130 Herc that was doing some sight seeing.

Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[PBRstreetgang]

Hey,
Missoula, MT. Gnarly VOR approach, ILS that takes you halfways to Canada prior to turning inbound. A college town that has lots-o-beer, nightlife that doesn't quit at last call.
In VFR conditions the best visual approach west of the Rockies.
OLA
PBR

 

[T-Gates]

Most Favorite: Govenors Harbor, Bahamas.

Beautiful runway on the water, lagoon at one end. Fantastic views.

Least Favorite: Daytona Beach, FL

"You are 3 in trail of 4 Riddle Cessnas doing the NDB 7L approach....maintain slowest practical...."

"Trafic to follow is a Riddle cessna indicating 90 knots on a 4 mile final."

"Make S-Turns....."

"Spacing not adequate, go around, contact departure..."

I HATE DAYTONA!!!!


--03M

 

[LearLove]

I never thought I 'd say it but....

Gen. Lee I agree

"CRW---or Charlie West (Charleston, WV)---is interesting at night. You land on an aircraft carrier---pitch black with a cliff on all sides, and the city at one end."

CRW and Huntington WV were great overnites too. Right downtown good bars nice people and I could never believe it but chicks with all their teeth. I miss thoes days, thanks shuttlecrap and your scaab 340's

 

[JBcrjca]

Hey N9103M, question for you about DAB.... do the controllers hose everyone like that, even the airline traffic? I seriously hope they wouldn't send an MD-88, etc. around the pattern because of student traffic shooting practice approaches. I know that students have a right to shoot approaches, but I hope that scheduled airliners would get some sort of priority.

The reason I ask is that I've never flown into DAB, but this month I get to do a DAB turnaround every Saturday afternoon. Our slowest ref speed tends to be around 135 at lighter weights. I guess I'll have to be on the edge of my seat for that one.

Thanks

 

[Avi8tor2000]

Telluride, Colorado. 9078'. Beautiful.

 

[ALGFLYR]

I miss the HTS overnights too. And the pink nautalus equipment.

A personal favorite of mine is flying the ILS 15R circle to 4L in BOS. When you join the river, you are actually flying below the skyscrapers just a 1/4 mile away. Very Cool!

 

[T-Gates]

Hey N9103M, question for you about DAB.... do the controllers hose everyone like that, even the airline traffic? I seriously hope they wouldn't send an MD-88, etc. around the pattern because of student traffic shooting practice approaches. I know that students have a right to shoot approaches, but I hope that scheduled airliners would get some sort of priority.

The reason I ask is that I've never flown into DAB, but this month I get to do a DAB turnaround every Saturday afternoon. Our slowest ref speed tends to be around 135 at lighter weights. I guess I'll have to be on the edge of my seat for that one.

Thanks

It all depends....

Some controllers are great there. Others will have you do some of the stupidest things. Once, we had to circle from 7L to 16 while the Cessna ahead of us landed 7L with a LASHO clearance. All just because the instructor told ATC "This is a stage check and we need to complete a straight in ILS to a landing..."

Not too bad, but when you are on your 8th leg and you are looking foward to the hotel and you've already gone around once when a 172 decides that they need the full 10,500 to roll out, your blood will begin to boil.

I have gone there many times without any problems, but when the $hit hits the fan.....duck.

--03M

 

[the turtle]

EYW...Key West.

It's cool to fly into, but what I remember the most is when you taxi off and contact ground you call "POSITIVE FOXTROT" because you have at least one hot chick on board. The guys in the tower scramble for their binoculars and give you thumbs up/high fives/and when you get your clearance, a number out of 10.0!!!

I miss it.

 

[cl-65link]

DAB-FAA training facility. When I used to fly out of there they would bring down controllers from ERW,LGA,etc. during speedweeks to handle all the high-speed traffic.

 

[chperplt]

A personal favorite of mine is flying the ILS 15R circle to 4L in BOS. When you join the river, you are actually flying below the skyscrapers just a 1/4 mile away. Very Cool!

Don't get yourself in trouble now... It's the ILS 15R with a VISUAL TRANSITION to 4L.. Circling is not authorized on that side of the airport.

 

[sleepy]

Key West, FL at sunset.

 

[AceCrackshot]

I usually don't get misty eyed in public, but here goes...

When I was scrolling through the posts, I started to noticed how many of those places I'd been to...Marsh and Govenor in the Bahamas, MSO, CRW, DCA, EYW and a bunch of others...

Flying up the Hudson at night to LGA...over the inner harbor of BWI, TEX, DEN on a clear day, especially on the NW arrival.
MIA at night.

I've been very lucky to go to these interesting and beautiful places with some very interesting, intelligent and stimulating people.

The view from the cockpit is one that very few people ever will experience. In historical terms, less than 1/10 of 1% of people have ever seen the world through more than two windows from 25,000 feet. We are a fortunate few, we band of brothers...

Maybe that is what draws us back. The promise of a better view.

 

[T-Gates]

Hey man I know where you're comin' from. I did my Instrument at Riddle in '01. You're right a few go-arounds over the long run means jack, but after an 8-leg, 15.9999 hr day, they suck....

--03M