Flying GA into Dulles - What to know in advance?

[Fearless Tower]

Have to attend a meeting at the Navy Yard at the end of this month and I hate driving. Thinking about flying into IAD. I'll be IFR. Anything special to know about going into Dulles? I'll probably use Landmark since I am Landmark based here at ORF.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Nah, all IFR traffic into IAD squawks 1200 and self-announces on 121.5. Sometimes they provide a complimentary escort for you in case you have trouble locating the airport.

 

[jtheune]

Since your active duty I'm wondering if you can get into Andrews and will it require the super secret FRZ PIN for you.

 

[Everskyward]

Let approach know you are going to Landmark (they may ask you anyway) so they hopefully assign you 1C/19C. (corrected runways)

 

[comanchepilot]

IAD is pretty EZ to go in and out of as Class B goes. Obviously there is the ADIZ card you need to carry, but its the dead simple way to get into DC.

The only problem from IAD GA ramps is getting into DC. . . .

Uber is a choice. taxis and car services are the most expensive . . . . or, if you will be arriving and departing during weekdays, you could go in and out of Manassas, HEF - which a Virginia Rail Express commuter station at the SE edge of the airport . . . more or less straight shot to Union Station . ..

 

[hook_dupin]

There's a metro station a block from College Park, MD if you already have the FRZ bit figured out.

 

[dell30rb]

Let approach know you are going to Landmark (they may ask you anyway) so they hopefully assign you 1R/19L.

I have not been into IAD but our flying club has made two trips. From an e-mail regarding one of those trips...

I have been talking with Potomac Approach and they told me that arriving at Dulles prior to 10:15 AM is advisable. This is the beginning of the "push" time which means that the airport gets very busy.

If we can arrive prior to the push, we should be able to land on runways 1R/19L which is closest to the FBO (Signature) that we will be using. If we arrive after 10:15 - 10:30 we will most likely have to land on runway 1L/19R which is farthest from the FBO and result in our planes having to taxi across Dulles, not an easy or quick process.

 

[flyingron]

IAD is a non event really. If you avoid the pushes (when the hub-and-spoke airlines) have all their arrival/departures, there's no problem. If you arrive in a push you might be delayed a bit. No biggy either way.

I was based at Hawthorne (now Landmark) for ages. At this point I can't really recommend one FBO over the other (the other is Signature).

Either FBO can get you rental cars (of you can pretty much walk from Landmark to any of the major companies). They can also arrange cabs or give you lift over to the terminal where you can get the Washington Flyer coach or the Metrobus (regular city bus) 5A that will either take you to a metro station or downtown.

The Navy Yard has it's own metro station that brings you out catty corner from one of the gates (used to be right opposite Bldg. 213 but that's gone). The whole area there used to be a bit seedy with drunks in the gutter in front of the old Normandy liquors but when they built the Nationals Park they cleaned it all up. It's bright and safe now.

If you tell the controllers which FBO you are going to they will usually try to land you on the runway which is closer. Obviously you want 1C/19C for Landmark. 1L/19R is the worst (very long taxis) as is 30/12.

On departure you can usually expect 30 but they sometimes can work you out on the closer one.


As to answering the other questions, I believe ADW and DAA the two military fields which had some civil aircraft at them were left high and dry during all the FRZ nonsense. You'll not get permission to go there no matter if you are in the military or not.

 

[Everskyward]

I have not been into IAD but our flying club has made two trips. From an e-mail regarding one of those trips...

I have been talking with Potomac Approach and they told me that arriving at Dulles prior to 10:15 AM is advisable. This is the beginning of the "push" time which means that the airport gets very busy.

You're right. I got it backward. Signature is closest to 1R/19L and Landmark is closer to 19C/1C. I'll correct my previous post.

Ooops I really screwed up posting and may have changed part of your original post since I hit "edit" not "quote" (a mod thing). Hopefully I put it back the right way.

 

[dell30rb]

You're right. I got it backward. Signature is closest to 1R/19L and Landmark is closer to 19C/1C. I'll correct my previous post.

Ooops I really screwed up posting and may have changed part of your original post since I hit "edit" not "quote" (a mod thing). Hopefully I put it back the right way.

Well I had no idea where Landmark was, but glad you caught that. I get them confused as they are both big chain FBO's I avoid if possible.

If Andrew can get in before things get too busy, and can advise ATC he's going to landmark i'm sure they'll do their best to put him on 19C/1C

 

[Fearless Tower]

If Andrew can get in before things get too busy, and can advise ATC he's going to landmark i'm sure they'll do their best to put him on 19C/1C

Sounds like it shouldn't be an issue. I'd be arriving around 0700-0715.

 

[bflynn]

I have not been into IAD but our flying club has made two trips. From an e-mail regarding one of those trips...

You're right. I got it backward. Signature is closest to 1R/19L and Landmark is closer to 19C/1C. I'll correct my previous post.

I was a passenger on this trip. If you're flying IFR, it's a non-event.

If you're flying VFR, you've got the whole SFRA thing to deal with and I'm sure you're aware of that.

Make sure to have an airport diagram with you. Of course you can't count on getting the runway near your FBO, so you have to be ready. We left about 3-4pm and got a taxi from the NE GA / Customs area of J1-Right J-Right B-Left Z-Left Q, hold short runway 30, all the way across the airport and mixed in with an Airbus in front of us and a 747 behind us for part of the route. The taxi was a little hair raising because there's lots of choices for turns and they're not all marked well.

Listen to departure instructions if you're VFR. If they tell you to take off, turn on course, don't fly the runway heading because you're holding someone else up.

I think that's it's for the flying part

Getting out of Dulles to DC is easiest if you have a rental car. Take the Dulles Access road and there's no toll. Take the wrong road and you could wind up paying $9 for 1/2 mile drive, but at least they take credit cards.

If you want to save taxi fare and you're OK to ride the metro (I am), the new Silver Line ends at Reston Station right now. That's only 7.3 miles from Dulles, so maybe it's only unpleasantly expensive instead of feeling like you've been mugged and there might be a bus or shuttle available from the FBO. Of course, once on the Metro, you have one transfer and get off at Navy Yard about 45 mins - an hour later.

Another alternative would be BWI, which has an Amtrak station at the airport, You'll have to check the cost of the train from BWI to Union Station.

 

[dell30rb]

Sounds like it shouldn't be an issue. I'd be arriving around 0700-0715.

One more thought, might add "parking landmark, prefer 19c/1c" to your flight plan remarks. Approach may sequence you appropriately.

 

[Brad Z]

Have to attend a meeting at the Navy Yard at the end of this month and I hate driving. Thinking about flying into IAD. I'll be IFR. Anything special to know about going into Dulles? I'll probably use Landmark since I am Landmark based here at ORF.

Functionally its no different than going in and out of a busy ORF. make your runway request with the Potomac controller when you check in with ATIS (the Potomac handoff once you get north of Richmond, generally around AP Hill or Dahlgren, depending on your routing).

Another option I'll throw out is Maryland Airport (2W5) and taking an Uber taxi. It's closer to Navy Yard, with a little easier commute in than coming in from Dulles.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Have to attend a meeting at the Navy Yard at the end of this month and I hate driving. Thinking about flying into IAD. I'll be IFR. Anything special to know about going into Dulles? I'll probably use Landmark since I am Landmark based here at ORF.

We landed at Dulles VFR during a ground stop for weather.

It was pretty awesome, taxiing past a dozen airliners, fully loaded with ticked off passengers.


Procedurally, flying into the ADIZ (or whatever they call it now) amounted to a phone call and a squawk code. Easy peasy.

The hardest part was taxiing on the ground (we were going to the museum), which actually took as long as the flight in!

 

[flyingron]

Yep, Landmark to Hazy is something like a six mile taxi. One of those days I was leading a "flight" of six planes across the field (having been based at IAD and a regular visitor there, I often volunteer to lead the train). We were taxiing across Alpha where a USAir flight was holding for our little train of aircraft and ground told the airliner that there was no extra charge for the parade of antique aircraft going by...

I always put something distinctive at the end of our "flight" so it's clear what the end of our group is (a cabin Waco, a 182 on amphib floats, or in one case, John and Martha King in their Falcon Jet).

 

[Jay Honeck]

Yep, Landmark to Hazy is something like a six mile taxi. One of those days I was leading a "flight" of six planes across the field (having been based at IAD and a regular visitor there, I often volunteer to lead the train). We were taxiing across Alpha where a USAir flight was holding for our little train of aircraft and ground told the airliner that there was no extra charge for the parade of antique aircraft going by...

I always put something distinctive at the end of our "flight" so it's clear what the end of our group is (a cabin Waco, a 182 on amphib floats, or in one case, John and Martha King in their Falcon Jet).

That's awesome.

The year we did it, Michelle was leading our train of 7 little planes. We looked like a bunch of ducklings, paddling in a giant sea of pelicans.

 

[flyingron]

Dulles hasn't been the same since the Concorde stopped flying. You always had to watch that one when it was landing or taking off. I flew simultaneous approaches with it for the parallel a few times.