How to get from Cavern City Air Terminal to Carlsbad Caverns

birdus

birdus

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Jay Williams
Anyone know if there's a shuttle or something like that to get from the airport to the caverns?
 
there is not, I called the fbo last week and rent cars are available. (I was planning hiking G peak)
 
Its been a few years, but a taco truck showed up around noon.
 
There's been an oil boom there, everything is over-priced. I have relatives there and would never pay $300 for a regular Motel 6 type room:confused::eek: Get a price quote on the rental beforehand ...
 
Pirep on the airport when you get there? That is my first planned refueling stop when I fly to Nashville sometime. Looks like it has a lot of runways to choose from, must have been an old WWII training base.
 
Been there. Rented a car to go to the caverns.

Only negative thing was a citation that took off on a crossing runway with (seemingly) no radio call.
 
Timbeck2 said:
Pirep on the airport when you get there? That is my first planned refueling stop when I fly to Nashville sometime. Looks like it has a lot of runways to choose from, must have been an old WWII training base.
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"Established by the United States Army Air Corps in 1942 as Carlsbad Army Airfield, the facility was activated on October 12, 1942. Assigned to United States Army Air Forces West Coast Training Center (later Western Training Command) as an advanced (level 3) twin-engine training airfield. Began training flying cadets under the 940th Two-Engine Flying Training Detachment. Had a local axillary airfield for emergency and overflow landings."

Yeah all the wacky runways make me a little nervous. Way more complicated than any airports I've landed at.
 
Its a quiet airport with good surfaces & SS fuel.
(It’s no Midway with its runways & taxiways.)
I was there a couple if weeks ago; no one around but doors open to restrooms.
Be sure to walk through the free WWII mini-museum.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Its a quiet airport with good surfaces & SS fuel.
(It’s no Midway with its runways & taxiways.)
I was there a couple if weeks ago; no one around but doors open to restrooms.
Be sure to walk through the free WWII mini-museum.
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Sounds great! Thanks!
 
danhagan said:
There's been an oil boom there, everything is over-priced. I have relatives there and would never pay $300 for a regular Motel 6 type room:confused::eek: Get a price quote on the rental beforehand ...
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You might want to check motel pricing. Carlsbad is in the western part of the Permian Basin and because of lower oil prices (less driving due to covid, etc.) the oilfield is really hurting now. You may get better motel prices than you think. They would probably be happy with your business.:D
 
Archer Jack said:
You might want to check motel pricing. Carlsbad is in the western part of the Permian Basin and because of lower oil prices (less driving due to covid, etc.) the oilfield is really hurting now. You may get better motel prices than you think. They would probably be happy with your business.:D
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I will have just come from Alamogordo that morning and will be going to Odessa (KODO) that night, so I won't be spending the night there. Just want to visit another airport and go to the caverns.
 
birdus said:
Yeah all the wacky runways make me a little nervous. Way more complicated than any airports I've landed at.
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That's a piece of cake.
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New Mexico can dish out more wacky, no problem.

KTCSapt.jpg
 
I will have landed at Truth or Consequences a few days earlier, so maybe Cavern City won't be so bad in comparison.

ElPaso Pilot said:
That's a piece of cake.
01889.gif



New Mexico can dish out more wacky, no problem.

KTCSapt.jpg
Click to expand...
 
I'll confirm you need a rental car to get there from the airport.
The caverns are spectacular and well worth a visit.
Note that there are operational changes at the park these days:
https://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/reopening.htm
Most significantly, admission is limited and timed, so you'll want to get there early. It's one way traffic, walk down the natural entrance and take the elevator out. If you are physically able, you would want to do this anyway.
Jon
 
birdus said:
I will have landed at Truth or Consequences a few days earlier, so maybe Cavern City won't be so bad in comparison.
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Truth or Consequences only has one paved runway ... the rest are all dirt and I wouldn't land on them unless you have some massive tundra tires.

If you like hunting-taxidermy, ask the FBO guys at Chandler to show you "upstairs" ... the FBO owner is very well off from oil and has a HUGE collection. If you don't like hunting, stay downstairs and admire all his planes or the way his wife decorated the FBO.
 
Not sure if covid has affected this, but they also do “special” tours on some days/times where you crawl through tunnels, and get into less accessed portions of the cave.

We did it - was really cool. Not for the claustrophobic though!
 
several times in the last few years the caverns elevator has been out. Im not sure if they closed the park when that happens or survival of the fittest (that would be a b*tch of a hike out).
Anyway I've had our visitors check updates the night before (and pay their life insurance up lol)
 
birdus said:
I will have just come from Alamogordo that morning and will be going to Odessa (KODO) that night, so I won't be spending the night there. Just want to visit another airport and go to the caverns.
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Odessa?!? Ewwwwwwwww! :yikes:
 
danhagan said:
I hear you, and I'm from Texas;) I would stop by Pecos as the cantaloupe are in season right now and are UNBELIEVABLE ... just had some last week, best in years!
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I think Pecos would work. Maybe I'll stop by there instead of Odessa. Looks like a nice small town. Thanks for the recommendation!
 
danhagan said:
I hear you, and I'm from Texas;) I would stop by Pecos as the cantaloupe are in season right now and are UNBELIEVABLE ... just had some last week, best in years!
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I'm in Andrews, so really have no room to talk smack. :D And, yes, the Pecos melons are the best!
 
Pecos airport is vey, vey cool!
Too bad Isabel is no longer there; such a sweetheart.
We get the cantaloupe delivered to our town; farmer parks on main st with a truckload.
 
What's cool about the airport in Pecos?

I don't know what the season is, but I hope the melons are still good in about 3 weeks. I anticipate being there around the 13th or 14th.
 
birdus said:
What's cool about the airport in Pecos?
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It's the feel! People are chill, you might fall asleep in their sofas, they used to always have some grub or snacks on hand, it's not "Millionaire/Signature slick", used to be tons of mil flyers briefing or just jawing, the wall art - all aviation.
 
Picture from Pecos. Kind of gives you the feel....
 

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birdus said:
What's cool about the airport in Pecos?
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They used to have free burritos before Covid, not sure now. There was also a knock out model FBO girl that a lot of guys would refuel there just to talk to her;)
 
birdus said:
Anyone know if there's a shuttle or something like that to get from the airport to the caverns?
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I've flown there a few times. There is a commercial passenger terminal, and I remember walking over to the main terminal from the FBO and getting a rental car. But that many years ago (almost 20 years).
 
sarangan said:
I've flown there a few times. There is a commercial passenger terminal, and I remember walking over to the main terminal from the FBO and getting a rental car. But that many years ago (almost 20 years).
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I've verified it with Chandler Aviation. They have rental cars starting at $70.
 
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