It's way too quiet at the airport today

denverpilot

denverpilot

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DenverPilot
It's way too quiet out here at the airport (KAPA) for a Saturday. Where are you all? ;-)

Eerie quiet even.

Changed oil on the Skylane and waiting for a friend to come out and go flying to do the uhhh, extended leak check.

Yeah, yeah, that's it. That's the ticket!

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Someone's practicing helicopter landings at the Heliplex, and kids are at the fence!

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Count me as one of those fence hanging kids... ;)
 
Well, it wasn't super-busy at HEF today, but there were any number of Citations, a black helicopter, and a C130 across the airfield. CJR was reasonably busy - 2 in the pattern and 3-4 others transited in the 30 minutes I was in the pattern there. Woulda used HWY, but the Flying Circus was running at Bealeton.
 
I was at the airport for 8 hours and saw MAYBE 10 airplanes takeoff and land. Slow day here too.
 
Boulder had a flyin and Van Aire (airpark) had a flyin. I only made it to Van Aire but there were at least 25 airplanes there.
 
Mary and I make it a point to fly into a different Texas airport every week. We did the same thing in Iowa, from 1998 - 2010.

Sometimes it's downright spooky to fly in to these little airports nowadays. The FBO, if it's open at all, looks like a neutron bomb went off nearby. Magazines from 1994, candy machines with nothing in them, and burnt-orange chairs from the '60s are the norm, with everything left in the exact position the WWII guys left them in, the last time they were at the airport.

They're all gone, now, mostly, as are their planes, and their weekend pancake flights.

At my home airport, T.P. McCampbell (KTFP) we have just one of these guys left. He's an honest-to-goodness Flying Tiger from WWII, flew P-40 Warhawks against the Japs in the war, and we're celebrating his 90th birthday next week.

His hangar is the social focal point of the entire airport, and he is there every day but Sunday, with an open bar and a fridge full of cold beers. What will happen after he passes is hard to contemplate, but activity at our airport -- already a shadow of what it once was -- will surely suffer.

I sure wish I had an answer to this problem. I can't even find a flight instructor or a rental plane nearby that my daughter can learn to fly in. With no one left to teach the next generation, general aviation is destined to end in our lifetimes, which will be agonizing to see.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Sometimes it's downright spooky to fly in to these little airports nowadays. The FBO, if it's open at all, looks like a neutron bomb went off nearby. Magazines from 1994, candy machines with nothing in them, and burnt-orange chairs from the '60s are the norm, with everything left in the exact position the WWII guys left them in, the last time they were at the airport.
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You more or less just described the A/D building at KVVV in Ortonville, MN. :(
 
Thats weird for KAPA not to be busy, KBJC had its fair share of traffic
 
Olympic Air Show this weekend at KOLM. Weather wasn't great today, but tomorrow is supposed to be better. If you're in the area, stop by.
 
Yeah I think everyone went to Boulder and Van Aire. I bucked the trend and Doug and I went to FTG (also dead) for crash and dash, and then out to Limon where we talked with a guy about the t-storm out there earlier.

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Hail was still on the grass...

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And Snoopy says hi...

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Back at KAPA, AirLife was cranked and ready to leave for a medical run to somewhere...

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Doug and I caught dinner at the newish Irish pub just outside the airport at Arapahoe there near the Chipotle, and then were startled by the two F/A-18s that arrived around 23:00. I thought it was a bizjet at first that was slamming it to the firewall to go around when I heard the first one, turned around to look saying "Holy ****!" then I saw the electroluminescent lighting on the tail. His buddy was in-trail a few seconds behind. Loud.

A great aviation day. 2.1 aloft, now I need sleep. ;)
 
It was a good day to fly in Wisconsin. I took the 182RG up to Dodge County (KUNU) to do some short field, soft field, and simulated engine out training. UNU was pretty busy.
 
Activity isn't what it was when I jumped in, but there has been more recently than I've seen in an age.
 
Homedrome ramp tiedowns are spectacularly empty...the ramp-wrecks are birdominiums, used to be a real chore to hand mow the grass tie-downs around all the planes, now the tractor-mower just takes straight across sweeps in the field.
There's still flying going on, but it's down exponentially from a few years ago...and fuel even went below $6.00/gallon this week!

Sad
 
Well, very quiet (airplanes, anyway) at Addison - airport's closed, runway work. Every weekend.

I was supposed to fly the family to Houston today, visit family for fathers' day, but between extreme heat, huge winds and big turbulence pireps, I am not goin' there. So, I relocated the plane to Airpark for nothing. Oh well.
 
denverpilot said:
Yeah I think everyone went to Boulder and Van Aire. I bucked the trend and Doug and I went to FTG (also dead) for crash and dash
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But FTG is *always* dead! Unless there's a Young Eagle event (once a month) or the car show in late august. Or the Thanskgiving to First part of July when all the biz jets come in to refuel after dropping off the pax at Vail or Aspen.
 
SCCutler said:
Well, very quiet (airplanes, anyway) at Addison - airport's closed, runway work. Every weekend.

I was supposed to fly the family to Houston today, visit family for fathers' day, but between extreme heat, huge winds and big turbulence pireps, I am not goin' there. So, I relocated the plane to Airpark for nothing. Oh well.
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Good call, Pops.







Raw text PIREPs
TYR UA /OV UIM270015/TM 1520/FL235/TP F2TH/SK TOPS FL235/RM AWC-WEB/KZFW
DAL UA /OV TTT073050/TM 1538/FL180/TP E135/TA M15/IC LGT RIME FL180-210/RM AWC-WEBKZFW
PRX UA /OV BYP/TM 1545/FL115/TP B737/WX VIRGA 110-120/TB MOD 115-100/RM NO TURB AT 090 AWC-WEBKZFW
1F0 UA /OV 1F0/TM 1614/FL055/TP PA32/TB LGT
FTW UA /OV DFW225010 /TM 1636 /FL100 /TP MD82 /TB MOD
PVJ UA /OV ADM315025/TM 1642/FL055/TP BE35/WX FV99SM/TA 32/TB NEG
TKI UA /OV DFW030035/TM 1656/FL070/TP E190/TB MOD 070-090
DFW UUA /OV DFW180005/TM 1705/FL035/TP E145/TB SEV
DAL UA /OV KDAL/TM 1803/FL010/TP B737/RM + - 10 ON FINAL AWC-WEB/SWA
ACT UA /OV ACT340030/TM 1804/FL105/TP LEG2/TB MOD/RM AWC-WEB/KZFW
1F0 UA /OV 1F0-1F0180015/TM 1816/FL065/TP P28A/TB MOD BLO 065/RM DURC
INJ UA /OV INJ/TM 1830/FLUNKN/TP BE9L/TB LGT-MOD 080-030/RM DURD
GRK UA /OV LLO030020/TM 1830/FL060/TP LEG2/TB MOD CHOP FL060-036/RM AWC-WEB/KZHU
DTO UA /OV DFW330030/TM 1833/FL085/TP MD82/TB MOD 105-085
DTO UA /OV DFW330015 /TM 1920 /FL060 /TP MD82 /TB MOD CHOP
AUS UA /OV CPT-AUS/TM 1947/FLUNKN/TP M20P/TB CONT MOD BLO 060
PSN UA /OV FZT270006 /TM 2047 /FL115 /TP SR22 /WX FV99SM /TA 13 /WV 13513KT /TB NEG
 
saw Marty (also a pilot) on 9 News weather showing Limon's golf ball sized hail ... Yikes!
 
It's because I'm out of state!! Actually SMX seems much more quiet than the last time we were out. One FBO gone and the transient ramp empty except the Jabiru.
 
I missed the Van Aire flyin on Saturday.
But, we're going to the Glenn Miller Swingfest flyin next Saturday (6/25) in Fort Morgan. Anyone else planning to attend? According to the CO Pilots website, the Lions club will be providing pancakes.
 
SCCutler said:
Well, very quiet (airplanes, anyway) at Addison - airport's closed, runway work. Every weekend.

I was supposed to fly the family to Houston today, visit family for fathers' day, but between extreme heat, huge winds and big turbulence pireps, I am not goin' there. So, I relocated the plane to Airpark for nothing. Oh well.
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Where do you land when you go to Houston? We flew into Weiser Airpark last week, to partake in the barbecue at Carl's, right through the fence across from the FBO. Great stuff!
 
Jay Honeck said:
Where do you land when you go to Houston? We flew into Weiser Airpark last week, to partake in the barbecue at Carl's, right through the fence across from the FBO. Great stuff!
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When I go to Houston on business, it's entirely dependent upon where the business is - typically, I am either at Hobby (KHOU), or West Houston (KIWS). Hobby is, as air-carrier airports go, pretty easy to deal with, and the controllers are excellent in Houston. West Houston is as nice a GA airport as you're likely to encounter, great folks and easy in & out. Also a couple of visits to Ellington (KEFD).

For family missions, it is always Sugar Land (KSGR), because the field is a scant few miles (maybe three?) from the sister-in-law's home. Also, a good airport, owned by the City of Sugar Land, and yet they act as if they want you to come back again.

Still have never managed to chirp-chirp at Weiser or Hooks.
 
I've used SGR, DWH, and Hobby. When I used to go in for business I used SGR because it was west side, the had onsite rental cars, and the office I usually went to was on West Loop. For meetings on the North side, I used DWH. Hobby for pleasure trips to downtown.

Each was good, and each made me feel at home.

via Tapatalk
 
Heard a suprising number of planes this weeked considering the weather.

Now if I could just get my move overwith I could have some time to go flying too
 
wsuffa said:
I've used SGR, DWH, and Hobby. When I used to go in for business I used SGR because it was west side, the had onsite rental cars, and the office I usually went to was on West Loop. For meetings on the North side, I used DWH. Hobby for pleasure trips to downtown.

Each was good, and each made me feel at home.

via Tapatalk
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Ditto!
 
I haven't decided about Ft Morgan. I'm supposed to be flying Young Eagles but since I worked 4 days coordinating YE last week, I'm due for some fun. I do know that a number of airplanes from FTG will be going.
 
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