My trip from Daytona Beach to NASA Space Shuttle Landing Facility!

[StevieTimes]

So I rented an Arrow from Daytona Beach (KDAB ), and went for a fun flight to KTTS (NASA Space Shuttle Landing Facility) and back (not landing, don't land there).

Leaving KDAB, heading towards the coast, just south of New Smyrna Beach:



Turning South along the coast:



Approaching the Space Station:

 

[StevieTimes]

Here I am, "coming in for a landing". I couldn't help but think, if you were zooming in on final in the space shuttle, wouldn't this look like a strip of chewing gum?




Don't know if you can tell, but they "lit it up" for us:

 

[StevieTimes]

So I waved to the tower:



...and raised a wing like a salute to the main building:



...and these next two really give a good idea of how long the runway really is:

 

[Kritchlow]

Very nice!! I thought at one point in the past touch and go's were permitted?? Perhaps before 9/11 ??

 

[StevieTimes]

The Space Shuttle Landing Facility tower asked my intentions, and I said I'd like to turn east to the coast and depart to the North (flying past the main building to the coast).

The guy was super nice about telling me that it was restricted airspace, and to make a right downwind. Like in another thread, the nice controllers can easily let you know what not to do and you leave smiling.

Anyway, after the right downwind, he had me turn 040 to join the coast after the road at the facility. It was as direct to the coast as he could give me. That guy was truly friendly, as helpful as he could be, and seemed like he was smiling. With such an important facility, he could be all high and mighty or uptight, and he came off as neither. It was a beautiful day, and it seemed like we both were enjoying it.



The lighthouse at Ponce Inlet is down there... I shrunk the picture down, but you can still make it out:



Here's returning to the airport; anyone see the airport and Daytona International Speedway?



The trusty steed:

 

[StevieTimes]

What I learned?

Having local knowledge was great. I fumbled over the microphone, and just felt like a newb flying in such busy airspace. GA seems alive and well down there!

There are procedures they expect you to know if you're going to fly to the space shuttle landing facility. They asked if we were familiar with them, and the CFI next to me keyed in "affirmative", and we proceeded.

Basically... not lower than 100 feet, no landing allowed, right downwind out of there. We stuck to 200 AGL, so that in case we were geeking out the window too much, we had some wiggle room.

If you're about to say "geez dude fly the plane once in a while and put the camera/phone down!"; there was a great deal of "your controls/my controls" going on. Before the flight, I told the CFI that I'd like to switch off a lot, and I normally said "your controls/my controls", is that what he said, is he comfortable with that, etc.

It was a really fun flight! Short but sweet. The airports were hard to spot, but all the controllers (New Smyrna, KDAB, KTTS, and approach) were all nice guys.

 

[StevieTimes]

Very nice!! I thought at one point in the past touch and go's were permitted?? Perhaps before 9/11 ??

Yeah I guess not any more! I'd have loved to have done one.

It was funny... as we were approaching, I was about to key the mike. I took in a breath, was about to push the button.... then paused, exhaled, turned to the guy next to me, and asked "REALLY, I call them 'Space Shuttle Landing Facility'?" It just seemed kindof surreal that I was about to call them up.

 

[Brad Z]

Very nice!! I thought at one point in the past touch and go's were permitted?? Perhaps before 9/11 ??

Never. Prior to 9/11, they'd let you do a low approach down to 500 feet. After 9/11, they wouldn't let you near the place...that is until they discontinued the STS program in 2012, and opened things up to what we have now.

The last time I was down that way, we popped over after the tower had closed and the only restriction approach gave us was not to touch down, so we did a "high speed" low pass at about 50' AGL. It's a fun thing to do if you're in Florida happen to have access to a plane.

 

[Kritchlow]

Never. Prior to 9/11, they'd let you do a low approach down to 500 feet. After 9/11, they wouldn't let you near the place...that is until they discontinued the STS program in 2012, and opened things up to what we have now.

The last time I was down that way, we popped over after the tower had closed and the only restriction approach gave us was not to touch down, so we did a "high speed" low pass at about 50' AGL. It's a fun thing to do if you're in Florida happen to have access to a plane.

Just curious.... I do believe you, but how do you know "never"?

 

[StinkBug]

I did the same on my cross country trip this summer. We were coming from Key West though so flew south to north and continued up to New York. One of these days I'll get around to editing all the video of the trip, it's in there.

The controllers are definitely friendly and helpful. I got the feeling they didn't have a whole lot to do and actually like talking to someone once in a while.

 

[StevieTimes]

I really want to thank Skippers for offering me a ride while I was down there... the wifey wasn't thrilled about me flying twice on our family vacation, so I just did the rental and done.

I didn't see any sharks... I was at 1,000 AGL minimum though, and didn't do much looking to be honest. I should have gone lower and circled.

 

[Brad Z]

Just curious.... I do believe you, but how do you know "never"?

Prior to late, it had always been a NASA facility restricted from public use. The runway surface has always been a high friction surface- it even ate a few STS tires until it was grounded down a bit in the mid-nineties.

Like a military base, civilian aircraft without specific authorization could fly over the runway but could not touch down. Plenty of government contractors, NASA T-38s, the NASA 747 shuttle hauler, and even AF-1 have flown in at some point. Has anyone ever done a TnG? Perhaps, but either with specific authorization, or "under the radar".

Here's some good reading to geek out to if anyone's interested about the history of the SLF...

http://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1055&context=space-congress-proceedings

 

[daemon]

Nice. I'll be doing something similar in May from Apopka > Merritt Island > Daytona Beach > Apopka. Any "gotchas" one should be aware of?

 

[StevieTimes]

How are you on the radio? The Daytona approach guy talked pretty fast, and for good reason, the frequency got pretty busy for a little bit (then it calmed down, so I think it ebbs and flows).

I stumbled over make left midfield downwind for 25 left in my hurry. Also the taxi instructions were so fast I couldn't write that fast and missed the last two instructions (instructor with airport familiarity did not, so we were cool).

Also you would think KDAB would be easy to see, with the speedway and all, but I was surprised how it hid itself.

Just look at the airspace, and talk to approach or whoever. There is a lot of tight airspace in there, with New Smyrna Beach, Cape Canaveral, Orlando and Daytona and whatnot.

Coming from the land of "fields everywhere", I was a little nervous flying around nothing but trees and buildings. Some choices I would have had to make was like "land on that turning dirt road down there or in the trees".

 

[BrianNC]

So what traffic is this tower normally for? If only for the shuttle, why do they keep it open all the time?

 

[mscard88]

So what traffic is this tower normally for? If only for the shuttle, why do they keep it open all the time?

When I was in the 2nd Combat Comm Group at Patrick AFB we used to deploy to the Cape Canaveral landing strip and set up our mobile radar and tower, and then an Air Force C-140 (JetStar) would flight check us. Met one of the NASA controllers (used to be one of ours) and she said it's pretty boring. Hopefully it paid well!

 

[mtuomi]

Is that N456RR?

 

[Jim_R]

So what traffic is this tower normally for? If only for the shuttle, why do they keep it open all the time?

NASA's astronauts train and live in Houston, but a lot of the hardware they're going to see and use on-orbit goes through Florida (especially back when the Shuttle was flying), so there was a lot of travel back-and-forth from Houston to Florida. Commander/Pilot-class astronauts (vs. Mission Specialists) are required to maintain flight proficiency and have to fly so many hours in a T-38 per month. As a result, there was (and still is, but to a lesser extent) a lot of T-38 trips between EFD and TTS.

The modified G-II the Shuttle CDR/PLTs used for Shuttle landing practice did (tens of?) thousands of approaches to the SLF over the 30 years of the Shuttle program, too. It was also used in support of weather observation/forecasting for Shuttle launches, and used the SLF as a base for those sorties.

The SLF (TTS) was also used by NASA's Super Guppy and Airbus' Beluga to deliver hardware to KSC for launch in the Space Shuttle.

Today, the facility is operated by the Space Florida organization, and anyone with a desire to use the facility can negotiate terms with them to do so. It's been used for things like straight-line acceleration tests for high-performance cars and other non-space / non-aviation uses.

 

[Rex Kramer]

Coming from the land of "fields everywhere", I was a little nervous flying around nothing but trees and buildings. Some choices I would have had to make was like "land on that turning dirt road down there or in the trees".

Not only that, in a lot (if not most) places in the state, when you look down through those trees you're likely to see the sun reflecting off the water that's at the base of them. Florida is nasty..

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

cool

 

[kayoh190]

Nice! That's really cool.

 

[StevieTimes]

Is that N456RR?

I had to check the logbook, and yes indeed, that is she!

Have you two met before?

Not the very finest aircraft I've ever flown, but no complaints. A good time was had by me.

 

[mtuomi]

Did my complex endorsement a few years ago in it. Solid flying plane. Obviously a bit worn out and nothing fancy in the panel. But it did the trick. I even figured out how to use the GPS

I had to check the logbook, and yes indeed, that is she!

Have you two met before?

Not the very finest aircraft I've ever flown, but no complaints. A good time was had by me.

 

[write-stuff]

I actually got to land there back in 2005. That is one monsterous runway! I parked down by the mate/demate structure next to a NASA T-38. They let me climb up the ladder and peek inside, but oddly wouldn't allow me to take pictures of the cockpit.

 

[Xscaliber]

Nice. I'll be doing something similar in May from Apopka > Merritt Island > Daytona Beach > Apopka. Any "gotchas" one should be aware of?

Not really any "gotchas" that I'm aware of, I flew over to Merritt Island a couple of weeks back, if winds favor 29 they are busy with construction work right at the end of the runway so you have a displaced threshold and shorter runway. If you come in on 11 it's a non issue. A couple of things about Merritt Island there is no restaurant and the best they will offer in the FBO is to point you to the vending machine or call you a taxi, oh and they will relieve you of $15 landing fee....

It's also a busy flight school looks like mostly foreign ATP students judging by the "uniforms" they all wore.

 

[Brad Z]

I actually got to land there back in 2005. That is one monsterous runway! I parked down by the mate/demate structure next to a NASA T-38. They let me climb up the ladder and peek inside, but oddly wouldn't allow me to take pictures of the cockpit.

Where you there on official business?

 

[write-stuff]

Where you there on official business?

Yes. I was interiewing the KSC director for a magazine article. As we went through the preliminary chitchat, he learned I had landed there. He was quite surprised. "Damn, they won't even let ME land there."