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View Full Version : Q: Flying in and out daily



jhausch
08-07-2011, 08:53 AM
It is my understanding the field is closed during the airshow and that some arrivals are restricted during certain mass arrivals; however, generally speaking what are the times-of-day when one can fly in and out of AirVenture?

I am going to peruse the 2011 NOTAM, but thought I could ask here, too.

jhausch
08-07-2011, 09:00 AM
OK - I just skimmed the NOTAM. It looks like earliest arrival is 7am and latest departure is 8pm. I've always noticed the big line-ups for departure after the airshow. Does a similar lineup occur around 8pm? What if you are 5th in line when 8pm rolls around....

Just curious...

Chad Jensen
08-07-2011, 10:07 AM
The lines are generally long right after the show, but by the time 8pm rolls around, things have really slowed down. There are usually folks trying to get in around 8pm, but FISK cuts off the arrivals on time and landing elsewhere for the night is the alternative. Otherwise, it's a regular fly in outside of the times the airport is NOTAM'd closed. Come and go as you please...just practice extreme vigilance if you're just going to fly around the area and come back in. Have fun next year!

Bill Greenwood
08-07-2011, 01:08 PM
Chad, things don't just slow down at 8pm, the field is closed to all flights.
You can fly in the morning, usually not much problem if its early.
But trying to fly out after the show can be a big wait, as I wrote about on airventuere topic,

Chad Jensen
08-07-2011, 01:18 PM
Yep...what I was saying was that as 8pm approaches, most departures are gone and there usually isn't much wait at that point.

jackhodgson
08-08-2011, 07:27 AM
For future reference... The other, and maybe more relevant, factor about "coming and going" during the fly-in is parking. Especially midweek, you will likely be parked in vastly different spots each time you arrive. And at the busiest times, you may be turned away if you don't have some sort of VIP (VIA?) parking arranged.

// Jack

Chad Jensen
08-08-2011, 07:40 AM
Excellent point Jack...

FlyingRon
08-08-2011, 08:24 AM
At least in Vintage, if you leave your tie downs, we know you'll be back and your space will still be there.
Do not press the limits of the show times either for the airshow start (while 9-27 may remain open until 3:30, taxiway Papa is frequently shutdown at 2PM to accomodate some pre-show flybys and airshow staging).
There's no way to get to the active runway from Vintage and much of the homebuilt area.

I've seen guys try to taxi out at 7:55 and not make it. Frankly it the airport is quiet and it's getting close to 8, I'd give a shout to the tower. The pink shirts on the mucows may close up by the time you get there, but the tower may clear you. We had to park a guy who didn't make it (fortunately, we had extra chicken left over from the volunteer dinner and ops managed to find him a spare dorm room and transportation into town).

Jeff Point
08-08-2011, 09:53 AM
The same is true in Homebuilt Parking- if you leave your tie downs we will save your spot. This is within reason of course, ie. if you go for a day trip or overnight and return in the morning. Don't leave on Monday and return Friday and expect the spot to be there. Best to give the parking crew a heads up before you go.

Jason Alexander
08-08-2011, 11:00 AM
If you're 5th in line at 8: tough. If you're 1st in line at 8: tough. I once heard the tower call that the airport's closed and a guy called in that he was taxiing out. They told him in a very short and unapologetic manner that he was to taxi back, park, and find a place for the night. This year's 2011 convention was unprecedented (for me, at least) in that one night after the airshow had been delayed and put things behind schedule, they actually extended the closing to 8:15, but that almost took an act of Congress! The pinkies were asking the airport manager for permission and the guys working the taxiways had to get a heads up. It wasn't that big a deal on our end, but it did cause some raised eyebrows.

Jeff Point
08-08-2011, 11:44 AM
This year's 2011 convention was unprecedented (for me, at least) in that one night after the airshow had been delayed and put things behind schedule, they actually extended the closing to 8:15, but that almost took an act of Congress!

I'm afraid I might have started that. A guy in homebuilt parking fired up on his own at about 7:58PM and started taxiing out. By the time I caught up to him and explained the error of his ways it was 7:59PM. He didn't believe me (I'm just an EAA volunteer after all) so I advised him to call the tower and get it from them. Well, I didn't hear the other side of that conversation, but the tower allowed him to go. Problem is, after that it became monkey see, monkey do. "Hey, that RV just took off, so I can to!"

The next day we got a small earful from the tower guys and the message in no uncertain terms that this would be the first and last time for this!

(Good thing we get paid time and 1/2 after 8PM.)

Bill Greenwood
08-08-2011, 04:02 PM
Jeff, stand up for yourself; after all how athoratative can a guy in a light pink shirt be?
Seriously 99% of the controllers at EAA as well as FLD seem like normal folks. Ok, I said seem like.
I just wish they were like that in the rest of the country.
I saw one near thing where the controller did a good job. A Baron was cleared to take off on rwy 27 Mon eve. Just as he began to roll a small homebuilt, ,maybe an RV came in to land. The controller told the Baron to stop. If the Baron had continued the smaller plane would have landed right over him and collided. The controller had to say stop, abort several times, and he stayed cool and did it right. Fortunaly the Baron pilot was good and he pulled off power before he had gone far. the RV? landed ok. It was close, not too much said on the radio, but you could hear it in his voice and the controller thanked him. I don't know who if any was at fault. Maybe the RV was cleared to land too soon, or more likely he cut the corner and instead of a base leg he got there sooner than the controller expected.

Jason Alexander
08-08-2011, 04:46 PM
Jeff, Papa Doug cited that there were some arrivals coming in late that night, causing the delayed closing, so it shouldn't have been blamed on you! But hey, like you said, we're volunteers! What do we know? Personally, I wouldn't mind flicking a pilot or two from time to time. Not in the eye or anything, just in the forehead to get their attention! lol

jhausch
08-08-2011, 10:54 PM
Great additional info. Thanks, all.

It sounds like it might work, but we want to be calling "clear" by 7:30pm at the latest...

Bob Meder
08-09-2011, 06:02 AM
On Sunday night, I stopped at the volunteer wind down for a minute to say "bye". That's when the warning of inbound severe weather was announced. I got over to Baslers and got a briefing by about 7:15 and started to hustle to preflight the Seminole, parked at GAP, and beat the 8:00 shutdown and the incoming line. Then something clicked and I "heard" a voice say "OK, genius, you've been working in a hot hangar all week, you feel dehydrated, you're rushing through a preflight, you still have to file a flight plan from over MSN to KSUS, the radar picture to the west looked pretty ugly, the visual of of the clouds out here on the ramp looks pretty gnarly, you only have XM radio with NEXRAD and no radar or Strikefinder, and you and the briefer were impressed with how fast the weather blew up. What would you be saying to one of your students at this point?"

That's when I found out that the AmericInn has pretty reasonable rates...

Chad Jensen
08-09-2011, 07:26 AM
On Sunday night, I stopped at the volunteer wind down for a minute to say "bye". That's when the warning of inbound severe weather was announced. I got over to Baslers and got a briefing by about 7:15 and started to hustle to preflight the Seminole, parked at GAP, and beat the 8:00 shutdown and the incoming line. Then something clicked and I "heard" a voice say "OK, genius, you've been working in a hot hangar all week, you feel dehydrated, you're rushing through a preflight, you still have to file a flight plan from over MSN to KSUS, the radar picture to the west looked pretty ugly, the visual of of the clouds out here on the ramp looks pretty gnarly, you only have XM radio with NEXRAD and no radar or Strikefinder, and you and the briefer were impressed with how fast the weather blew up. What would you be saying to one of your students at this point?"

That's when I found out that the AmericInn has pretty reasonable rates...
That's a GREAT post Bob!! Well done...

Bob Meder
08-09-2011, 11:38 AM
Thanks, Chad. Long ago, I made a promise to my wife and myself to always try to exercise good judgement. I had been working for a major railroad for 14 years when I started learning to fly. The first rule in every carrier's rule book is "When in doubt, take the safest course". 18 years later as a pilot and now a CFI, along with that many more years in the railroad business, that rule continues to be a touchstone for me.

Besides, how would it look if I'd been in an accident after being a Young Eagles Flight Education volunteer all week, asking kids to be safe when they became pilots?

Dave Stadt
08-09-2011, 02:23 PM
Thanks, Chad. Long ago, I made a promise to my wife and myself to always try to exercise good judgement. I had been working for a major railroad for 14 years when I started learning to fly. The first rule in every carrier's rule book is "When in doubt, take the safest course". 18 years later as a pilot and now a CFI, along with that many more years in the railroad business, that rule continues to be a touchstone for me.

Besides, how would it look if I'd been in an accident after being a Young Eagles Flight Education volunteer all week, asking kids to be safe when they became pilots?

Good decision...we need you back at Kidventure next year!