Flyouts in new mexico

[Bill Greenwood]

If you are flying across the sw or visiting that area there are some great places to see and easy access by gen av. There is a nice airport at Santa Fe and lots to see in the historic old town, with a lot of Western and Indian art and jewelry shops ,with many hotels and restaurants, serving most anything but cheese curds.
A short flight away is Los Alamos with the fascinating science and atomic museum. The airport is supurbe ,5500 by 100 and smooth, be aware of the restricted area adjacent to the south and normal procedure is to land to west and takeoff east, with high terrain to the west making a go around harder. The museum is neaby and fascinating with the story of the development of the first two bombs on site, very well told. Those who worked there were so smart their mind was a weapon, Dr. Oppenheimer foremost with 170 I Q,. You can see it in an hour or really linger much longer and read in depth. Nice folks there too. And resturants and two good hotels if staying overnight. It is reputed to have the highest education level of anywhere in the U S, lots of PHDs and still a busy research lab.
Taos is nearby, good runway, another Indian art town and with the ski area also. One warning, this is an advanced ski area, many of the runs are steep and narrow in the trees, not a place for beginners. Santa Fe has an easier ski area as does Alb to the south, again with a good airport.
The wide open spaces and often good weather make flying a preferred way to go and shrink travel time.

[lnuss]

One caveat: For you sea level types, all the airports Bill mentioned are near 7,000 feet high, or more, so that 5500 foot runway isn't as long as it may seem. Oh, yes, if the winds are strong, mountain waves and considerable turbulence may affect your travel, too.

But those are, indeed, good places to go.

[gbrasch]

Don't forget KDNA, Santa Theresa airport not far from El Paso. Really cool museum on the field, The War Eagles Air Museum. At 4100 feet it is not as high as the north country and the weather is great right now.

[cub builder]

One caveat: For you sea level types, all the airports Bill mentioned are near 7,000 feet high, or more, so that 5500 foot runway isn't as long as it may seem. Oh, yes, if the winds are strong, mountain waves and considerable turbulence may affect your travel, too.

But those are, indeed, good places to go.

FWIW, the Los Alamos runway was extended to 6000' several years ago. One of the reasons for always taking off to the east is because the runway has a 1% grade downhill towards the east, which helps with take off performance. Summer DA does exceed 10,000' at times. If you can stagger into the air, you go off the end of the mesa and will find yourself at 1000' above ground level within the next 5 miles. I've been based at KLAM for the last 32 years, but am retiring and leaving in another couple of weeks. It is a challenging airport when the conditions are less than favorable.

Glenn probably has it listed in the courtesy cars, but KLAM does have an old police cruiser for a car. Just go to the car rental desk (or airport managers office if he's there) and ask for the airport courtesy car.

The Santa Fe airport was recently "improved" by TSA, so you no longer have drive-in access to your plane, and must be escorted to your plane by someone from one of the the FBOs. TSA also took over most of the restaurant space reducing the restaurant to about a half a dozen tables/booths.

Both places have interesting places to visit.

As Glenn says, the museum at Santa Theresa is also really good if you're down south.

[gbrasch]

Glenn probably has it listed in the courtesy cars, but KLAM does have an old police cruiser for a car. Just go to the car rental desk (or airport managers office if he's there) and ask for the airport courtesy car.

I did have the listing but updated it with your info, thanks! Glenn