Soon, another notable addition will be unveiled around a 45-minute drive or 15-minute helicopter ride from The Strip—the Las Vegas Executive Airport and Spaceport. 

Rob Lauer, a private pilot and real estate developer, outlined plans for the project, which will have an emphasis toward both GA and commercial space operations. 

• READ MORE: FAA Greenlights New Las Vegas Area Airport

“It’s a great addition to the systems in place, which we’ve seen during recent events how busy the airports here were,” Lauer said. “There is a video from the Super Bowl of 60 large aircraft who couldn’t fly in [to existing airports]. Vegas is like nowhere else on earth when it comes to events. We are the leader in the world in entertainment, gaming, tourism, and conventions. People come here for the experience, and we are going to offer an experience with fly-in convention opportunities with our own casino-hotel on site in three to four years, maybe less.” 

The concept of Las Vegas Executive Airport and Spaceport was first envisioned several years ago. Soon after coming up with the idea, Lauer purchased a 240-acre piece of land. 

The airport recently received approvals from the FAA for its submitted 7480-1 form for notice of construction, and the county, key steps toward becoming an operational facility. 

“We own the name Las Vegas Executive Airport, which is the official name, and the plan is really simple,” Lauer said. “To start, we are building a 5,000-foot-long runway and are talking with companies about coming in to operate an FBO, a jet fuel farm, and an MRO facility. In addition to that, we plan to have 40 large 20,000-square-foot hangars with 2,000-square-foot offices for lease.”

While the airport is farther from Las Vegas than several other airports in the area, its remoteness has benefits that the other options do not. 

• READ MORE: Utah Bluff of Juniper and Sagebrush Turned Into Backcountry Destination

“One of the things that came out of our airspace analysis, which was performed by Air Force Brigadier General Robert Novotny (the former commander of the 57th Air Wing at Nellis Air Force Base) is that we are right outside the Class Bravo airspace in open VFR airspace.” Lauer said. “This will make it far more affordable and efficient for aircraft to fly in and out. What our argument was, is that another airport outside the Class Bravo airspace adds to the capacity of the Clark County Airport system.”

The big focus at present is to create the runway and get Las Vegas Executive Airport ready to accept its first visiting aircraft. The runway is currently set to be 4,000 feet long but being at an elevation of 3,700 feet msl, Lauer advised that they are working to add thresholds and extend the landing distance available to 5,000 feet. 

“We are looking at the end of the year to start construction,” he said. “The good news is that it’s a 1 percent grade, so it’s only going to take us a month to grade. It will take a month to pave the runway and taxiways, so we could realistically have our runway up and running by the end of the year. Then maybe a few months after that, pending county approval, we can start building the FBO, hangars, and other infrastructure.”

One of the key aspects planned for the airport is the fly-in hotel, casino, and convention center. One of the planned recurring events on site will be the Las Vegas Air Races. The 2024 event is planned at another airport in the area that is to be announced, but future events are expected to be on site and will take place immediately following the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition. 

Lauer’s vision extends beyond the property being a place for GA traffic, including both drone and spacecraft operations. The spaceport will be the first of its kind. 

• READ MORE: Las Vegas Spaceport to Host Air Racing Event in October 2024 

“There are technically 16 other certified spaceports in the country,” he said. “All of the others are owned by governments (county, state, or federal). Ours is the first private airport and spaceport in the United States. Space companies are a huge part of our project to build a space economy here in Las Vegas. That’s our focus and we hope to bring space planes from all different manufacturers in and operate them from our facility. So, you’ll be able to fly in and do space training activities.”

In July, spaceport leaders officially partnered with the Nevada UAS Test Site Operator UNR Research and Innovation Nevada Center for Applied Research to establish a cutting-edge drone test site on the spaceport’s grounds. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) demonstrates the commitment of the site’s leadership towards investing in the future of aviation.

• READ MORE: New Turf for Blue Cedar Landing

“Nevada must seize the opportunity to cultivate a thriving economy rooted in cutting-edge technology,” Lauer said. “The Las Vegas Spaceport is attracting forward-thinking businesses aligned with our mission to foster a new industry in southern Nevada. We eagerly anticipate collaborating with the Nevada Center for Applied Research to establish a premier drone test site that will serve as a beacon of innovation.”

The post New GA Airport Near Las Vegas Has Its Eye on Space appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

To Justin Mackie, owner of Mackie Ranch Airfield (UT91), airport ownership is a way of sharing his perspective of flying with other aviators and supporting aviation in Utah. 

Mackie is a private pilot who began flying at 15 but stopped shortly thereafter in favor of riding motorcycles. No matter how busy he was with that lifestyle, he always hoped to return to the skies. 

• READ MORE: New Turf for Blue Cedar Landing

“I stopped flying when I was about 17 years old and left aviation for a different direction in life,” Mackie said. “I raced motorcycles and was in that business but always wanted to get back to flying—it just wasn’t in the cards time and money wise. In 2016 I picked it back up and really got into backcountry flying and the STOL stuff. I finished my ticket and started getting more into it.”

As many pilots do, especially those who enjoy flying off the beaten path, Mackie wondered where else he could plant the tires of his highly modified 182. He thought a seemingly unusable section on his 160-acre property would be the perfect place. 

“This ranch has been in my family since 1966, and it’s an original Mormon homestead[from] back in the 1850s,” Mackie said. “I’ve owned it going on 15 years and live here in the summertime. We have [an] all-natural, grass-fed beef operation here, and there’s always been this part of the ranch that was just a waste of dirt, if you will. There was a spot that was just covered in sagebrush and juniper trees up on this bluff on the other side of the waterway. I always wondered what I would do with it, until I got back into aviation and bought an airplane.”

Building an airstrip of his own started to make more sense once Mackie began considering the effort it takes to get to the ranch from Henderson, Nevada, where he spends most of the year.

• READ MORE: Idaho Luxury Fly-In Development Poised for Takeoff

“I own a private equity firm, and it’s a three-hour drive to my ranch from my home in Vegas,” he said. “Once you own an airplane, you start thinking real quick, ‘Why am I driving?’ So, I started scheming about how this would all work once I got a plane—now I am on my fourth—and finished the airstrip in the spring of 2021.”

The more Mackie considered building an airstrip, the more he felt like the ranch was a perfect place for one. He did have some concerns, though. 

“There were some things to figure out, as far as our ranch is in a low point in the surrounding mountain range,” he said. “We are in a horseshoe-shaped section of land in a 3,500-acre private valley, where there’s only one road into this valley up a canyon from the nearest town, Enterprise, Utah. So, there is rising terrain all the way around us, and there are some drainage areas that I had to sort out where the runway is.

“I hired two local guys and we just went to it. It took us about four weeks to build the runway, which is 2,450 feet long by 70 feet wide with a groomed native dirt surface and a 3-acre parking apron. And so there is no manure, hoofprints, or cows on the runway when you want to use it, I fenced off the entire area.”

Mackie credits several organizations with assistance during the creation of the airstrip and throughout its operation the last several years. 

“I got together with the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) and the Utah Backcountry Pilots Association real early on,” he said. “One of my concerns was having a piece of private land with an airstrip that’s open to the public and the liability that comes with that. Most states today have a recreational use statute on the books, that if I make this open to the public, it’s not invitation only, no one’s paying to use it, and a few other things, then I have no risk of liability if somebody hurts themselves here. 

“I really want to convey the message of how important it is for people to use their private land to give back to the general aviation community and utilize the resources of the RAF and their local backcountry flying groups… Because of the amount of resources and lobbyists that exist in those organizations, I am able to do what I’m able to do here because I make it available to the public. I want landowners, or people with private strips, to know that they don’t let people fly in right now because they are scared.” 

Other publicly accessible airstrips inspired how Mackie wanted his strip to look like. A few in Idaho, specifically, served as inspiration for his efforts. 

“My goal, starting early on in my flying, was being a student of backcountry flying, high-density altitude, and all of the things that go along with safely operating in the mountains as a bush pilot,” he said. “I started spending six weeks or so a summer up in the Frank Church[-River of No Return] Wilderness [Area] in Idaho. I came to realize pretty quick that there’s a lot of people that show up in the backcountry without the necessary equipment or skills.” 

• READ MORE: Finding Freedom by Flying in Alaska

In addition to the utility for his own use, Mackie hoped the airstrip would serve as a place where other pilots could dip their toes into backcountry flying.

“You could literally take a lawn chair to those [challenging backcountry strips], and it was like sitting at a boat ramp at the start of the summer, watching the train wreck all day long,” he said. “That became a big motivating factor for me and my airport. I decided it would be a place to go practice and refine my backcountry skills at an altitude that was meaningful but not a place that was scary, density altitude wise. There really wasn’t a lot of stuff in this area that anyone had built that was a great training grounds or a place that was made available to the public to hone their backcountry flying skills.” 

While Mackie Ranch Airfield is well suited for greenhorn pilots, there are, of course, operating challenges to be mindful of. 

“A normal day here is 70 to 80 degrees, which equates to a density altitude of about 7,000 to 8,000 feet,” Mackie said. “Completely surrounding us, there’s this big valley with peaks that are 7,500 to 8,200 feet high. If you can’t outclimb the ridges to the northeast of us, from Runway 05, you have a half mile to get over a ridgeline that’s 150 feet higher than the departure.”

One of Mackie’s friends, who had ample experience flying in and out of the airstrip, experienced an incident last summer where they impacted the face of a nearby mountain (but fortunately walked away unharmed). 

“So, it’s a challenging airport,” he said. “But at the same time, I get a lot of messages from local guys that this is their first off-airport experience and have had no issues. If you’re smart about it, it’s fine. For people that disregard the wind too much or disregard the high-density altitude, it can get sketchy real quick.” 

The post Utah Bluff of Juniper and Sagebrush Turned Into Backcountry Destination appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The grants are part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Grant program—which includes $25 billion in terminal expansions, baggage system upgrades, runway safety enhancements, and air traffic infrastructure upgrades.

Airports on the receiving end of the grants include El Paso International Airport (KELP) in Texas, where $10.6 million will fund the construction of a new general aviation apron and rehabilitate the existing GA apron pavement.

At the San Jose Mineta International Airport (KSJC) in California, $18.1 million will fund a new taxiway and terminal to accommodate additional airline passengers. 

Dallas Love Field Airport (KDAL) in Texas will receive $4.2 million for improvements to the airfield drainage system and the Runway 13/31 safety area to guard against runway excursions.  

“[This] investment is the second largest in AIG [Airport Infrastructure Grants] history,” said Shannetta Griffin, FAA associate administrator for airports. “We’re supporting safety with lighting and runway signage upgrades and improving the traveler experience with new terminals.” 

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post New Round of FAA Grants to Enhance U.S. Airport Infrastructure appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

He passed down his passion for flying to younger members of the family, and both he and his teenage son began flight training at the same time. His next youngest son has recently started training for his private certificate, and there are three other sons who could also follow the same path. 

In only a few short years since returning to the skies, Manda has purchased an aircraft of his own and an asphalt airstrip in Missouri. But having an airstrip wasn’t the reason he purchased the property.

• READ MORE: Oregon Airpark Development Aims to Create Access to ‘Outdoor Playground of the West’

“My wife and I own a landscape company up here in Kansas City [Missouri] and as part of that company, we grow sod,” Manda said. “Three years ago or so, we bought 130 acres from a guy…and developed a sod farm. We were looking to expand our operation further and…[the guy] was looking to sell more of his property. We ended up buying the house and the airstrip along with 75 more acres.” 

The airport has been around since 1979 and sports a new name following the transition, Blue Cedar Landing Airport (43MO). Manda said that maintaining the airport requires minimal additional attention to his company’s existing operations on the property. He envisions his privately owned airfield will be a vibrant GA-focused outpost and has plans for future fly-ins.

That’s why Manda is excited for other pilots to come and enjoy the airstrip as much as he and his family. 

“We mow our sod once a week, and when we do, we just mow a little bit more and mow up to the runway,” he said. “So, because I have those fields around me that I will never develop or plant trees on, it will always be a wide-open area. That gave me the thought to have a fly-in where people can just park their airplanes in the grass. We could do flour-bombing competitions, food trucks right next to the airplanes, and other things you may not be able to do at a municipal airport. We will do different things to bring people together and support aviation.”

Manda decided that a large farmhouse that came with the second land purchase would make for a good short-term rental, bringing another option for pilots looking for a place to stay the night alongside their aircraft. 

“We looked at doing something different that not a lot of places can do, so we decided to make this house a Vrbo for really anybody, but I’m definitely going to cater it to the fly-in community,” he said. “It’s a great place for three or four couples to meet up and have something to do. They can fly in and keep their airplane here and rent the house that’s literally 100 yards from the 2,430-foot-long-by-30-foot wide asphalt runway. And we will have a car that they can get on Turo to get around the area.

• READ MORE: Idaho Luxury Fly-In Development Poised for Takeoff

“The house is about a 15-minute drive to downtown Lee’s Summit, where there is tons of stuff to do. There are shops, restaurants, and dining, like a little brewery and a wine bar. It’s situated about 10 minutes away from downtown Pleasant Hill, where there are eclectic shops, restaurants, and Rock Island Trail, which connects to the Katy Trail, which at 240 miles long is the longest developed rail-trail in the country. We have teamed up with a bike shop so people can rent bikes, since it’s hard to fly with a bike.”

The 7,300-square-foot home sleeps up to 20 and rents for an average of $800 per night. Manda is adding a separate one-bedroom option to the property that will be priced more economically, $200 per night on average. He believes that the addition of this smaller rental and an available on-site rental car will entice more aviators to consider flying in.  

“On the property we also have a little pilots lounge that we are currently finishing and will be named ‘The Stables Event Space at Blue Cedar Landing,’” he said. “It will be an event space for rentals up to 150 people. When the space isn’t rented, it will be open for pilots that fly in during the day and want to have a coffee or just get together.”

Blue Cedar Landing is located 11 nm south of Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport (KLXT).

The post New Turf for Blue Cedar Landing appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The company was founded 1980 by the late Jim Richmond who, after noticing how the Piper Super Cub was used for backcountry operations while on a trip in Alaska, modified and refined the design for better safety and performance.

Richmond was an accomplished pilot and engineer, and was dedicated to making machines that enabled pilots to reach unimproved areas for recreation. He died in November 2021 at the age of 67.

• READ MORE: CubCrafters Founder Jim Richmond Dies

A newly formed nonprofit organization aims to honor the legacy of the founder of CubCrafters aircraft by expanding access to backcountry flying.

Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation

“The new [Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation (JRBAF)] is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to expanding public backcountry aviation access as a legacy project in honor of Jim Richmond, the late founder of CubCrafters,” said Brad Damm, vice president of CubCrafters.

The new foundation is completely separate from CubCrafters, said Damm, who serves as its volunteer executive director.

• READ MORE: Latest CubCrafters Design Looks Back and Ahead

According to Damm, the creation of the new charitable organization has been in the works for several years.

“We’ve organized a solid nonprofit corporate structure, established a great board of directors, and applied for and received tax-exempt status from the IRS,” he said.

The membership fee for the foundation is $100 a year, which, according to Damm, covers the federal tax on the grand prize aircraft in its annual fundraising raffle.

“So the winner doesn’t have to pay tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket just to accept the prize,” he said. “The grand prize aircraft itself is pretty special. It is a Carbon Cub S/N 001—an aircraft with a direct connection to Jim Richmond himself.” 

According to Damm, the foundation has been designed to complement the work that similar groups, such as the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), Alaska Airmen, and Idaho Aviation Association do to support the backcountry pilot community.

“We are constantly blown away by the advocacy they accomplish, the volunteer hours they put in, and the overall scope of what those organizations do year in and year out,” he said. “[Our new foundation’s focus is on] expanding public aviation access to the backcountry by opening more high-quality destination locations for people to fly to, experience, and enjoy.”

Part of that is the foundation’s purchase of the historic 45 Ranch in Idaho and opening it to the public.

“The airstrip is on deeded land owned by the Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation,” Damm said. “The new strip has always previously been closed to the public, but we’ve now changed that now and the public is welcome. Anyone is welcome to land and explore or enjoy the property. If you want to use the camp or rent one of the cabins, membership is required.”

Information about JRBAF membership may be found here.

The post New Organization Aims to Expand Backcountry Aviation Access appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Richter joined forces with longtime friend and business partner Jordan to create their Planecave venture. The two met more than 25 years ago when they were both working behind the camera in Hollywood. Since then, they each had their own successful entrepreneurial careers.

Jordan’s foray into a novel business venture ultimately led to inspiration for the airplane hangar development firm.

“Steve had gone off to Hawaii to start a shark diving business,” Richter said. “It was sort of a fledgling tourist operation that he resurrected and was very successful with. He sold it two years ago and was traveling the country. When he went to Alaska, he fell in love with backcountry flying and immediately bought a plane.”

Jordan began initial flight training at the north central Oregon airport. Only a week after receiving his private pilot’s license, he joined Richter on a trip around the country. 

“That was really the beginning of Planecave, because we started talking about how difficult it is to find hangars up where he is [on the Oregon-Washington border] and down here as well [in Los Angeles],” Richter said. “Steve said, ‘If you want to look at this and develop this, let’s talk about it because we have a long waitlist at every airport around here. And no one is building hangars.’” 

• READ MORE: Oregon Airpark Development Aims to Create Access to ‘Outdoor Playground of the West’

The duo decided to tackle the apparent nationwide hangar shortage, starting with KDLS first.

“Steve knew the airport manager and had learned about the waitlist, and that the airport has space to build hangars—but didn’t have the funds to do so,” Richter said. “[It was] the same problem we discovered at many airports all across the nation and it became clear to us why that problem exists.”

The pair’s plan to tackle the hangar shortage at the airport is different from how others have solved the problem elsewhere, according to Richter. They believe that aviation infrastructure is prime for outside investment. 

“What we’ve come up with is an innovative, newer approach, where we don’t just look at one property necessarily,” he said. “But we look and say, ‘How do we create a product that we can sell to someone who wants to have a return and wants to have very little to do with the investment?’ It’s what we call in the real estate world a triple net investor, and I have some of these types of investments for that very reason. You don’t have to deal with the property very much and essentially just buy the value of the lease.”

The two rows of hangars have been approved by the airport and the ground lease is awaiting final sanctioning by city and county authorities. Construction is expected to begin in late August, with a targeted completion date in October. 

“There is potentially a 40-year ground lease for this development—20 years plus two 10-year options,” Richter said. “There is very high demand, very low supply, and very low [expected] vacancy based on that. And it’s a business that’s very difficult to disrupt. No one is going to come up with some new digital technology that’s going to disrupt how you park your airplane. All of those things pointed in the right direction, and it seemed like this idea could have legs on that basis.”

Roughly 35 pilots were on the waitlist at the airport, with 18 new hangars planned to be created. Each nested T-hangar will be 42 feet wide with a 12-foot-tall door (four of the hangars will be slightly larger). 

Richter said that reception from aviators in the area has been positive, despite the limited marketing from the Planecave team to date. Interest has also come from outside the aviation community, including traditional investors looking to learn more about this niche of real estate. 

• READ MORE: Florida Rental Offers Escape With Oceanfront, Airstrip Views

“Right now, we’re intending to, unless we find a single investor who wants to finance the entire project, syndicate the project to several parties,” he said. “There are networks that exist [to attract real estate investors], but this is a unique and new product that people are not familiar with. So, it takes a little bit more education on our part, and we really have to educate investors on why we think this is a good investment. I’ve talked to a whole bunch of them and most seem to immediately get it.

“I tend to say, lLook, it’s like self-storage on steroids. People don’t give up their self-storage facility once they have it, and people definitely don’t give up their hangar once they have it. That makes a really good pitch to investors, and they see the opportunity, the high demand and low supply. They see the value in the 40 years of steadily increasing revenue with low vacancy.”  

The Planecave team’s goal is to initially satisfy the demand for hangar space at Columbia Gorge Regional, with its sights set on pursuing additional projects in the future.

“Everyone else seems to be concentrating on one airport, right?” Richter said. “It may be the guy who needs a hangar but can’t get one and decides to start a project. We think there is a real opportunity to repeat this over and over again. To serve the market at other airports and keep going. The feedback we are getting seems to support that.

“Hangar projects are an attractive investment property for investors that want to come in and buy a finished product that is stabilized with tenants, and that has a good outlook into the future in terms of the lease lengths, rents, and vacancies.”

The post Hangar Shortage Spurs 2 GA Pilots to Launch Development Project appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Pilots also have favorite and least favorite airports, but for different reasons. In addition to wondering who has the best scenery and food, crewmembers are interested in which airports are busiest, where the arrivals are easiest, and which air traffic controllers generally do the best work. Also included are the scenery of approaches, airport complexity, and workload throughout each turn.

Different pilots have slightly different metrics to determine which airports they like most. However, there is generally a consistent theme as to which airports pilots like to fly into the best.

Favorites

One notable airport is ​​Innsbruck Airport (LOWI) in Austria, with an approach that takes crews over the Austrian Alps. Though that poses a unique challenge, the airport is also relatively close to the city center, allowing crews easier access to hotels and activities on their layovers. The airport’s smaller size also means that it’s easier to navigate than larger global hubs.

London City Airport (EGLC) has a reputation among passengers and crews alike. The relatively short runway poses a welcome challenge for crews that get to feel their aircraft’s performance in real-world conditions. Besides the one-of-a-kind approach through downtown London and along the River Thames, the airport’s small scale equally means that getting through security and out to the city are particularly easy.

In the United States, San Francisco International Airport (KSFO) has a particularly famous approach over the San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate Bridge. The airport also regularly sees parallel approaches over the water, making for picturesque arrivals.

Too Early to Tell

There are a couple brand-new airports around the world where the jury is still out.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport (EDDB) opened in 2020 with the goal of replacing the city’s aging airports with a single, brand-new facility. Though delayed for years thanks to a number of certification problems, the airport does boast new, state-of-the-art facilities designed to make traveling easier for passengers and crews alike.

Beijing Daxing International Airport (ZBAD) is equally brand new, having opened in September 2019. The airport serves as a reliever for Beijing Capital International Airport (ZBAA), which reached its max capacity in the mid 2010s.

Designed to be Beijing’s primary airport, Daxing has been challenged to accommodate a significant number of passengers and flights, though Beijing is generally known as a favored destination for pilots, so the airport still has a chance of becoming a favorite for crews.

Least Favorites

Not every airport has the same great impression among pilots. In fact, some pilots may be quick to voice their concern over their experiences at a variety of these airports.

New York’s LaGuardia Airport (KLGA) is known to be cramped, outdated, and congested, as it is placed right in the middle of the Queens borough of New York City. The airport is undergoing a terminal modernization, which may change some minds, but whether the challenging operations will be alleviated anytime soon remains to be seen.

Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport (KDCA) is equally known for being cramped and overcrowded. The airport’s short runways and outdated terminals make it difficult for aircraft to navigate, and landing requires precise maneuvering along the Potomac River.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport (KORD) is notorious for its long taxi times. The airport has more runways than any other airport in the world, divided into two airfields that can take nearly 30 minutes to navigate. For some regional flights within the midwest, these taxi times can nearly double the length of the flight.

On the bright side, O’Hare’s ATCs do have a good reputation for managing the flow of traffic and staying aware of where each aircraft is.

San Diego International Airport (KSAN) also has a reputation for its challenging operations. The airport is among the busiest single-runway airports in the world, and aircraft are often tightly spaced while attempting to land.

Pilots also report limited navigational facilities, meaning they must be especially proactive about managing the aircraft’s position in dense airspace in what is already a busy phase of flight. There have been a couple notable incidents at the airport over the years as pilots try to approach, touch down, and clear the runway efficiently.

Internationally, the Paro International Airport (VQPR) in Bhutan is known to be especially challenging—so much so that only a handful of pilots in the world are approved to land there. 

The airport is nestled in a valley, and the approach requires pilots navigate through hills at low level without even being able to see the runway. Landings are only approved during the day in good weather, but the approach does provide some incredible views.

Remember, this is not an end-all-be-all assembly of pilots’ favorite and least favorite airports, but it provides a good idea of what the notable features are of each airport: what makes it stand out, what pilots notice, and how crews handle each differently.

Every airport requires its own planning and demands special attention to one thing or another. That means pilots must always be ready for whatever each flight throws their way.

The post Pilots’ Favorite and Least Favorite Airports appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“The fire came right up to the runway,” said Wendy Oakes, public information officer for Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit.

According to Oakes, the blaze that is known as the Pay Fire began Saturday in vegetation on Pay Dirt Road near the airport. 

The airport covers 243 acres at an elevation of 2,585 feet. The runway, aligned 5/23, sits atop a mesa with a steep drop-off. According to AirNav.com, the GA airport has approximately 80 aircraft on site. 

Per local reports, the fast-moving blaze traveled uphill toward the airport, prompting aircraft owners—some of them volunteer firefighters—to scramble to the scene to rescue their aircraft and assist in defending the airport. 

The airport is also the location for the Hangtown VOR (HNW). According to a notice to air mission (NOTAM), the VOR is out of service until July 19.

Access to the aircraft in the hangars was a challenge as the power to the airport had been shut off—a common practice when fire threatens a community. The shut-off, however, made it difficult to open hangar doors.

Evacuation orders were issued for the surrounding community and people fled their homes. 

Photographs and video, including those released by Cal Fire, show flames in trees higher than the tops of hangars and aircraft parked on the ramp shrouded in smoke while fire crews scrambled to keep the blaze from reaching the structures or aircraft. CBS affiliate KOVR-TV in Sacramento initially reported that there was hangar damage.

The airport will remain closed until July 13, a FAA NOTAM said.

By Tuesday afternoon, local evacuation orders had been lifted, and people were allowed to return to their homes, according to Oakes. She added that the fire was held to 77 acres and was 65 percent contained.

Cal Fire crews remained on scene to take care of any hotspots that pop up, Oakes said.

The post Fire Threatens Rural California GA Airport appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Linda Goering, from Bend, Oregon, feels that Goering Ranches Airport (50OR) is the perfect location for an airpark that will attract aviators from near and far.

“We started building the runway…in 1984 on what was a 200-acre property,” Goering said. “As we saved money, we bought more and more pieces, so that we ended up with a square mile surrounded by thousands of acres of BLM [Bureau of Land Management] land, yet just minutes from downtown Bend. So, it’s totally private around us, and we can’t really be encroached upon, which is important for a private airport. There are 360-degree panoramic views, including the seven-peak mountain view of the Cascades.”

Bend, a town of roughly 100,000 and home to Epic Aircraft, is touted as both a great place to visit and live. Recreational highlights range from local shops, restaurants, and golf courses to hiking trails, museums, and resorts.

“Bend has become one of the most desirable resort towns to live in this country, located along the Deschutes River in Oregon,” Goering said. “It is known for the great weather, natural beauty and year-round outdoor activities, often being called the outdoor playground of the west.Mount Bachelor Ski Resort is just minutes from town, and the crystal-clear water of the Deschutes River offers kayaking and floating the river even right through downtown. The numerous high lakes of the Cascades offer endless mountain camping and hiking opportunities.

“It is a beautiful mountain getaway with a cosmopolitan downtown appeal. The historic Old Mill District offers an outdoor amphitheater with summer concerts, more than a dozen riverside restaurants, premier shopping, a 16-screen movie theater, and many signature golf courses. Bend is known for its local 22 breweries in the area. The downtown area is filled with art galleries, boutique shopping, spas, and all types of restaurants, many with outdoor seating.”

Goering explained that the 40 year-old airport is protected into the future, so she, her husband, and others will be able to enjoy it for many years to come.

“In Oregon, we have the Airport Protection Act, which [means], if you can prove you’ve had an airport in existence for a certain amount of time, you’re pretty much protected [from it being closed],” she said. “It’s a nice little safety net. Our runway runs from north to south and is hard-packed gravel and is a little bit longer than a mile [at 5,500 feet]. My husband has flown 690 Commanders and all kinds of other planes into here.

“When we started, we got our county approval, then state approval, and finally FAA approval. Our dream has been to see if we could do an airpark. It has been a lot of work doing that, because Oregon has a lot of land use laws and state goals you have to meet for anything you do.”

In 2006, the couple began working to get approval for a fly-in community. A considerable amount of work has been done since to overcome the zoning hurdle and ensure the feasibility of an airpark.

“This ultimate destination airport development took many years to get this exclusive zoning in place,” Goering said. “It was created to provide one of the longest and most private airport facilities on the West Coast of the United States. We hired land use consultants, attorneys, and others and created this really cool zone called a ‘rural aviation community,’ a ‘RAC zone.’ The purpose of the RAC zone is to provide for private aviation and aviation housing uses within the community.”

Now that the correct zoning is in place, with the provision for clustering (cutting down on infrastructure costs), the Goerings are still planning to have their property become a fly-in community. But they have taken a step back and determined that an experienced airpark developer can better execute their vision. 

“For years, my husband has bought and sold airplanes and got into the ag aviation business,” she said. “We rebuilt turbine Thrush aircraft here, put Garretts on them. We put out about two and a half planes a year. So right now, that’s really the only things on the property, our house and hangar. There are various ways to develop this property within the approved RAC zone, depending on the intended use of residential and or aviation industry use or both. All sites would have runway access, common areas, and open spaces throughout—including walking and biking trails, a community gardening area, and outdoor gathering space for all to enjoy.

“The goal of the development…is to recognize and appreciate the existing beautiful character of the land while providing and supporting aviation activities and related uses. With a PUD (planned unit development) being put in place, zoning will allow homesites to be clustered, yet some sites could be platted as large as 80-plus acres if desired. We’ve had a lot of interest in people wanting to buy lots. But we have to have the developer in place before selling lots. This is the ultimate destination where dreams take flight it is finally ready to market.”

The Goerings plan to continue living at the private airport and keep their home and business hangar, meaning they expect there will be up to 30 homesites available for development.  

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Las Vegas Executive Airport will be located some 30 miles west of Harry Reid International Airport (KLAS) and will accommodate single-engine, multiengine, and rotorcraft operations. Clark County commissioners unanimously approved runway construction for the project, which is set to begin in the coming months.

Officials involved with the development told local TV news outlet KVVU that the new site will capitalize on events like Formula 1 racing and others that exceed the capacity for transient aircraft and private jets.

The project will also house the Las Vegas Spaceport—a first-of-its-kind site to attract space tourism. Initial plans include a fleet of space planes, a space pilot school, hangars, a post-high school STEM academy, hotel and restaurant, and a passenger terminal.

Spaceport officials say they have already secured $10 million in funding but still need an additional $20 million to meet first-round goals. Overall, the project is expected to cost at least $310 million.

“This is a major step toward creating a space economy that will lead to thousands of high-paying jobs in our community, our county, and our state,” said Robert Lauer, CEO of the Las Vegas Spaceport.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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