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Tangier Island, VA

Auburntsts

Well Known Member
So we took a $100 hamburger (crabcake) flight to Tangier Island, VA located in the Chesapeake Bay. http://www.tangierisland-va.com/

I chose to fly IFR from my home base of Manassas (KHEF) to simplify navigating the convoluted airspace in the area -- the island is almost surrounded by Restricted Airspace used by Patuxent NAS. However, lots of folks do it VFR. However, if VFR it's best to be talking to Patuxent Approach. By going IFR I essentially went direct making for a short 35 min flight from KHEF.

The Island is pretty neat, but very small. You can rent bikes or a golf cart, but everything is within walking distance. There are 4 restaurants to include 2 places that sell snacks and ice cream. We went on a Sunday and a few of them are closed. We had lunch at Lorraine's and it was pretty good seafood, and they take credit cards (no ATM on the island BTW). There's lots of history and a cool little museum. We also took a 20 min guided tour by golf cart ($5/person) around the island.

There's basically no cell reception but the restaurant let me use their phone to call in my return IFR flight plan. In hindsight I could have just planned ahead and preloaded my return IFR or SFRA flight plan before we left. Also there's a $10 (cash only) landing fee. One issue about departing IFR is there's no land line at the airfield so if you can't get Patuxent App (they had given me their number on the way in) on your cell, you have to pick it up in the air. I was actually able to get through and write my clearance written down but it took 3 try's to do. On the third drop I hadn't completed the read back yet so we opted to launch VFR and finish the pickup in the air.

All in all a neat little trip for those in the mid-Atlantic region looking for something different.

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Nice trip Todd. Little magic place is this Tangier. I've been there a dozen times and still find something different walking the island.
 
put this island on your bucket list. the crab cakes are to die for. saw an army helo land as the crew went for a BIG order of crab cakes. the second helo stayed in the air to wait for the food to arrive. great maneuver. :rolleyes:
 
Nice

This is a great place to visit, it is very special. The landing fee seems high but if you think about what it takes to build or maintain a runway on an island, it is cheap. The awesome seafood makes it worthwhile for sure. Touring the island either by foot or golfcart seems like going back in time.
Great Trip write up......nice pictures as well.
 
So how would you do this VFR? Radio PAX Approach (?) outside the RA and tell them what you wanna do? Same for outbound or....?
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Oh ok, never mind. I see the notes on R-4006 and its 3500MSL-up airspace. No biggie.
 
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We may have passed over the Chesapeake somewhere.

After spending most of the week at my sister's place west of Philly, we dropped into Kent Island for blue crabs on the way back to Alabama Probably should have gone to Tangier, but I heard there was a crab shack at the east end of Bay Bridge Airport. Besides, crabs at Kent Island was something we did a lot 40 years ago, as kids, dating, and living in DC.

Here's Ms Patti, in full enjoyment mode. No neat way to eat crabs!

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Todd, that place is a hidden jewel! BTW, my Verizon phone works fine there. What service do you have?

I try to make it at least once per year fo the soft shell crabs.

Sounds like you really enjoyed yourself also. Maybe we should plan an RV fly in there some time?

Russki, you should organize it!

;) CJ
 
Todd, that place is a hidden jewel! BTW, my Verizon phone works fine there. What service do you have?

I try to make it at least once per year fo the soft shell crabs.

Sounds like you really enjoyed yourself also. Maybe we should plan an RV fly in there some time?

Russki, you should organize it!

;) CJ

I have Verizon too. My service was intermittent, so maybe it was just that day or something, but my wife wasn't getting any better reception on her phone either. When I was calling for my clearance I go t dropped 3 times. On the 3rd drop I was trying to do the readback and I decided to launch VFR (it was severe clear if you can tell by the pics) and finish it in the air. I could have just gone VFR too, just easier IMO to do it IFR. No biggee, but had it been IMC we'd have been spending the might most likely.
 
I was just there on July 14. Great place. Veizon and ATT cell phones, neither worked. The locals said they tore the cell tower down last year. No one seemed sure why.

VFR approach from the east is easy, just stay under 3500 ft and don?t go west of the island. Potomac approach covers the area.
 
Are there any motels, BNB's, etc. on the island? Looks like we have a new destination on our list.
 
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