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Pleasant Experiences

DanH

Legacy Member
Mentor
Seems like I've been all over the east coast recently for business and pleasure. I had no idea exactly what to expect in the case of two recent destinations, and both turned out to be quite pleasant. Consider this to be a recommendation.

The outlying GA airports have not been convenient in getting to a particular truck auction I attend in Orlando, so I decided to give Orlando International (MCO) a try. It's just 5 miles from the sale.

As usual, Orlando Approach was very busy with normal traffic and students demanding practice approaches, but after a handoff, the controllers dedicated to MCO didn't seem pushed at all. They vectored to tuck me in behind a kerosene burner with good spacing, and from there it was a long straight-in over ORL. MCO's 18R is 12,000 feet long, so it's not like you can't get slowed down after holding 120 knots to the threshold.

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Doesn't hurt to land long anyway, because you want to go to Signature Flight Services. Everyone seemed very pleased to host an RV, unlike past megabuck FBO visits elsewhere when "RV" apparently meant "ramp vermin". "Here, please have some water. Two hours? No, you don't need a rental car...take this new Altima." I bought 100LL of course. Not cheap, but no ramp fees, and I was where I wanted to be in 15 minutes.

Ground offered an intersection departure without prompting. Just miss the permanent TFR over the Mouse Kingdom when they turn you to the west. It was a mid-morning arrival and a mid-afternoon departure. Maybe things are different during the push periods, but this trip was great.

This weekend I took Patti to a niece's wedding in Annapolis. Lee Airport is just inside the DC Special Flight Rules Area on the south side of town. It's the total opposite of MCO; a 2500 foot holdout airport buried in suburbia. Land short on 30 and you'll bounce off the roof of a bank.

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The whole SFRA thing was pretty painless. Yes, you must take the online course, and the required flight plans require some strange entries (look up the how-to online). Actually flying the outer ring of the SFRA is no big deal. Inbound you file, then call the gate frequency when you arrive outside. For a departure, call Potomac with a cell phone from the cockpit before you fire up. They look up the flight plan, give you your Secret Squawk, and you punch it in before takeoff. Radio Potomac on the gate frequency as soon as you clear the pattern. Relatives wanted rides, so a couple times I just told the controller my intentions ("Cross the Bay, north to Bay Bridge, south toward Pax River, then return to Lee via Kentmorr."). Since I was staying in front of the PALEO gate, he was fine with me remaining on my assigned code and re-entering the SFRA with no more than a heads-up call. Just remember the magic words are "Code observed", and that even though you are talking to a controller, he or she is not granting permission to enter the B airspace...just the SFRA.

Everybody at Lee was great. It's now my official DC destination stop. We need to support airports like Lee every chance we get.

So, there you have it. Neither would be a big deal for the professionals, but if you're a Country Mouse like me, maybe you'll find this to be a bit of inspiration and go someplace new.
 
Your post reminds me of a quote I found this morning.

"Pleasant and worthwhile experiences today will bring happy memories tomorrow."

Thanks, Dan, for sharing your pleasant experience.
 
Yep, thanks for the good experience report.
I must say I chuckled at the hand drawn track line. We have the technology to "fix" that for ya'. :).
 
Signature Flight Services in MCO has always treated me like I flew in with a Global Express.

Wish we had crossed paths! My RV8 spends a lot of time out on their ramp.

The ramp guys love RV8s and the United Mechanics in the nearby hangar always chat with me. Very cool place for being within the "Bravo".
 
Don,
You've got to stop eating fortune cookies for breakfast.... :D

Yes, Michael, I admit in retrospect, it does sound like what I'd find in a fortune cookie. In actuality, I found it in an obituary and tribute to a prominent preacher I had known over 40 years ago. This was said to have been one of his favorite quotations. So maybe he got it from a fortune cookie way back in the '60s. Interestingly enough, during WWII he had been an airplane inspector for Martin Aircraft Company in Baltimore.
 
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I visited Lee Airport in Annapolis last fall - it was a great trip and the airport manager was a peach of a guy. The SFRA thing was no big deal either.
 
I bought a Cherokee 180 ten years ago that was based at Lee airport. Neat place, wish we had something like that close to where I live.
 
DC SFRA - Come and visit!

Dan,

Glad to read about your positive experiences in Orlando and DC, and particularly happy to see that you had no issues coming to the DC area. It always seems like folks are generally concerned about flying close to and/or inside the SFRA. As you said, it is no big deal. If you can fly (and certainly if you can build an airplane!), you can certainly learn the procedures and fly in here. The controllers are good and accommodating.

So, come visit again! And yes, Lee airport is a nice one. Another nice little airport nearby that you can try is Freeway, just west of Lee and right next to the FRZ!

Fernando
 
I flew in and out of the SFRA this past weekend. It was my first experience (part 91). Pretty much a non-issue. I stayed at Manassas and like you, found the reception very welcoming. A trip to DC should definitely be on everyone's trip list.

Best of all, my wife was with me and what would have been a straight shot from Florida to Wisconsin in a 6 hour hum of repeated scenery, turned into an awesome weekend of life-long memories!.

Love my RV!
 
Memories

Another nice little airport nearby that you can try is Freeway, just west of Lee and right next to the FRZ!

Fernando

I moved to Bowie Maryland in 1965, age 13. I used to grab my trusty BB gun and my dog, walk 3 miles along Rt 50 west and meander around the airplanes at Freeway. That is where I had my first airplane ride. I helped a school classmate wash and wax a 172 and got a ride.

Different day, different age. Same pleasant memory.

Don
 
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