Shuttle Landing Facility

Fly in Florida

Fly in Florida

Filing Flight Plan
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Feb 20, 2018
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Fly in Florida
Hi guys!

Fitting with the "cool places to fly" theme, I've always enjoyed flying down to The Shuttle Landing Facility. I filmed it the last time we went. Enjoy!

 
Very neat video! I need to add that to my bucket list. Maybe this spring after Sun-N-Fun I can return home up the coast and work that in.
 
I got clearance to land there back in 2004, shortly after they stopped the "Cape Tour" low approaches.
 
I over flew it around '81 or '82 doing a CFI renewal with a local DPE. He asked if I wanted to fly over and I asked "we can do that"? I don't remember which shuttle was there atop the 747 on the ramp, but it was right after the second shuttle launch, which I watched from Patrick AFB, maybe 15 miles away. Brilliant Nov (I think) blue sky and the shuttle climbing up was amazing. We used to use the old launch sites from the early days as training sites, and would set up our mobile radar (MPN14) and mobile tower on Cape Canaveral's runway. Just has to watch out for rattle snakes!
 
SkyDog58 said:
What is there to see or do?
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They used to have a tour that included all the areas the astronauts trained in. A little museum I think if I remember correctly. Other than that I know of nothing else. An airport just west/northwest of there has that annual Warbird Fly-In right before Sun-n-Fun. Tico maybe?

Just a little south is Coca and Coca Beach, plenty of nightlife, beach, shopping, etc.
 
mscard88 said:
They used to have a tour that included all the areas the astronauts trained in. A little museum I think if I remember correctly. Other than that I know of nothing else. An airport just west/northwest of there has that annual Warbird Fly-In right before Sun-n-Fun. Tico maybe?

Just a little south is Coca and Coca Beach, plenty of nightlife, beach, shopping, etc.
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Cocoa Beach. Damn. I haven't been there since 1981. Remember it being fun.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Cocoa Beach. Damn. I haven't been there since 1981. Remember it being fun.
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Hell 'Dog, I was there in '81 too, attached to a unit at Patrick AFB 81-85. Probably saw ya in one of those, hmmm, strip joints. :D
 
mscard88 said:
Hell 'Dog, I was there in '81 too, attached to a unit at Patrick AFB 81-85. Probably saw ya in one of those, hmmm, strip joints. :D
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I lived in Vero Beach from August 1980 to December 1981 and went up to Cocoa a few times. That was still in my wild and wooly youth so it is within the realm of possibility that we could have crossed paths in certain establishments.
 
mscard88 said:
They used to have a tour that included all the areas the astronauts trained in. A little museum I think if I remember correctly. Other than that I know of nothing else. An airport just west/northwest of there has that annual Warbird Fly-In right before Sun-n-Fun. Tico maybe?

Just a little south is Coca and Coca Beach, plenty of nightlife, beach, shopping, etc.
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The KSC visitors center has become almost a theme park. Pretty cool windshield bus tours of the launch pads. It's actually pretty slick.
 
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