SkyHog
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
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- 18,431
- Location
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Everything Offends Me
Grants-Milan Municipal Airport (KGNT)
Who would have figured that a city like Grants, NM would have as much fun stuff to do as there is? I spent most of my life in New Mexico, and I haven't really even had the desire to go to Grants before this most recent trip, because I figured it was just one of those cities that exists because a bunch of cows graze there.
Boy was I wrong.
The airport in Grants is located just west of Mount Taylor, a giant volcano that can be seen from hundreds of miles away, literally. From my front porch at home in Albuquerque, I can see Mount Taylor clear as day, and it is pretty close to 50 miles away. When you hear "visibility greater than 6 miles (or 10 miles)" that's for real out here. It can be a bit tricky coming from near the volcano to left traffic for runway 13, because as soon as you get past the volcano, you are over part of the "El Malpais National Monument" which is a lot more than just buildups of lava. It also includes cinder cones and pressure ridges. The ridges get quite high near the airport. More on El Malpais in a moment.
The airport is really in excellent condition. The runways and markings are old, but really well maintained, without a lot of cracking (or any, really). The taxiways are nice and smooth as well. There is an ASOS on field, but no frequency to hear it on. Initial call up to the airport nets information from a very nice gentleman in the FBO.
When you taxi to the ramp at Grants-Milan Municipal, you will be greeted by a really neat dog, a Golden Retreiver if I am not mistaken. A walk into the terminal found Tom, one of the nicest people I've ever met at an airport, and 2 more dogs. All of the dogs were incredibly well behaved and very personable. Tom and I chewed some fat about what was nearby and such, and he informed me that there is a courtesy car available to pilots. Fuel price was $3.60 a gallon for 100LL gasoline.
El Malpais is absolutely stunning. You can see lava deposits all over the place, and while that may sound boring, it most certainly is not. It is gorgeous. It stretches for 114,277 acres, and apparantly, there are always studies going on because of the effect the lava has had on the ecosystem in the area. I wish I could give more detail, because it is interesting, but I cannot, simply because I don't know much more about it.
The Acoma Pueblo, also known as "Sky City," is also near to Grants. It is called Sky City because it was built on a BIG FREAKING ROCK! It was build up that high as a natural defense againt enemies to the native indian people in the area, referred to as Acomans. There is a very small entry fee to get in, which if I recall correctly, was about $10. The Sky City Casino is a very neat casino that offers mostly Las Vegas rules on most table games. I do not have pictures of the pueblo, but not because of camera issues this time. CAMERAS ARE NOT ALLOWED in Acoma Pueblo. This is because of the belief that the camera steals the soul of the person whose picture was taken. They take this very seriously.
Also fairly nearby to Grants is "El Morro," also called "Inscription Rock." This is a really neat sight to see, but it is a hefty drive from the airport. The claim is that there are over 2000 inscriptions on the rock from people who were passing by and resting in the shade here over the past 600 years. There is probably a more convienient airport to this area, but I have yet to find it.
Videos:
1) Approach and Landing, Runway 13
Pictures:
1) Mount Taylor, a giant volcano
2) Me, at 11,500ft (for those of you who've never flown that high)
3) The prison just off of Grants
4) The beginning of El Malpais
GRANTS-MILAN MUNICIPAL QUICK FACTS:
Airport Elevation: 6537 Ft
Runways 13/31: 7172'x75ft, Asphalt in good Condition
ASOS: Available by phone and attendant (505-287-7909)
UNICOM: 122.8
Nick's NOTAMS: Big Hill close to TPA east of field.
Who would have figured that a city like Grants, NM would have as much fun stuff to do as there is? I spent most of my life in New Mexico, and I haven't really even had the desire to go to Grants before this most recent trip, because I figured it was just one of those cities that exists because a bunch of cows graze there.
Boy was I wrong.
The airport in Grants is located just west of Mount Taylor, a giant volcano that can be seen from hundreds of miles away, literally. From my front porch at home in Albuquerque, I can see Mount Taylor clear as day, and it is pretty close to 50 miles away. When you hear "visibility greater than 6 miles (or 10 miles)" that's for real out here. It can be a bit tricky coming from near the volcano to left traffic for runway 13, because as soon as you get past the volcano, you are over part of the "El Malpais National Monument" which is a lot more than just buildups of lava. It also includes cinder cones and pressure ridges. The ridges get quite high near the airport. More on El Malpais in a moment.
The airport is really in excellent condition. The runways and markings are old, but really well maintained, without a lot of cracking (or any, really). The taxiways are nice and smooth as well. There is an ASOS on field, but no frequency to hear it on. Initial call up to the airport nets information from a very nice gentleman in the FBO.
When you taxi to the ramp at Grants-Milan Municipal, you will be greeted by a really neat dog, a Golden Retreiver if I am not mistaken. A walk into the terminal found Tom, one of the nicest people I've ever met at an airport, and 2 more dogs. All of the dogs were incredibly well behaved and very personable. Tom and I chewed some fat about what was nearby and such, and he informed me that there is a courtesy car available to pilots. Fuel price was $3.60 a gallon for 100LL gasoline.
El Malpais is absolutely stunning. You can see lava deposits all over the place, and while that may sound boring, it most certainly is not. It is gorgeous. It stretches for 114,277 acres, and apparantly, there are always studies going on because of the effect the lava has had on the ecosystem in the area. I wish I could give more detail, because it is interesting, but I cannot, simply because I don't know much more about it.
The Acoma Pueblo, also known as "Sky City," is also near to Grants. It is called Sky City because it was built on a BIG FREAKING ROCK! It was build up that high as a natural defense againt enemies to the native indian people in the area, referred to as Acomans. There is a very small entry fee to get in, which if I recall correctly, was about $10. The Sky City Casino is a very neat casino that offers mostly Las Vegas rules on most table games. I do not have pictures of the pueblo, but not because of camera issues this time. CAMERAS ARE NOT ALLOWED in Acoma Pueblo. This is because of the belief that the camera steals the soul of the person whose picture was taken. They take this very seriously.
Also fairly nearby to Grants is "El Morro," also called "Inscription Rock." This is a really neat sight to see, but it is a hefty drive from the airport. The claim is that there are over 2000 inscriptions on the rock from people who were passing by and resting in the shade here over the past 600 years. There is probably a more convienient airport to this area, but I have yet to find it.
Videos:
1) Approach and Landing, Runway 13
Pictures:
1) Mount Taylor, a giant volcano
2) Me, at 11,500ft (for those of you who've never flown that high)
3) The prison just off of Grants
4) The beginning of El Malpais
GRANTS-MILAN MUNICIPAL QUICK FACTS:
Airport Elevation: 6537 Ft
Runways 13/31: 7172'x75ft, Asphalt in good Condition
ASOS: Available by phone and attendant (505-287-7909)
UNICOM: 122.8
Nick's NOTAMS: Big Hill close to TPA east of field.
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