57 Airports in 365 Days

SkyHog

SkyHog

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Everything Offends Me
The time has come. Starting November 1st, I will begin my trek of visiting each of the 57 Public Airports in the great state of New Mexico. Each airport has a purpose, and I'm going to find it.

With my new mission, will come 57 reports on the area surrounding each airport, and what there is to do there - a New Mexico Flying Guide if you will. Even if no one else reads it, it should be fun for me to combine my love of flying with a journalistic twist.

I haven't yet decided on whether to make day one a long flight or a short one...whatever it is, first report will come shortly after November 1st. I'm starting with a clean slate, acting like I've never been to the airports before to get a fresh, real look at the airport and the city it belongs to.

The airports are as follows:
KALM - White Sands Regional
KABQ - Albuquerque International Sunport
KAEG - Double Eagle II
KAXX - Angel Fire
KATS - Artesia Municipal
N19 - Aztec Municipal
E80 - Alexander Municipal
KCNM - Cavern City Air Terminal
F37 - Carrizozo Municipal
KCAO - Clayton Muncipal Airpark
KCVN - Clovis Municipal
E89 - Conchas State Park Dam
E61 - Conchas Lake (In a seaplane)
0E8 - Crownpoint
KDMN - Deming Municipal
24N - Jicarilla Apache Nation
1N1 - Sandia Airpark Estates East
E14 - San Juan Pueblo
E92 - Estancia Municipal
E04 - Eunice
KFMN - Four Corners Regional
KFSU - Fort Sumner Municipal
KGUP - Gallup Municipal
E94 - Glenwood-Catron County
KGNT - Grants-Milan Municipal
E05 - Hatch Municipal
KHOB - Lea County Regional
KJAL - Lea County (Jal)
KLRU - Las Cruces International
KLVS - Las Vegas Municipal
E32 -Lindrith Airpark
KLSB - Lordsburg Municipal
KLAM - Los Alamos
E98 - Mid Valley Airpark
E06 - Lea County - Zip Franklin Memorial
N29 - Magdalena
0E0 - Moriarty
M10 - Mountainair Municipal
1V0 - Navajo Lake
KPRZ - Portales Municipal
N24 - Questa Municipal Number 2
KRTN - Raton Municipal/Crews Field
T16 - Reserve
KROW - Roswell International Air Center
KSRR - Sierra Blanca Regional
KSAF - Santa Fe Municipal
I58 - Santa Rosa Route 66
5T6 - Dona Ana County at Santa Teresa
5V5 - Shiprock Airstrip
KSVC - Grant County
KONM - Socorro Municipal
S42 - Springer Municipal
KSKX - Taos Regional
E07 - Tatum
KTCS - Truth or Consequences Municpal
KTCC - Tucumcari Municipal
KZUN - Black Rock
 
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What order? Do you have a map of the route?
I have been to 13 of these
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
What order? Do you have a map of the route?
I have been to 13 of these
Click to expand...

No route or map planned yet. It's gonna be hub and spoke, with Double Eagle being the hub. I figure that works out to just over 1 airport a week. I might double up a few of them, but I'm going to try to make each one get their own trip so I don't miss anything. I am working on a graphic to track where I've been and where I'm going.
 
Sounds like fun. One of these years I'll have to find the time to do that up here.
 
Nick, that's a cool idea. Have a great time exploring the airports and keep us up to date.

When I owned an ultralight I came up with a plan to visit all 105 public use airports in Arkansas in a one week period. I even wrote a quasi-optimization program to help plan the route. Wonder why I never got around to doing that? It sure sounds like fun.

Enjoy!
 
NickDBrennan said:
The time has come. Starting November 1st, I will begin my trek of visiting each of the 57 Public Airports in the great state of New Mexico. Each airport has a purpose, and I'm going to find it.
Click to expand...

Cool idea, I look forward to your trip reports!
 
How cool, Nick! That's exactly what I want to do once I'm able to just go flying on my own. Explore. (Actually, I want to do what Richard Bach did in "Nothing By Chance". But I don't think that'll go over in these times. Oh well.)

Have a blast, keep a good journal, and share!

terry
 
Nick,

What a great way to get in some good flying! I'm going to land at all 236 or so public-use airports in Michigan. I've only got 2 left to go-- Detroit Metro and Fife Lake(seaplane base). Lansing Flight Service tried to hang up on me when I asked for NOTAMS on 22 airports one day.

Barb
 
Nick, you have less than 365 days. Seeing how most of these aprts have fld elev at 5,800 to 6,500 you may have a hard time indeed in the summer months. Better start yesterday.
 
Nick:

Good luck on your trek! It's a good thing you don't live in Ohio; seems like we have a public airfield every 15 miles or so.

Scott
 
Nick, sounds like a blast.

Hey, didja know that Catron County is named after one of my ancestors? One of the original senators for the state, and they owned a buttload of NM.

Now down to a cousin in SF (that's all whom I know, there are lots left, of course).

Ciao.
 
thanks for the encouragement guys. Tomorrow's day one. I'll save the destination for the first report.
 
Nick, I hope you'll take a few minutes to post some comments on the Airnav site, especially for the low-traffic places you visit. You'll find that many New Mexico airports have scant info at best, and fuel prices haven't been updated in a long, long time.

There are a couple places on the list where there is absolutely nothing there, where it's best thought of as an emergency landing strip and not much else, but I'll let you see those for yourself. And men don't always need a real bathroom.

Jon
 
One Short said:
Nick,

What a great way to get in some good flying! I'm going to land at all 236 or so public-use airports in Michigan. I've only got 2 left to go-- Detroit Metro and Fife Lake(seaplane base). Lansing Flight Service tried to hang up on me when I asked for NOTAMS on 22 airports one day.

Barb
Click to expand...

Ooo, Metro. A good one to do REALLY late on a sunday night, otherwise they don't take too kindly to GA aircraft tying up a runway.

Hey I also don't think you've landed at VLL! (I know you did it when it was till 7D2)

Missa
 
whatever happened to NM's runway reflector idea, using landing lights to reflect off these objects .... seems like it was instead of runway edge lights?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
whatever happened to NM's runway reflector idea, using landing lights to reflect off these objects .... seems like it was instead of runway edge lights?
Click to expand...

There's still some airports that have it. Conchas used to have it, but they've since repaved, and I think they might have changed it. I'll have to check it out when I get there.

I've also seen a few listings in the AFD with mentions of retro-reflective lighting (as I think its called).
 
I hate to reactivate an old thread, but its better than starting a new one, with the same topic, right?

I've decided to plan out a bit of a route, with dates and such, so that I can keep myself on track a bit easier. Of course, all dates are subject to change based on weather, my needs, and any other conflicts, but here is a rough estimate:

November 1, 2005: Truth or Consequences (KTCS)
November 8, 2005: Midvalley Airpark (E98), Sandia Airpark (1N1)
November 15, 2005: Alexander (E80)
November 22, 2005: Gallup Municipal (KGUP)
December 13, 2005: Conchas State Park (E89), Moriarty (0E0)
Devember 20, 2005: Clayton Municipal Airpark (KCAO)
December 27, 2005: Roswell International Air Center (KROW)
January 3, 2006: Las Cruces International (KLRU), Dona Ana County at Santa Teresa (5T6)
January 10, 2006: Four Corners Regional (KFMN), Navajo Lake (1V0)
January 17, 2006: Angel Fire (KAXX)
January 24, 2006: Springer Municipal (S42), Raton Municipal/Crews Field (KRTN)
January 31, 2006: Santa Rosa Route 66 (I58)
February 7, 2006: Week off - going to Fort Collins for Lobo/Ram game.
February 14, 2006: (if without g/f still) Carrizozo Municipal (F37), Sierra Blanca Regional (KSRR)
February 21, 2006: The Lea County Tour (Tatum [E07], Lea County - Zip Franklin Memorial [E06], Lea County Regional [KHOB], Eunice [E04], Lea County - Jal [E05])
February 28, 2006: Las Vegas Municipal (KLVS)......**shudders**
March 7, 2006: Grants-Milan Municipal (KGNT)

The rest is still in the planning process.
 
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Again - with the reactivation of an old thread. Bad Nick!

Here's the deal. Some things needed to change on the list, for a number of reasons. As I reported a while back, the list had changed to 56 total airports because E97, Ute Dam closed down. It turns out, however, that I missed a few airports when calculating the number in New Mexico.

Lindrith Airpark (E32) has been added to the list, as well as Whiskey Creek Airport (94E).
Conchas Seaplane Base (E61) has been removed from the list, because I have no access to a seaplane, and won't likely either. I've also been told that the water level is very low, so it may not be safe anyways.

Jewett Mesa (13Q) will remain off the list temporarily, until I can check it out to make sure its in decent condition. Last I heard, it was pretty nasty.

Alamo Navajo (3N9) is being rumored to be reopened, but until I hear official word, it stays off the list.

Price Ranch (0E1) is listed as Private, but open to the Public. I have not decided if that counts. My gut is to say that it does....for now, it stays off the list.

This means...it looks like I'm back up to 57 airports now, possibly 58, 59 or 60.
 
Nick, if I am ever out that way for a bit (w/o wife, or w/ wife and extra time), I am gonna make you take me with on an airport run.

I really enjoyed your Los Alamos write-up; drove right by it when we were in NM last month, you answered some questions I had about it.

Good fun to read your reports!
 
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