Advice into KONZ (Grosse Ile - by DTW)

MyassisDragon

MyassisDragon

Line Up and Wait
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Mr Fred
Looks like I need to drop someone off at KONZ this Saturday and I have never been there. Does any one have experience flying into this airport they would like to share?

I will be flying in from the West side of Michigan and its a coin toss at this point if it will be VFR or IFR but it looks like winds are foretasted from the south so so RWY22 may be favored :dunno:but who knows.



It will be a Single engine piston plane (IE low and slow):redface:
 
There's a usually frequent poster here who is based at ONZ, but he hasn't posted anything in a while. I've landed there a few times. It seems that there is usually not a lot of traffic, but winds can be squirrely. My only advice would be that if you're not IFR and don't have an active VFR plan, be very careful not to fly too wide a downwind on 22. A few years back there were (anecdotal) reports of the CBP busting pilots who strayed over the border.

Also, if the wind forecast proves wrong, 4 and 35 are right traffic.
 
http://www.grosseile.com/government/Index/pilot_information/index.php

Fuel is self serve - the FBO went out of business last year. The Michigan code works on the door. Bring your own tie down ropes. You can tie down right in front of what was the FBO or along the edge of the ramp. The tie down rings are flush with the surface of the concrete so it may require a screwdriver or something to clear ice away. Dunno who you would contact to get in a hangar - you could call the airport manager ahead of time.

4 and 35 are right traffic - they want you to make the pattern over the water. Canadian border is tight and does not run over any obvious things on the ground. People do stupid things to avoid crossing the border while pretending to do a 45 degree entry into a downwind. I just enter a crosswind or straight in.

The place is pretty quiet.

You may or may not get clearance through the class B - ask for "the cage" from the west. I've never flown it, but the controllers have told me that they will route you right over DTW at a couple thousand feet or so. I just duck around the south staying south of Carlton VOR and under the class B shelves.

You can't possibly be as low and slow as my ride.
 
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Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
4 and 17 are right traffic - they want you to make the pattern over the water. Canadian border is tight and does not run over any obvious things on the ground. People do stupid things to avoid crossing the border while pretending to do a 45 degree entry into a downwind. I just enter a crosswind or straight in.
Click to expand...
???:confused:

17, not 35? If so, then something has changed...
 
I found some other information elsewhere that talks about being over the salem VOR at 3500 and requesting the Cage to Grosse Ile.

So if the weather is good I wonder if VFR with FF would be best and try for the "Cage" over DTW. This sounds kind of neat. :)

I am afraid if I file GPS direct to KONZ I might not get it through DTW Bravo and they may set me up for an instrument approach from the south and swing me Waaaayyyy through Canada SE of Windsor Eh...:dunno:
 
Just thought I would update the thread ....
Traveled through DTW Bravo yesterday VFR from west to east .. The controllers were very accommodating and gave me two options one around to the south and one right over top. Of course we picked direct over top and they vectored us at 4500 over top.

When we transitioned over the airport they cleared us direct and handed us off to approach covering the SE side which gave us lower and we dropped right on top of Grosse Ile....easy and quick.


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MyassisDragon said:
Just thought I would update the thread ....
Traveled through DTW Bravo yesterday VFR from west to east .. The controllers were very accommodating and gave me two options one around to the south and one right over top. Of course we picked direct over top and they vectored us at 4500 over top.

When we transitioned over the airport they cleared us direct and handed us off to approach covering the SE side which gave us lower and we dropped right on top of Grosse Ile....easy and quick.
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Sometimes it works out that way -- depends on how busy they are. I've never gotten right over the top of DTW though. Cool photo - thanks for the update.
 
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