Anyone fly into KDTS (destin fort Walton)

[Jthamilton]

So kicking around idea of flying family this summer back to Ft. Walton beach area. When looking at the maps it doesn't seem just a walk in the park due to the military ops in the area.

Has anyone ever flown into this area or somewhere in the vicinity? Our final goal is South Walton beach area.

Thanks

 

[MachFly]

It's not as hard as it seems. There is a course on the FAA site which teaches you to fly through that airspace (you really want to take it). Overall I find Eglin controllers to be friends and helpful, don't be surprised if they'll just clear you through the restricted area. One thing you really want to make sure you don't forget is contract Eglin before taking off...even if you'll just be in the pattern.

 

[N747JB]

It is really simple, but for VFR, flight following is a must The controllers at Eglin are as good as I've run into, they will do whatever they can to accommodate you. As Machfly said, you have to have a clearance before take off, they get a little snippy about that one. Summer weekends are BUSY, especially Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings, watch out for all manner of traffic, from ultra-light seaplanes to Jerry Jones in his GV! PM me if you want a couple good restaurants to try.

It's not as hard as it seems. There is a course on the FAA site which teaches you to fly through that airspace (you really want to take it). Overall I find Eglin controllers to be friends and helpful, don't be surprised if they'll just clear you through the restricted area. One thing you really want to make sure you don't forget is contract Eglin before taking off...even if you'll just be in the pattern.

 

[kyleb]

Very easy. Just check in north of the corridor advise that you're not familiar with the area, and they will guide you right through.

No problem.

 

[MachFly]

Summer weekends are BUSY, especially Friday

Yes I forgot that part....SCAN FOR TRAFFIC.

 

[Jthamilton]

Great, thanks all for the help. Hopefully the cards play out and we're in sunny Florida in June.

It's just fun to sit on the beach and watch the various aircraft go up and down the coast.

The NAval Museum in Pensacola was spectacular, hopefully anyone who goes that way takes the time to see it!

Thanks Again

 

[Warrior]

If you need a link for the course I will be happy to provide it. It wasn't as hard as I thought to fly from Marianna to Mobile using their flight following. If the weather will let you do some altitude, like maybe 2900 feet their radar will have an easier time seeing you. They are great folks in that area.

 

[CJones]

It's not as hard as it seems. There is a course on the FAA site which teaches you to fly through that airspace (you really want to take it). Overall I find Eglin controllers to be friends and helpful, don't be surprised if they'll just clear you through the restricted area. One thing you really want to make sure you don't forget is contract Eglin before taking off...even if you'll just be in the pattern.

Take the course online - it's 2-3 screens and not complicated at all, it just explains the visual checkpoints that they will want you to at least know about as they route you through the corridor. I ended up putting the coordinates for the 'visual' checkpoints into the GPS just to make sure I was pointed in the right direction.

It's definitely not as complicated as all the extra stuff on the on the sectional leads you to believe.

DestinJet is a nice friendly FBO.

 

[OkieFlyer]

Great, thanks all for the help. Hopefully the cards play out and we're in sunny Florida in June.

It's just fun to sit on the beach and watch the various aircraft go up and down the coast.

The NAval Museum in Pensacola was spectacular, hopefully anyone who goes that way takes the time to see it!

Thanks Again

+1 on the Naval Air Museum. It is awesome. The 3 hours I spent there wasn't nearly enough. The USS Alabama and USS Drum over in Mobile are worth stopping for as well.

 

[teethdoc]

Gulf Shores is not a bad alternative either. KJKA