Asheville

koehn

koehn

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Brad Koehn
I'm an instrument-rated flatlander looking at a getaway flight to Asheville NC for a weekend later in April. Wondering if there's a better (read: cheaper) place to go that's still reasonably close. Also for campground recommendations and sites to see in the city and in the country.

Any advice?
 
koehn said:
I'm an instrument-rated flatlander looking at a getaway flight to Asheville NC for a weekend later in April. Wondering if there's a better (read: cheaper) place to go that's still reasonably close. Also for campground recommendations and sites to see in the city and in the country.

Any advice?
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Just get ready for those uppity Westerners to start claiming that the hills back here are just bumps, not mountains. :D
 
If he doesn't see your post, send Mark Shilling (NC Pilot) a PM. He lives in that part of the state. I'm still too new to NC to be much help.

JOhnH said:
Just get ready for those uppity Westerners to start claiming that the hills back here are just bumps, not mountains.
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Not this uppity former western pilot. He knows bettter.
 
Yeah, they are just bumps. But they sure are beautiful bumps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I drove thru Asheville once, so by no means can I make specific recommendations. fun little hippy town, lots of bars/restaurants and whatnot. I believe that AVL is a bit south of the main area, if that's even what you're looking for, so I think you'd need a cab or rental car.

I'm also looking to take a trip out that way sometime soon, mainly to fly over some bumps but also to spend the night and drink beer with hippy chicks.
 
Hey, I live just on the west side of those same hills, and I have a simple definition: if has trees all the way to the top, it's a hill. If it has a tree-line, it's a mountain.
 
Poteau, Ok has the tallest hill in the US.

According to them anyway.
 
What weekend are you looking at? I'm headed to Wilkesboro for Merlefest music festival Weekend of the 24th.

Boone is nice. But ITS been so long since I've been to Asheville I'm not really any help.
 
I'm headed there on the 24th, so will be nearby.

I will probably arrive sometime mid-day; how much wind is too much to get into a field like AVL? I'm happy to go IFR over the top, and more than happy to divert if need be. I'll be coming from the northwest (KMIC).

I've ordered Sparky Imeson's book and am listening to the CFI Cast with Sparky. I just want to avoid getting into trouble. I'm not doing canyon flying, I'll stay well above terrain; just trying to get into an 8,000' strip that's at 2500' MSL.
 
JOhnH said:
Just get ready for those uppity Westerners to start claiming that the hills back here are just bumps, not mountains. :D
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When I was living in Colorado, I remember someone posting about flying in the mountains of New Jersey. I had to respond to that one.

North Carolina? Meh.
 
Anthony said:
When I was living in Colorado, I remember someone posting about flying in the mountains of New Jersey. I had to respond to that one.

North Carolina? Meh.
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Aren't those just the piles of garbage in the landfills?
 
JeffDG said:
Hey, I live just on the west side of those same hills, and I have a simple definition: if has trees all the way to the top, it's a hill. If it has a tree-line, it's a mountain.
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I like the though process behind it, but based on the numbers here, what would be considered a mountain can vary quite a bit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_line

I thought it was interesting how much variance there is. What could be considered a mountain in NH, wouldn't be considered one in CO. And what could be considered a mountain in CO, wouldn't be considered one in Peru or Bolivia.
 
Asheville isnt bad to fly into, VFR or IFR. There are some hills around, but ATC and your eyes will keep you away. The FBO was bought by Millionaire?, but my parents moved an hoiur south a few years back. If you're worried about FBO expenses, Hendersonville is just a little further south of town.

You'll need a car to get around. Call ahead; I rented through the new AVL FBO at a decent price when I needed to.

If the mountains are socked in, keep going south to Rutherfordton (HVQ?), it's not too much further, has fuel and has served as my alternate. The one time I needed it, AVL was fogged in, the winds were strong and gusty, and their AWOS was down so I went to GSP, a little over an hour from AVL.
 
They're bumps with weather, more than I can say for the western cumulogranite.
 
koehn said:
I'm headed there on the 24th, so will be nearby.

I will probably arrive sometime mid-day; how much wind is too much to get into a field like AVL? I'm happy to go IFR over the top, and more than happy to divert if need be. I'll be coming from the northwest (KMIC).

I've ordered Sparky Imeson's book and am listening to the CFI Cast with Sparky. I just want to avoid getting into trouble. I'm not doing canyon flying, I'll stay well above terrain; just trying to get into an 8,000' strip that's at 2500' MSL.
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How much wind is too much is dependent on the pilot and the plane he is flying. Our RV can handle much less wind than our Lancair for example.
AVL is somewhat south of the ridges so downdrafts should not be as great of an issue as say my home field 0A9. The times I would be most concerned there would be on days with a strong Southerly to SouthEastern wind coming over the ridge in a mountain wave flowing down on the AVL side of the ridge, and in strong gusty conditions.

If you are going to divert South, you might consider:
http://www.tripletreeaerodrome.com/
 
My next XC will actually be to Asheville.. taking my parents to see my sister!! The downside is that the airport is a good 15-20 min drive from Asheville itself :(
 
Asheville is fine, just expect to pay more for fuel....and you have to deal with the Landmark zombies.
 
Hippy town, Really?
Guess Ashville is off my list of places to go.
 
koehn said:
I'm an instrument-rated flatlander looking at a getaway flight to Asheville NC for a weekend later in April. Wondering if there's a better (read: cheaper) place to go that's still reasonably close. Also for campground recommendations and sites to see in the city and in the country.

Any advice?
Click to expand...

Went there this past Christmas. Biltmore was interesting. Went on a ghost walk which was fun. Hotels were expensive.

Have you ever been to Greenville, SC?
 
Skywalker said:
Landfills?! That are the mountains in Michigan... :redface:
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I think that Rumpke Mountain north of Cincinatti used to claim to be the tallest peak in Ohio. It's a landfill
 
We go there 2-3 times a year to visit friends. Seems to be a lot to do there and a good location for a holiday.

The folks at Asheville airport are great but prices for everything are high and frankly marked up a little higher than deserved.

The hills and mountains need to be respected but it barely qualifies as mountain flying. IFR is a great way to stay clear unless CAVU. If you come on a post cold front day with high winds out of the NW, expect plenty of mountain wave. The up and downs are generally smooth but can be stronger than expected.

Big airport, good facilities, you need a car
 
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