Chances of getting into CLT (Charlotte) VFR?

MarcoDA40

MarcoDA40

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I want to go to an event happening in Charlotte,
I just called Wilson Air and apparently the overnight and daily fee ($30 combined) is waved with 10 gallons of fuel.. that doesn't seem bad at all (I was expecting $50ish for overnight).

Its either Charlotte CLT or drive there (KJQF and KEQY are just too far to make flying there worth it).
Would they accept a PA-140 VFR in there?
Is there a line of planes waiting to take off? (for my departure the following day.. ive read HORROR stories of 45+ min waits at NYC B airports)
I've never flown into a B, but I feel that with good preparation, It would be a great experience.. and a shorter drive to my final destination :D:yes:

Any and all input is greatly appreciated!
 
MarcoDA40 said:
I want to go to an event happening in Charlotte,
I just called Wilson Air and apparently the overnight and daily fee ($30 combined) is waved with 10 gallons of fuel.. that doesn't seem bad at all (I was expecting $50ish for overnight).

Its either Charlotte CLT or drive there (KJQF and KEQY are just too far to make flying there worth it).
Would they accept a PA-140 VFR in there?
Is there a line of planes waiting to take off? (for my departure the following day.. ive read HORROR stories of 45+ min waits at NYC B airports)
I've never flown into a B, but I feel that with good preparation, It would be a great experience.. and a shorter drive to my final destination :D:yes:

Any and all input is greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

Haven't been in a few years, but I had no trouble getting in there on IFR with a visual approach. They requested I keep speed up & make the first turnoff, but I was also not too far off of push. Intersection takeoff.

I would think if you avoid the "push" times, you wouldn't have a problem. A call to Tracon could confirm. As Class Bs go, Charlotte is pretty easy.
 
Call up Tracon and Tower and ask when the best times to go are. Class B airports are not a big deal as long as you come prepared. If they have to repeat things multiple times they won't like you
 
100%. No worries.

Fly the plane as instructed...have your 'A' game on the radio...

Wilson is on the east side of the field...they are one of the best FBOs anywhere. Their fuel prices are cheaper than many Class Deltas and Charlies I frequent...

You will take off full length leaving so have a taxi diagram with you...
 
Follow the advice given earlier in the above posts. Maybe a half hour instruction with an instructor going over procedures and charts for CLT might be wise too.

Concentrate on radio freqs and procedures,
Have all charts ready that they might throw at you, ILS ect,
Have the airport diagram that you pre-studied ready when you hit the ground,
Try not to go there in the "rush hour".
Be prepared to hold a higher speed until on a short final.

I've been to CLT once last year, but I've been to all the major NY airports, EWR,JFK, LGA, TEB, HPN.
That being said, CLT is a world of difference than the NY area Class B.

If you are prepared, competent and on top of things you may find it's easier than you expect.
Have fun too.
 
No problem. CLT is pretty accommodating to VFR flights and Wilson Air a pretty decent FBO. They will make room for you even in busy times but the best bet for us little GA pilots is to arrive during slower times. The good news is that CLT publishes a slow time schedule:

BTW, when you fly in, definitely go to the museum and see the "Miracle on the Hudson" airplane and some other pretty cool exhibits.
 
No problem man. I flew in the CLT in my bug smasher. I wanna say I stopped at Atlantic and it was $20 parking, aimed because we took 30 gallons. They did ask for a high speed Taxi due to arriving traffic behind me.
 
Depending on where you are going, KJQF is about the same time to downtown as Charlotte is. At most 5 minutes long. KUZA is another option. What you lose in being close, you gain back in not having to wait a half hour for a departure.

If you do fly into KCLT, avoid intersection departures if there is airline traffic. You can wait quite some time at the intersection because the tower has to cutout a wake turbulence delay. I often request full length under these conditions, that way you are in line and they will make the time for your departure to get you out of their way.
 
MarcoDA40 said:
Would they accept a PA-140 VFR in there?
Is there a line of planes waiting to take off? (for my departure the following day.. ive read HORROR stories of 45+ min waits at NYC B airports)
I've never flown into a B, but I feel that with good preparation, It would be a great experience.. and a shorter drive to my final destination :D:yes:
Click to expand...
They will certainly let you in and Wilson is a great FBO.

Like others have said, you need to make sure you bring your A game. CLT is a pretty busy Bravo and can be a bit hectic with crossing runways in use. Keep your speed up and familiarize yourself with the airport diagram in advance.

Depending on your time of day and what runways are in use, you can end up spending a long time waiting on the ground to get out. You may call ground and end up waiting 5 or 10 minutes running on the ramp at Wilson before you are even given a taxi clearance.

I don't think you'll have a 45 min wait on the ground in VFR conditions.

I personally have spent 30+ minutes in a long congo line at CLT waiting to get out, but it was IFR and all the jet traffic was backed up due to previous T-storms.
 
midlifeflyer said:
You can also call CD in the phone and get an approximate departure window so most of the wait time is spent while safe and warm in the FBO.
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That's pretty handy. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll have to try it next time.
 
Fearless Tower said:
That's pretty handy. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll have to try it next time.
Click to expand...
Calling for a good time window works for both arrivals and departures. Sometime the answer is, "Don't worry. Just call us from the airplane," but calling a Tower or TRACON facility is a nice tool for the mental flight bag, although we rarely think of using it.
 
midlifeflyer said:
You can also call CD in the phone and get an approximate departure window so most of the wait time is spent while safe and warm in the FBO.
Click to expand...

Is that typical for busy airline airports, or just certain ones?
 
Last year, I wanted to call EWR tower on the phone to find out what their push times were, but I couldn't find the number. Ended up calling CD, but they couldn't really help me either.

http://acukwik.com/ seems to have some tower numbers. Is there a better "official" source? 1800WXBRIEF?
 
Palmpilot said:
Is that typical for busy airline airports, or just certain ones?
Click to expand...
I have no idea whether it is typical or not. I'm not talking about a slot reservation, just a heads-up. Unless you know that an airport simply won't give or suggest a window, I can't think of a reason not to call and ask if you are concerned with a ground delay. Absolute worst they can do is say, sorry, we don't do that. Or they might say, "we have a little downtime at, so try then.

I've used "call and ask" only rarely but it's been for both inbound and outbound flights.
 
I agree that there doesn't appear to be any down side to asking.
 
Piece of cake. I flew in to CLT IFR for simplicity but I left VFR out of Wilson. Not a big deal at all. But they are ALWAYS busy there it seems...
 
You should have no problem. I flew into CLT in my C-172S VFR in Oct 2012. It was a non-event. I think I called the FBO beforehand about gas prices and ground transportation, but that was about it.

I departed that same night. It was also a breeze.
 
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