Finding airports--during planning

BobS

BobS

Pre-Flight
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BobS
How do you all find airports and select FBOs when you are planning a trip?

Typically a friend will let me know that they are visiting somewhere within a couple of hundred miles of me and suggest I come over for lunch. (Everybody knows I'm always looking for an excuse to fly somewhere and my family is more indulgent when the flight is for an actual reason).

Here's what I do. I locate the town where the visitor will be on Google Map (http://maps.google.com/) or MapQuest (http://www.mapquest.com/). Sometimes I just pull out a sectional and start scanning for airports, but another really cool new tool is Runway Finder (http://www.runwayfinder.com/). It is based on Google map but includes sectionals and even current Metars. Then If it's a big city I'll look at all the smaller airports around the city as well as considering the major airport. I'll check out comments on AirNav (http://www.airnav.com/) and AOPA (http://www.aopa.org/members/airports/) to help pick an FBO and to try to understand the fees. I'll also use these sites to determine if the airports have instrument approaches, nightime operations, etc, if weather and timing dictate those needs. If it's a big city, I'll call the FBO to get a clear picture on the fees. This has led me to avoid Logan in Boston but to go right to Signature at Baltimore-Washington (KBWI), where the fees and service are good.

Am I missing anything? Does anybody have a more systematic way to do this? Are there other web resources?
 
wow. Runwayfinder.com is freaking snazzy. Good find, and good post!!

Here's how I usually do my flight planning. I start by using looking at the destination sectional, trying to find the closest airports. If there is more than one, I use airnav.com to check for comments (and fuel prices if I ever wind up owning). Then I go into Golden Eagle Flight Planner (hands down better than RTFP if you ask me), and have it generate vor2vor data, but I don't look at the report.

Then I do it all by hand, including wind calcs. After the manual work is done, I check my work against Golden Eagle, and if its close enough for government work....plan is done.

Oh......your question was about finding airports. I look at the sectional. Sorry for the long post for no reason then.
 
NickDBrennan said:
I start by using looking at the destination sectional, trying to find the closest airports. If there is more than one, I use airnav.com to check for comments (and fuel prices if I ever wind up owning). Then I go into Golden Eagle Flight Planner (hands down better than RTFP if you ask me), and have it generate vor2vor data, but I don't look at the report.

Then I do it all by hand, including wind calcs. After the manual work is done, I check my work against Golden Eagle, and if its close enough for government work....plan is done.
Click to expand...

Then he hops in the plane, turns on the GPS and throws all that flight planning stuff out the window.
 
BobS said:
How do you all find airports and select FBOs when you are planning a trip?

Am I missing anything? Does anybody have a more systematic way to do this? Are there other web resources?
Click to expand...

Sheesh! Domo Arigato Mr Roboto. You got me beat.

For me it goes something like this:
Sectional chart, me=X. Sectional chart, destination=Y. Big city, yetch. Small airport good. AFD/AOPA airport directory, fees, none, check. Pencil, kitchen butter knife (don't ask). Line, draw. FSS, WX ok? Good. Plane useable, yes, good. CLEAR!

I try for cheapest fuel (I'm not the stereotypical rich pilot) and insist on no fees (overnight tiedown, ok maybe depending...potty fee, nope) and pleasant small airports where I'm seen as a person with a plane and not a high limit credit card number. Beyond that I insist that it remain fun, simple and sensibly safe.
 
I use a website that I got from the AOPA forum many moons ago. It's called Kyler's nearby airport locator, (the name is stricktly coinkydink). www.aviationtoolbox.org/old/nearby_airports is the address. Type in an address and it finds airports close by and arranges them from closest to furthest. It also has links to AirNav and Street maps, this thing has worked great for me. Haven't tried the runway finder but I am going to try that right now.
 
I use a pretty simple routine:

Airnav, airports, advanced search. You put in the city or zip and you can specify minimum runway length, approaches, fuel. It returns a list of airports ranked by distance from the city/zip. Then I review the info on the airport in airnav for fuel prices, courtesy car, etc.

Jeppesen Flight Star for routing and adds for weather. I don't have to open a paper chart until I'm in the plane (and even then it's only to back up the gps).
 
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