Florida airport recommendations

TallyTwo

TallyTwo

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Jul 13, 2018
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MJS
Hi,

I am flying next week to MIA and will rent in North Perry.
Any suggested airports to visit in the vicinity? Ideally 2h max with a C172RG.

Thank you!
 
TallyTwo said:
Hi,

I am flying next week to MIA and will rent in North Perry.
Any suggested airports to visit in the vicinity? Ideally 2h max with a C172RG.

Thank you!
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Marathon or Everglades City. Marathon more touristy, Everglades City more rural.
 
Third for Key West.

Also KTIX (Titusville) gets you close to NASA and the shuttle landing facility if you're into that sort of thing. Most of my other go-to Florida airports are along the gulf coast side of the state.
 
cowman said:
Third for Key West.

Also KTIX (Titusville) gets you close to NASA and the shuttle landing facility if you're into that sort of thing. Most of my other go-to Florida airports are along the gulf coast side of the state.
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Even if you don't land at KTIX, flying a low pass down the shuttle runway at Cape Canaveral (KTTS) is worth it!
 
cowman said:
Third for Key West.

Also KTIX (Titusville) gets you close to NASA and the shuttle landing facility if you're into that sort of thing.
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Space Coast Executive Jet are nice people, very helpful, and not a bad price for gas.
 
If you go to Titusville, go to the Valiant Air Command museum on the field. It’s excellent. And have lunch at Dixie Crossroads restaurant in town. Everything is fantastic, especially the shrimp and grits! And fill up on corn fritters, too. They’re hush puppies turned up to 11, and a must-have.
 
These are fantastic tips, big thank you for your tips!!
Will send a PIREP after the flights!!
 
Valiant Air Command and Dixie Crossroads are hard to beat. Well worth the trip.

If you want to make a stop on the Gulf coast, try Venice. Lunch at Sharky’s, right on the beach, is excellent. They have a free shuttle from the airport, just a few minutes away.

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I’d go to “The Hangar” at Albert Whitted (KSPG). Great approach either over the bay or the city of St. Petersburg. Great food as well.

It’s right on the airport, so you can park and walk upstairs at the FBO. If you wanted to venture out, Downtown St. Pete is an okay walk or a cheap Uber.

thehangarstpete.com

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River Ranch 2 RR is neat resort runway. West of Vero Beach. Golf , skeet, fresh water fishing. Rodeo on Saturday night.
 
Last time I was at Key West a couple years ago I think the ramp fees were waived with (expensive) minimum fuel purchase and the overnight parking was around $20/night. Spendy for someone used to midwest pricing for sure but nothing too crazy. I assume the $500 figure was a made-up estimate of the extra cost of fuel to get there, fees, and higher priced hotels.

When we've gone we like to depart from somewhere within around 1-1.5hrs away, do it VFR just over the ocean following the coastline and then the island/'key' chain in. Put your wingtip on the coast to stay in glide distance of land and enjoy the view.
 
There's a dairy queen right next to CGC(crystal river) and you might see a turtle on the runway...

does that count?
 
If you don’t want to go all the way down to Key West, consider Marathon Key KMTH.

You can have lunch at Keys Fisheries (recommend the lobster reuben). The Turtle Hospital will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about sea turtles. The Dolphin Research Center is great too. There is a store across US1 and the FBO that sells a large variety of interesting popsicles.

The FBO has 3 crew cars.
 
FBO in KMTH has always been great to us, and usually greet us with a small key lime pie and a cool drink. Sure, everything there is expensive, so pay the man and enjoy yourself. Borrow the crew car and grab a fish taco at Sparkys, see the turtle hospital, walk down the old 7 mile bridge, small EAA museum in the same building as the FBO, have a nice cocktail at Faro Blanco marina bar, and many other suggestions by the folks at FBO. If you want to stay away longer than the 2 hour limit on the crew car, most Marathon Taxis will take you anywhere on the island for 10 bucks or so.
 
OBE has a decent restaurant right in the airport and the location on Lake Okeechobee is interesting
 
Mileage said:
OBE has a decent restaurant right in the airport and the location on Lake Okeechobee is interesting
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Best airport breakfast around, and even the best breakfast in the region. Very popular with locals. A few of our residents fly in there every morning, and I go a couple times a week.
 
x14 is worth a pitstop for sure. I am local and try to go with my wife as much as we can when we don’t want to do a whole day xc.
 
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