Getting a passenger to DFW

iamtheari

iamtheari

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I posted a couple days ago about weather between Pensacola and Atlanta, but the commercial flight options are looking better out of Dallas. We would probably fly in on Sunday afternoon since the flight is at 11:00 a.m. on Monday. And I'll be taking on fuel, a lot of it if the price is right but at least enough to defeat any handling or overnight fees.

I'm looking at KGKY Arlington Municipal for the fuel prices. But what other airports should I consider? I'd be fine with KDFW if that makes the most sense, but so far it doesn't look like it.
 
So you’re ultimate mission is to get a passenger to DFW International for a commercial flight?

If so, KGKY or KGPM will work great. They are only three miles from each other and it’s a straight shot up highway 360 to DFW. Beware of low helicopter traffic in the area especially along the East West Interstate. Many TV station, police and even military helicopters base there, but the towers will help you in the Delta which is where the real congestion is. Probably not worth mentioning, but there are some very tall TV towers about 7 miles South East.

Easy in and out for either one even though they are under the veil of the Bravo.
 
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iamtheari said:
I'm looking at KGKY Arlington Municipal for the fuel prices. But what other airports should I consider? I'd be fine with KDFW if that makes the most sense, but so far it doesn't look like it.
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Flying into KGKY from where???
 
Ryan may suggest KRBD. He flies out of there a lot and can tell you more about it.
 
MBDiagMan said:
So you’re ultimate mission is to get a passenger to DFW International for a commercial flight?

If so, KGKY or KGPM will work great. They are only three miles from each other and it’s a straight shot up highway 360 to DFW. Beware of low helicopter traffic in the area especially along the East West Interstate. Many TV station, police and even military helicopters base there, but the towers will help you in the Delta which is where the real congestion is. Probably not worth mentioning, but there are some very tall TV towers about 7 miles South East.

Easy in and out for either one even though they are under the veil of the Bravo.
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GPM probably the easiest to get to DFW from. But only marginally easier than GKY. RBD is definitely not as easy. But it's all a matter of degree.
 
Coming from the east, but then departing to the north after the passenger drop-off. The ultimate mission is a lot more complicated but the passenger catching the commercial flight out of DFW is the timing-critical element. Hence staying the night instead of flying in early that morning.
 
So, flying in from the east makes the Fort Worth side less desirable. That puts it down to a delta of flight time / gas money, location, and cost of Uber / ride to the airport. I'm probably out of town Sunday, so bumming a ride from me probably isn't an option, either. I'd probably say GPM, GKY, or RBD, in that order for being close to DFW and avoiding the hassles of ADS and DAL. Calling ahead about vehicle options (courtesy cars) also would make a big difference.
 
RyanShort1 said:
So, flying in from the east makes the Fort Worth side less desirable. That puts it down to a delta of flight time / gas money, location, and cost of Uber / ride to the airport. I'm probably out of town Sunday, so bumming a ride from me probably isn't an option, either. I'd probably say GPM, GKY, or RBD, in that order for being close to DFW and avoiding the hassles of ADS and DAL. Calling ahead about vehicle options (courtesy cars) also would make a big difference.
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It’s actually Sunday November 6. But I will call about cars before I try bumming a ride off POA. I’m trying to save up all my POA points for a fly-in. :)
 
Departing North and filing makes it an entirely different proposition. Even though you’re filing I think it will add some time/hassle being on the due South portion of the Bravo. The ground transportation from McKinney wouldn’t be much more difficult as far as the freeway drive goes. You get on the Sam Rayburn Tollway from McKinney and it wouldn’t take but maybe 20 minutes longer to drive into the middle of DFW than if you were to make the drive from Arlington or Grand Prairie. The wild card for that, of course, is the traffic variable which is a crap shoot. I would think the flying portion, regardless of whether or not you file, would be much easier via KTKI, but then as you probably already discovered, fuel prices are significantly different in Grand Prairie.

It’s not a significant factor, but I haven’t been into TKI in about 6 or 7 years, but the guy in the tower back then was a sour puss.

It might look like you are deeper underneath the veil at Arlington or Grand Prairie than in McKinney, but the Bravo effect should be about the same, maybe a little less at McKinney. Now, even though Addison is also under the Bravo it would be DIFFERENT! Believe me.!

Hope this helps.
 
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RyanShort1 said:
I dunno, I think you get POA points for being friendly... ;)
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Perhaps. As a moderator, I can say you don't want to see how the sausage is made when it comes to POA points, though. :)

MBDiagMan said:
It might look like you are deeper underneath the veil at Arlington or Grand Prairie than in McKinney, but the Bravo effect should be about the same, maybe a little less at McKinney. Now, even though Addison is also under the Bravo it would be DIFFERENT! Believe me.!
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I believe this. I rode right seat into Addison last winter and I think the radio was busier than the time I flew into an actual Bravo (Phoenix). I'll keep airport shopping and check out all the fancy places you guys have suggested so far. Thanks!
 
If you're staying overnight, Arlington or Grand Prairie are both good choices. Grand Prairie might be marginally closer.

Take an uber to a hotel near the airport and the hotel shuttle in the morning.
 
MBDiagMan said:
The ground transportation from McKinney wouldn’t be much more difficult as far as the freeway drive goes. You get on the Sam Rayburn Tollway from McKinney and it wouldn’t take but maybe 20 minutes longer to drive into the middle of DFW than if you were to make the drive from Arlington or Grand Prairie.
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It would add only 20 minutes to an otherwise 15 minute drive.:D By my math, that's more than twice as long. It's also more than double the cost in an Uber. That's all with no traffic. Seems like GPM and a hotel near DFW is still the best bet.
 
I did my initial training out of ADS. Definitely made me better on the radios from the get go.
 
GPM is less than a mile from Hwy. 360 which takes you straight north to DFW. It's about an 8 mile drive. Fuel at GPM is $5.10 today and $6.19 at GKY. Any hotel you want is in the area.
 
Lindberg said:
It would add only 20 minutes to an otherwise 15 minute drive.:D By my math, that's more than twice as long. It's also more than double the cost in an Uber. That's all with no traffic. Seems like GPM and a hotel near DFW is still the best bet.
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You’re most definitely correct on the ground portion. The fuel cost at GPM is attractive also. But going North from the South center of the Bravo even if filing doesn’t sound convenient.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
I did my initial training out of ADS. Definitely made me better on the radios from the get go.
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it’s easy to believe that! I learned to fly in the boondocks. The first time I went to Addison I was a nervous wreck! The fact that a 310 landed in front of me and when it turned off the runway the gear folded up before it passed the hold line while I was on short final didn’t help any.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
On a Sunday?

DTO has a Hertz as well.
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Update that to used to. Someone else is in that space.

November 6 I’m in scheduled to be in the sims for PDT. Otherwise I’d volunteer to help with transportation from DTO and DFW
 
FYI, if your medical is nearing renewal, a Dr Bruce and Dr Lou level AME has his office in same building as the main FBO at KGKY. That is Dr. Andrew Sambell and he is the AME I use.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Update that to used to. Someone else is in that space.

November 6 I’m in scheduled to be in the sims for PDT. Otherwise I’d volunteer to help with transportation from DTO and DFW
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So do they have any rental cars now?
 
Just go DFW. For no other reason than, well, it's DFW and that's your destination. And there are more planes there in an hour than our whole state in a day :)
 
KaiGywer said:
Just go DFW. For no other reason than, well, it's DFW and that's your destination. And there are more planes there in an hour than our whole state in a day :)
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I had a customer that insisted that we go there in a Pilatus despite our best efforts to talk them out of it. After they had us land on 13R, and then had to taxi 5 miles to the FBO, they finally understood why we didn’t want to go there. :)
 
Yeah if GA is still where it used to be 30 years ago and you turned off not long after the numbers on 13R, your taxi wouldn’t miss five miles by much and you might have to stop a time or two for one of those big monsters to pass in front of you.
 
RyanShort1 said:
You can't just do that as a GA plane without tremendous hassle.
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I did it for a meeting with FSI a few years back. It was no hassle whatsoever, and didn't cost all that much in the scheme of things. Was your experience different?
 
Hey, I just did this a few weeks ago. Flew into GPM on a Thursday morning, landing at around 11am. Overnight fees are waived with the purchase of any amount of fuel, which was reasonably priced. I think Ubers were around $30-$40 each way from GPM to/from Terminal D at DFW and took about 20 minutes (YMMV depending on traffic). Our return flight got into DFW after the FBO (Aviator Air) had closed, but I was able to pay for my fuel bill over the phone prior and the ramp was easily accessible for our departure once we Ubered back from DFW. Overall, couldn't have been easier and I would 100% do it again.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
On a Sunday?

DTO has a Hertz as well.
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I ubered from DFW to my house on Eagle Mountain Lake last week and it was $100 (was still cheaper than parking, got dropped off by my wife and ubered home). And it's a lot closer than TKI.
 
cowtowner said:
I ubered from DFW to my house on Eagle Mountain Lake last week and it was $100 (was still cheaper than parking, got dropped off by my wife and ubered home). And it's a lot closer than TKI.
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Just another reason why I won't be moving back.
 
Thanks for the discussion and tips above. Today was the drop-off. I used KGPM and it went well. We flew in last night, after the tower closed. Stayed at the Marriott Courtyard nearby but missed last call for meatballs at IKEA. We should probably have stayed closer to DFW and had less Uber costs going back and forth on a Monday morning, but it worked out fine. Getting fuel in the plane and breakfast at Radial Cafe went smoothly. And then I got to appreciate my instrument rating a little bit, with overcast skies at both ends of the trip. I was assigned the Texoma 4 departure but in reality got vectored around the west side of DFW until Fort Worth Center gave me direct to destination.
 
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