Hamilton, OH (HAO).. Anyone home?

[Missa]

Starting May 2 I'm going to be in Hamilton for three weeks. Anyone around there?

I don't want to take a three week hiatus from flying and instrument training so I would love to know any first hand information about the three FBO's at HAO... and would love if someone would want to fly safety pilot so I could keep practicing too.

Missa

 

[wsuffa]

Starting May 2 I'm going to be in Hamilton for three weeks. Anyone around there?

I don't want to take a three week hiatus from flying and instrument training so I would love to know any first hand information about the three FBO's at HAO... and would love if someone would want to fly safety pilot so I could keep practicing too.

Missa

Missa,

HAO is a nice airport. But don't bust the CVG Class B shelf. The airliners going into CVG do a base turn just south of HAO.

When I lived in Cincinnati, I kept my plane in a T-Hangar at HAO. The new terminal had not been finished, but is now open. The glideslope is also new (back when I was there it was LOC only).

I think there's only one real FBO at HAO - ProAero. Joe Conrad is a nice guy, they were very friendly and fair. He rebuilds and brokers aircraft as a sideline.

I used J&J Maintenance shop for regular, routine maintenance. They were just starting out, but have survived pretty well. I can recall having strut maintenance and oil changes done, they also rebuilt a shimmy dampener which has given me great service since.

Watch out for deer on the runway at night!!! I had a near miss with a deer just after dark, almost ending up in the weeds.

Don't know about instructors out of HAO, I used a guy out of ISZ (Blue Ash), which is about 5 minutes by air from HAO. If you want his name, I'll pass it along - I did private & instrument work with him.

bill

 

[Missa]

Bill,

Thanks for the info I know I'm going to stop by and check out Pro Air while I'm there. The AOPA on line airport directory made it look like three but I figured out one is just the flight training arm of Pro Air.

Thanks for the offer for the instructor, but I probally won't take you up on it. I'll only be there three weeks so if I really hate the instructors at ProAir I'll just take the planes out VFR. What I really need to work on is praticing holding altitue and heading perfectly, and I really don't need an instructor... just a safety pilot.

Any good places to visit while I'm there?

Missa

 

[wsuffa]

Bill,

Thanks for the info I know I'm going to stop by and check out Pro Air while I'm there. The AOPA on line airport directory made it look like three but I figured out one is just the flight training arm of Pro Air.

Thanks for the offer for the instructor, but I probally won't take you up on it. I'll only be there three weeks so if I really hate the instructors at ProAir I'll just take the planes out VFR. What I really need to work on is praticing holding altitue and heading perfectly, and I really don't need an instructor... just a safety pilot.

Any good places to visit while I'm there?

Missa

I just looked at the AOPA directory. ProAero and the training group are affiliated. The third is just a charter outfit. ProAero's good folks - at least they were, and I have no reason to think that's changed.

Good places to visit? By car or by air?

Around Cincy is the museum center in the old train station downtown, the riverfront with nightclubs and restaurants, pro baseball (the Cincinnati Reds), the Krohne Conservatory (greenhouse), the Cincinnati Art Gallery, plus a symphony and performing arts center downtown. There are a number of good restaurants around town. Not always cheap, but good.

I don't recall when Tall Stacks comes to town, but those are old paddlewheelers that ply the Ohio River. Also on the river is the Newport Aquarium.

You must - at the very least - have a Skyline Chili (Goldstar tries, but it's not the same), and some Graeters ice cream. Local delicacies.

I suppose you owe it to yourself to go to Sporty's in Batavia. But go on Saturday, they serve "dogs" for lunch.

Hamilton is part-way to Dayton (30 minutes by car), where you'll find the museum at Wright-Patt AFB, which is worth a day.

There is a nice grass strip out at Waynesville - a town full of antique galleries and home of the Sauerkraut festival once a year.

That enough to get you started?

BTW, I may be up that way in mid-late May to meet up with some friends and business acquatances. If so, I'll let you know.

bill

 

[Everskyward]

Hey Missa, I've been to Pro Aero at HAO and I thought they were pretty friendly. The thing I remember is that they had a bunch of schoolkids there for a tour. The flight school is inside the FBO which is a nice, new building.

 

[Lance F]

I've tied down at ProAero a number of times and they were always nice to me. Cincinnati Approach has always been good too for getting in and out of there IFR.

 

[Dan Deutsch]

That enough to get you started?

BTW, I may be up that way in mid-late May to meet up with some friends and business acquatances. If so, I'll let you know.

bill

Bill,
If you can delay a little the Blue Ash airport days is June 11 and 12 this year.

Good list - I would also add a dinner/evening in Mount Adams. Nice atmosphere plenty of restaurants and a few nice bars all in walking distance.