Mena Arkansas

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DaytonaLynn

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One who misses Daytona!
Thinking about going to Mena for a weekend. Anyone have any suggestions? Been to Mena? Any other southern arkansas or oklahoma airports to recommend. Would like to be near a Bed and Breakfast.

Thanks
:dunno:
 
Petit Jean & Hot Springs are both cool.

Only been to Mena for work, not play, so I'm no help there.
 
DaytonaLynn said:
Thinking about going to Mena for a weekend. Anyone have any suggestions? Been to Mena? Any other southern arkansas or oklahoma airports to recommend. Would like to be near a Bed and Breakfast.

Thanks
:dunno:
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I have only flown in and out once from Mena. So I don't have any recommendations for that area. However, I have some for other airports in my state. If your looking into just Southern AR then KHOT or M89 are good choices. KHOT is Hot Springs, AR and is a National Park/Resort town.

M89 is my home airport and we have a really nice B&B at our school. We are also close to two excellent fishing lakes. So if your like fishing and a quite town then M89 might suite you. Also we have a big football game coming up in early Nov. Its the largest rivalry game in Southern AR.

This is the B&B website: http://www.hsu.edu/interior2.aspx?id=735

I will be happy to take you from the airport up to the B&B. If I'm not available they're others who are always willing to give someone a lift.

In Northwestern AR there is a town called Eureka Springs. This is also a resort town for couples looking for a weekend get away. There is not an airport in the town since its located in a steep valley. However you can landed at several near by airports. I can look them up for you if needed.
 
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timwinters said:
Petit Jean & Hot Springs are both cool.

Only been to Mena for work, not play, so I'm no help there.
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Petit Jean does have a really neat airport. Its is on top of a mountain located in a river valley. So its field elevation is the traffic pattern altitude of the near by town. There is also a PILOT ONLY campsite located on the airfield. It has one of the nicest bathhouses and grounds in the state park.
 
AR has a number of mountains that require avoidance in order to make the trip back home possible. Rich Mountain near Mena has become the final resting place for numerous GA planes. Jerry Smith, our regional Garmin rep, was killed in that area last year when he didn't fly quite high enough to clear the hills.
 
wabower said:
AR has a number of mountains that require avoidance in order to make the trip back home possible. Rich Mountain near Mena has become the final resting place for numerous GA planes. Jerry Smith, our regional Garmin rep, was killed in that area last year when he didn't fly quite high enough to clear the hills.
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Plus a airliner from the 1960s. The wreckage is still located on the mountain.
 
ARFlyer said:
Petit Jean does have a really neat airport. Its is on top of a mountain located in a river valley. So its field elevation is the traffic pattern altitude of the near by town. There is also a PILOT ONLY campsite located on the airfield. It has one of the nicest bathhouses and grounds in the state park.
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Petit Jean (KMPJ, I believe) is a nice airport. The only downside to it is that the state park is actually on the other side of the lake from the airport/pilot camping area. To get to the state park - which has some cool hiking/walking trails, and a decent restaurant with a sweet view - you have to get a shuttle to come pick you up.
 
So now I have some research to do and make sure I stay away from the metal eating mountain/

thanks for all the sites
 
wabower said:
Jerry Smith, our regional Garmin rep, was killed in that area last year when he didn't fly quite high enough to clear the hills.
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Not to be disrespectful, but don't all Garmin GPSs have terrain databases?

Or did he not believe in Garmin avionics?

Someone died...that precludes it from being humorous.
 
I think that was the first question asked by everybody who knew Jerry and had seen his airplane (and demonstrator) that had at least one of every bell and whistle Garmin produced. I don't remember seeing the final report.

timwinters said:
Not to be disrespectful, but don't all Garmin GPSs have terrain databases?

Or did he not believe in Garmin avionics?

Someone died...that precludes it from being humorous.
Click to expand...
 
First time I went there was IMC, all the way in and out, before I was rated.

2nd Time was the day before I was rated, VFR but clouds were lowering and we left shortly before a bad storm....

I hope to go back sometime in clear VFR conditions.
All those hills looked big to this guy from Kansas..
 
Another good Arkansas airport to visit is Gaston's (north central Arkansas). I'm surprised nobody has mentioned it yet. I can't comment on Mena, but I am like Tim -- I think it is a good place to get work done on your airplane, but not sure about a fun place to fly. Gaston's has cabins for rent right on one of the best trout fishing rivers around. Beautiful country.

If you want to come to the east side of the state, come on over to West Memphis (AWM). It is right across the river from downtown Memphis. We have a dog track with one-armed bandits if you like that sort of thing. Memphis is the home of the blues if you like blues.
 
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