Recommendations on DC area FBO's Outside SFRA

Mooney Fan

Mooney Fan

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Planning on a trip to DC later this month. To simplify things I'm just thinking of flying to a field outside the SFRA, and driving in. Anyone have recommendations on a good FBO with rental car access? We will be coming in from the south.

Thanks
 
First, make sure you take the SFRA course.

Second, don't be afraid of the big bad wolf, if you have flown into class Bravo airspace, you can handle the SFRA. Glad to give you advice if you like.

Third, 'DC Area' is big. Where specifically do you want to drive to?
 
catmandu said:
First, make sure you take the SFRA course.

Second, don't be afraid of the big bad wolf, if you have flown into class Bravo airspace, you can handle the SFRA. Glad to give you advice if you like.

Third, 'DC Area' is big. Where specifically do you want to drive to?
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Thanks catmandu- We will be staying up in Sliver Springs area and plan a day down on the mall doing the tourist thing
 
GAI, or FDK if you must be outside the SFRA.
 
Jyo Leesburg,has a gate,if you take the course,you will see it’s no big deal.i use it when I visit DC.
 
GAI would even give you the option of skipping the rental car, there is a Metro stop a short Uber away. But if you need a rental call the FBO directly to get it, Enterprise sometimes does not understand the process there when you talk to them.

File an SFRA flight plan per the instructions in the course, pick up flight following on your way up, it will be totally transparent to you after that. If ever asked "did you file an SFRA flight plan?" the answer is always a simple "yes" and everyone is happy. They will likely want you underneath the arrival corridor to IAD coming in, and then clear of the Bravo after that.

If you must stiff arm the Forces of Darkness, just be mindful of the road traffic coming and going to FDK along 270, it can be a lengthy trip at times. Same applies to JYO.
 
As other's point out, you need the SFRA course anyhow, so why not go into the SFRA. It's a big yawner. You can even Uber from GAI to Silver Spring and it's not that unreasonable. Going from the METRO from Shady Grove to Silver Spring involves going all the way downtown and back out again (my daughter lives in Silver Spring).

It's singular, by the way. One Silver Spring. And in fact, from my high school geology club days over in Prince George's County, it's not silver, but rather mica. Somewhere in a box I have some mica and some garnets that I chipped out of rocks in the actual Silver Spring.
 
There is nothing complicated about flying into a SFRA airport. File a flight plan, pick up a transponder code when you get near the SFRA, punch said code into your transponder, wait for acknowledgement from ATC and proceed to your destination.
 
I'm going to join the chorus and direct you to GAI as well. Problem with FDK, or any other airport outside the SFRA when your destination is DC, is you'll be battling commuter traffic.

Depending on what you're doing, you may be able to get around just fine with Metro, Uber/Lyft, bike shares, electric scooter shares, etc.
 
Heck, if you can file IFR, it's like it's not even there, go down low and out of the corridors, like 3K, they'll clear you right through. Just don't squawk 1200 after you cancel. From the south I file Barin Mixnn at 3K and they squeeze me beween IAD and the FRZ. Closest GA view you can get of DC when it's clear.
 
I'll also add to the chorus for GAI. Closer to Metro, good people there. And as best I recall, better FBOs than FDK. That will be about the closest airport to Silver Spring. Any airport in Virginia will result in you needing to cross that damnable bridge.

Tipton is also a possibility, but it is also inside the SFRA. And you do have to be careful about the FRZ and BWI traffic going in there. Otherwise, good folks at Tipton.
 
I suppose College Park isn’t an option because of the PIN needed?

They have a cool little museum there, but I hardly see much GA traffic whenever I go there.
 
catmandu said:
First, make sure you take the SFRA course.

Second, don't be afraid of the big bad wolf, if you have flown into class Bravo airspace, you can handle the SFRA. Glad to give you advice if you like.

Third, 'DC Area' is big. Where specifically do you want to drive to?
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Is there anywhere else I can take this course? I singed up at the FAASafety website and they were suppose to send me a temp password. Never got the email. I checked SPAM and Trash folders nothing. Went to the contact page as submitted an email stating my issue. Again, site said I would receive and email shortly. Nothing. I have a standard gmail account so I can't imagine their email being blocked

Weird

EDIT- OK, I was able to find a powerpoint presentation elsewhere. We have changed our meeting location to where I will be flying into KRMN, Stafford Regional which is outside SFRA but within the 60nm radius of DCA VOR. I need to complete this training so I can have the proof with me as required. I sent another email asking for asssistance
 
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Stafford is still a hike to get into DC just to avoid SFRA ops. I fly out of Tipton (KFME), but would lean towards GAI for Silver Spring/DC visits. Trying to get from NoVa to anywhere north in a reasonable amount of time is more of a pain than any airport inside the SFRA.
 
AWACSEng said:
Stafford is still a hike to get into DC just to avoid SFRA ops. I fly out of Tipton (KFME), but would lean towards GAI for Silver Spring/DC visits. Trying to get from NoVa to anywhere north in a reasonable amount of time is more of a pain than any airport inside the SFRA.
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Thanks. My biggest issue at the moment is getting the log in approvals to complete the training. arggg.
 
Mooney Fan said:
Thanks. My biggest issue at the moment is getting the log in approvals to complete the training. arggg.
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Yeah, the gov't system is tedious. If it doesn't work out for your timing, then I guess you have to do the best you can. Just understand that Stafford to SS (and back) at the wrong time of day can cost you multiple hours of transit time. Otherwise, the SFRA has a bigger bark than bite, so to speak. It looks ominous on the chart, but like was said above, treat it like a pseudo-Bravo and you'll be ok. Only thing to keep in mind is if you bust the SFRA, the consequence is more severe than "just" a Bravo bust. Really is a non-event, though.
 
AWACSEng said:
Yeah, the gov't system is tedious. If it doesn't work out for your timing, then I guess you have to do the best you can. Just understand that Stafford to SS (and back) at the wrong time of day can cost you multiple hours of transit time. Otherwise, the SFRA has a bigger bark than bite, so to speak. It looks ominous on the chart, but like was said above, treat it like a pseudo-Bravo and you'll be ok. Only thing to keep in mind is if you bust the SFRA, the consequence is more severe than "just" a Bravo bust. Really is a non-event, though.
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I'm familiar with the DC traffic mess. When I used to attend meetings at Johns Hopkins I would would drive back at the end of the day and stay out near Dulles for the night, prior the flight home next morning. I should be going against the flow driving in around 1300 to the city. Then beat the rush the next day out. Even at KRMN, I need the training and have proof of completion with me. You're right, since I have to do the training anyway just as well go on into GAI
 
You don’t need proof of training with you (on your person, like your certificate and medical), just have to provide it if asked for, which could be several days down the road. Good luck making it happen, worked like it was supposed to way back when I did the course.
 
catmandu said:
You don’t need proof of training with you (on your person, like your certificate and medical), just have to provide it if asked for, which could be several days down the road. Good luck making it happen, worked like it was supposed to way back when I did the course.
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All's good. I was able to get a password reset and have completed the training. Thanks all for the guidance
 
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