Washington DC question

NoHeat said:
Dulles ramp fees are not bad for a single engine, but I haven't tried it. I have tried Manassas and Gathersburg.

Manassas VA is good for renting a car. Gaithersburg is less good for renting a car -- there is only Enterprise, and they did not honor my employers's Enterprise contract deal "because we do a full delivery" to that airport. That's what the Enterprise guy said, when I phoned to ask about the bad rate and terms.

If you want into the FRZ, it is getting easier to get the PIN. For example ypu can get fingerprinted at your local law enforcement instead of at Reagan. Phone the airport manager at College Park to ask. I'm just getting started applying.
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Expect the FSDO visit to go away soon, too.
 
Another option that I have used is BWI. It's Signature and fuel is naturally ridiculously priced, but they will drop you off at the commuter and it is like a 5$ train ride into Union Station.
 
Sounds like kind of a bad deal to me. If I absolutely have to be anywhere the next day I take the tube or a car. Too easy to get tempted to do something you oughtn't.
 
Henning said:
He is not, he's there to kill the pilot.
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Which is pretty hilarious if you think about it. A terrorist would just skip all this red tape and fly straight into downtown DC. And nobody would have had time to stop him.
 
AustinPilot said:
Which is pretty hilarious if you think about it. A terrorist would just skip all this red tape and fly straight into downtown DC. And nobody would have had time to stop him.
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It worked for Gyro-Copter Guy!
 
I like Gaithersburg but it's north of DC. Just a short taxi ride from the Shady Grove metro. A busy friendly GA airport.
 
From my personal experience at Dulles, Landmark was cheaper than Signature. The good thing is if you HAD to cancel the flight (weather, etc), you can go down the road and airline out, and airline back to pick up the plane if need be. There's a lot more amenities at IAD. Say a thunderstorm is approaching and you want it hangared. Much more availability at IAD for a hangar than at some of these smaller fields.
 
Your chances of getting in a Hangar at IAD are largely determined by when you arrive. The weekends are pretty wide open. I've had Landmark just shove my plane into the hangar unsolicited. I was based at Landmark (well back then it was Hawthorne) years ago so I still tend to that side, but I've been into Signature a few times as well recently and it's not been a big issue.
 
Bonchie said:
The airport no one mentions is 2W5. To me, that'd be the easiest. It's in Southern MD and the traffic is nowhere near as bad as the VA side of things.

It's only about a 35 minute drive from DC. That'll be shorter then Dulles or HEF and the facilities will be much cheaper, including fuel. It's a straight shot north into DC and you come in on the SE side where traffic isn't nearly as bad.

Whether you could rent a car there is another story.
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+1 for 2W5! I visited there a month or so ago, and the trip was fantastic! If you have your instrument rating, arrival is a no-brainer. If you don't, it isn't really much more difficult... The FBO there has step-by-step instructions for how to depart. I would definitely visit again! Don't let "The Man" keep you down! Fly, fly, fly :yes:

Oh, and don't forget to take the DC SFRA course online!

Cheers!

-Dana
 
Brad Z said:
No, you don't have to be based there. You do have to pass through a gateway airport inbound to DCA though. The requirements are listed at the bottom of this page:

https://www.tsa.gov/stakeholders/security-programs-and-initiatives

TSA inspection of crew and passengers;
TSA inspection of property (accessible and checked) and aircraft;
The start and end dates of flight must be indicated on the TSA flight authorization;
Identification checks of passengers by TSA;
Submission of passenger and crew manifests 24 hours in advance of flight;
Enhanced background checks for all passengers and fingerprint based criminal history records check (CHRC) for flight crew;
Armed Security Officer (ASO) on board each flight. Click here for more information on the Armed Security Officer program;
All operations are subject to cancellation at any time;
All unscheduled operations to/from KDCA require an FAA slot reservation. Please obtain an FAA slot reservation through the FAA ARO website: www.fly.faa.gov/ecvrs/index.html
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Thank you for the link. According to the site, there are provisions for a transient pilot to operate to/from one of the Maryland-3 airports. The problem with it is that the applicant needs to pre-perform some vetting activities and by the way it looks it may be best done in person.

Still, the operation of flights in/out of DCA are impractical for GA and only serve the bureaucracy. So yes, you're correct Brad - it can be done but for all intents and purposes...
 
thomasdr72 said:
+1 for 2W5! I visited there a month or so ago, and the trip was fantastic! If you have your instrument rating, arrival is a no-brainer. If you don't, it isn't really much more difficult... The FBO there has step-by-step instructions for how to depart. I would definitely visit again! Don't let "The Man" keep you down! Fly, fly, fly :yes:

Oh, and don't forget to take the DC SFRA course online!

Cheers!

-Dana
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I think this is the best takeaway of the whole thread.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Thank you for the link. According to the site, there are provisions for a transient pilot to operate to/from one of the Maryland-3 airports. The problem with it is that the applicant needs to pre-perform some vetting activities and by the way it looks it may be best done in person.

Still, the operation of flights in/out of DCA are impractical for GA and only serve the bureaucracy. So yes, you're correct Brad - it can be done but for all intents and purposes...
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It's impractical for most of us, but for folks who's time is money big money, it might be worth it. I pass by Signature's ramp on the metro every day and there are always corporate jets out there. I've met a few corporate pilots who've flown in. If you're coming from a gateway airport anyway, and don't mind the expense of the screening fees and care and feeding of the ASO onboard, its probably worth it. Remember, many of these folks are Presidents and CEOs of major corporations, meeting with members of congress. It's just the cost of doing business...all of it.
 
Dulles is an easy in and out, even with VFR. Call the tower first and see what's a good time to stay out of the way of heavy traffic and you will probably get the runway right next to the FBO. Having many extra eyes will be good if you have to taxi across the airport.
 
Margy got this from the tower to give to her arriving pilots. It avoids the major airline pushes.

Arrive between:
before 630
0730-0900
0930-1100
1300-1430
1600-1640
1800-1930
2030-2130
or after 2230

I roundly ignore it. Sometimes I get hung up in the pushes, but it's usually not too bad. My favorite place to circle while waiting is directly over the PCT building.
 
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