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I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

kgrant

New member
Supporting Member
Bolivar, MO
Aircraft Year
1977
Aircraft Type
112TCA
Reg Number
N4645W
Serial Number
13175
Had to go here for mtgs for years. Always wanted to try it. With the Avidyne FMS -- it's simple. Just "keep your speed up"...... k
 

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Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

Where is LAS?
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

vegas.
The closest i've come to it is St. George, Utah ..in '95 in an Arrow ..
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

Kelly, next time you come out to LAS, try HND instead. It's considerably more GA friendly, and if you call ahead, they will have a shuttle (usually a limo) waiting for you (no charge) to take you to your destination downtown.
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

How did they treat you? I always go into HND , busy but more GA friendly.
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

Interesting we were just there as well last week. We went into KHND instead.
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

I always fly into HND but it is usually bumpy as hell...aaargh...wonder if LAS would be better? Also, thought I might try North Las Vegas airport. Winds at even 10-15 knots in the mountains north of Searchlight, just before HND are not for the faint of heart. Flew in there last year in 25-30 knots inadvertently, ATC asked if I had high wind 'something, something' for my plane?? I said NO - but whatever he was asking about, I wish I had...ha ha. Landed safely, went straight to the bar...it's now a habit when I fly into Vegas. LOL
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

We flew in there from KWJF and as you said the winds and the thermals were strong. At one point in our decent, we had a nose down attitude but the airplane was in a climb. We fought our way down from about 9500ft. It was interesting. On leaving though, we left rather early in the morning to beat the heat.
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

I usually come into Vegas from the west over the mountains and we get beat up pretty good from about 13000 down until we cross the range. If you come in from the south up the valley and stay towards the east its not near as bad or from over Lake Powell (never come from the east over the lake, but Ive heard pireps and talked to guys that have.

Tim
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

Kelly, next time you come out to LAS, try HND instead. It's considerably more GA friendly, and if you call ahead, they will have a shuttle (usually a limo) waiting for you (no charge) to take you to your destination downtown.

Vince-
That's the point. LAS was the goal. Rode in here many times in the alum tubes. Always wanted to do it myself.
Atlantic is great. ATC brought me in with no delays and ground taxi was a breeze. Helps to know the layout before coming. Probably won't be a regular but I'll always have this one on my bucket list!
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

LAS is one BUSY place. Flown into N. Las Vegas and Henderson. As the others have said, HND is the best. Summertime the thermals are bad everywhere in the desert areas!
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

What do North Las Vegas and Henderson have for landing and tie down fees?
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

Hnd used to waive first night with fuel, and I think it was 10 a night after that. No landing fee's. Hertz and one other rental car on site (think Enterprise)
Always been nice to me ! Used to fly in there a lot for business , but thankfully not these days.
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

I had an oxygen tank filled at HND and found out later that they had exchanged it for one that had expired. Make sure your name is on the tank.

Life is a barrel of fun.

Ken
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

Yep, not too friendly...restaurant sucks, sorry to say, and they don't pick the 'little guys' up on the ramp in a timely fashion. ATC there are not very friendly and Apex Aviation tried to rip me off also. It's a county FBO so that is part of the problem....oh well, it is Vegas!
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

Last time I flew into LAS it was as a flight of seven OH-58A Kiowa Army helicopters - somewhere around 1982. We were on the next-to-last leg of a fairly eventful cross-country mission...

We had taken 7 OH-58s from Ft Ord, CA to Corpus Christi, TX to be overhauled, then flew commercial to Ft Polk, LA where an aviation unit was being de-commissioned. We were to pick up seven replacement OH-58s from them. Those aircraft were complete dogs! Our maintenance guys had already spent six weeks trying to get them up to snuff, but when we did the daily inspections (crew chiefs) and pre-flights (pilots), we wrote up multiple pages of major discrepancies. I have never seen such poorly maintained aircraft. After a week of the local guys pushing back, not wanting to spend any more money out of their budgets to fix the aircraft, I had a lengthy conversation with our commander back at Ft Ord. He spent a day going back and forth with Army HQ, and was basically told "You take those aircraft -- as is, where is -- or do without." So we made plans to fly to Ft Hood, TX where there was a major repair station for the Army that could make at least some of the repairs, then on to Ft Bliss, TX where they could (hopefully) do the rest.

On our first planned 3-hour flight leg, we had three precautionary landings (2 transmission chip detector lights, and one transmission oil overheat light). Corrected those issues with "field repairs" and eventually made it to Ft Hood, where they spent a full day making "emergency repairs" so we could fly on to El Paso. Two more days in El Paso got the aircraft into somewhat reasonable condition. (At least we finally had enough working radios to actually be able to communicate with all seven aircraft, without having to relay from one to another on different types of radios.

A week after we left Louisiana, we were flying towards Bakersfield, and had to divert to Las Vegas because of weather. (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)

It was fun to fly in as a flight of 7 in very tight formation, and do all the pedal-turns on command. After we got everything tied down for the night, we had a ceremonial group slot machine pull (lined everyone up side-by-side, and we each put in a quarter and pulled the levers together). There were 14 of us, and ALL 14 won something on that pull. After spending the night at the Holiday Inn (where else would you stay in Vegas - LOL), we repeated the ceremony. Typical Las Vegas -- taking the last few quarters from our group -- this time ALL 14 of us lost. Pretty funny, actually.

Any way, that was my most recent "personally flown" flight to LAS. Not exactly GA, but...
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

Hnd used to waive first night with fuel, and I think it was 10 a night after that. No landing fee's. thankfully not these days.

No changes - still the same.
 
Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

I was two nights. They hauled me on a golf cart halfway across the airport to fill my O2 tanks. I don't think they have too much demand for piston O2 anymore.

Ate at their restaurant yesterday afternoon. Probably the best $10 burger in Vegas.

Atlantic waived the fees since I bought 40 gallons of liquid gold. For the location and facility, I was happy. They also shuttled me to the strip twice. But everyone really catered to me and the guys on the line were fascinated with my airplane. I got a lot less service at Double Eagle today coming home.
 
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Re: I can cross LAS off the bucket list....

Kelly,
I flew into LAS many times back in the 70's & 80's and stayed at the Tropicana. It is not the airport that I remember after looking at your photos and a current Google map of the airport. You did a good job going for it with no problems but these days I go to much smaller airports due to fuel cost & fees at the larger airports. I did land at north Las Vegas once many years ago with no issues but now we go to Laughlin.
Take care,
Bob
 
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