air•port (âr´port´) n. a tract of land or water with facilities for the landing, takeoff, shelter, supply, and repair of aircraft.
It is a gorgeous starlit night. All is well on this cross-country flight, except winds aloft are much stronger than forecast so you decide to make a fuel stop. You click the mic five times in as many seconds, and the runway environment illuminates to guide you in for a smooth landing. Pilot, passengers, and aircraft refueled, you are off again. Deciding at which airport to land is a snap with a copy of the 2000 AOPA's Airport Directory on board. Providing information in a simple format is the key to the usefulness of AOPA's Airport Directory. There is no going back and forth between listing and legend to decipher the information. It is quite straightforward. A total of 5,433 public-use airports are arranged alphabetically by state, city, and airport name, and more than 5,400 aviation businesses and fixed-base operators (FBOs) are listed in alphabetical order with the associated airports. Runway diagrams are included for the almost 2,700 airports with instrument approaches. An index of landing facilities by name is located on page 3-590. Airport elevation, communication frequencies, and other safety-related information such as obstructions on the approach to each runway, as well as notes regarding nonstandard traffic patterns and noise-abatement procedures, are categorized by subject with the headings highlighted in boldface type.
Anything else you might need to plan a flight? The 2000 directory includes more than 34,000 entries for restaurants, lodging, and ground transportation. It is a prominent source of contact information for private-use landing facilities and aviation organizations and type clubs. You can also look up air traffic control and National Weather Service telephone numbers or three-letter identifiers for weather reporting facilities. Ever wanted to fly to some exotic destination? Daydreams become reality when you plan an international flight with the Mexican and Caribbean airport listings beginning on page 2-17, or you may want to just hop across the Northern border to visit our neighbors in Canada. If you are uncertain about customs procedures you can dig into the international operations section beginning on page 2-1. Need a refresher on airspace etiquette? You can brush up by checking locations of Class B and Class C airports, including operating rules and regulations for flights conducted in that airspace.
If that is not enough, AOPA members can now access this entire database for free on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/members/airports/). All that's required is a one-time registration and voilà, you are ready to check the latest information and updates. AOPA's Airport Directory Online also provides the ability to search for airports to which you can make the hundred-dollar hamburger run or get that personal weather briefing with the flight service station (FSS) specialist on the field. You can even look up who will allow you to pitch a tent under the wing, or you may simply narrow down who has jet fuel, avionics repairs, or U.S. Customs service. The online directory can also tell you what airports are within a 50-mile radius of your destination. It is also part of AOPA's Online Flight Planning Service, which makes it easy to select a destination, get a briefing, and file a flight plan all in one session (see " Preflight Central," October 1999 Pilot).
So, how would you use all this valuable data in preparing for a cross-country flight? Let's embark on a flight from AOPA's home base at Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK) in Maryland to Kansas City Downtown Airport (MKC) in Missouri.
First, locate the information for the destination. We look up Kansas City in Missouri or check the index to search the airport by name. Either way we find the listing on page 3-304 and note that MKC can be found on the Kansas City sectional chart and the L6 and L21 low-altitude en route charts. We notice that the airport has several instrument approaches and has a VOR on the field. The automatic terminal information service and automated surface observation system telephone numbers are helpful in determining airport and weather conditions before launching on this flight. There is plenty of information regarding ground transportation and hotels near the airport. Of several FBOs, two offer 100LL and jet fuel. We could make our choice depending on our preference of fuel brand, hours of operation, or availability of computerized weather. Both fuel providers participate in AOPA's 3-percent FBO rebate program as denoted by the icon preceding their listings (see " AOPA's FBO Rebate Program," p. 90).
Second, we go online to the AOPA flight plan function ( www.aopa.org/members/plan.html) to check our route and aircraft performance statistics. A no-wind flight plan calculates five hours and 27 minutes of flight time and 89 gallons of fuel consumption in the Beech Bonanza example that we are using. Both fuel and time are beyond our endurance, so a fuel stop along the route must be planned.
Third, we select the fuel stop. Page 1-31 in AOPA's Airport Directory provides a nice overview of aeronautical chart coverage in the United States. A visual depiction makes it easy to select required charts for this journey, which traverses several states. We notice that the halfway point of our flight is located near Victor Airway 44 (V44) along the border between Indiana and Kentucky. An online search for airports in those states with a restaurant on field and an instrument approach results in a number of suitable airports along our route. We choose Bowman Field (LOU) in Kentucky. Punching in the flight plan with this information shows a nice break well before our personal three-hour limit. LOU has an FSS on the field, so we will be able to get a weather update in person. From the Web, we can print the listing and airport diagram for further study.
Fourth, what information in the general sections of the airport directory can be helpful for this flight? For an IFR trip, it may be nice to know that a VOR receiver check can be made at MKC. Page 1-31 lists a ground-based VOR test facility (VOT) on frequency 108.6 MHz. We will traverse several Class B airspace areas, so it might be useful to jot down the telephone numbers on pages 1-27 through 1-29 for these air traffic control facilities. You never know when that cell phone call could save the day in case of an unexpected communications or transponder failure. If you'd like to get an in-depth weather picture, you can call an FSS specialist situated at a facility along your route before you take to the sky. Telephone numbers for FSS locations are provided beginning on page 1-16. Page 1-18 also lists the addresses for specialized aviation weather Web sites issuing forecasts of all the nasty things that can bite you in the air. The Save-a-Connie Museum is located right at the airport, according to local attractions for MKC. We can find all of the necessary contact information — including an e-mail and Web address — for this organization in the Associations and Type Clubs listings on page 1-13.
Fifth, pack your flight bag with AOPA's Airport Directory and take off.
How often does AOPA update this much information? The answer: daily. In 1962, when the first airport directory was published, AOPA assigned staff to work exclusively on the project. In contrast to that first edition, which was a simple paper compilation of several hundred fields of information updated manually, the directory staff now uses computers, scanners, and a sophisticated pagination system to churn and compile thousands of airport and FBO data bits into a readable format. Some 20,000 annual questionnaires to airport and FBO managers are still the backbone for database corrections. These and additional changes received via telephone, fax, and e-mail are made every day now that the online directory has rendered a once-a-year release of the database a thing of the past.
The directory's inaugural edition was aimed at providing general aviation pilots much-needed information on landing facilities throughout the United States. AOPA's Airport Directory 2000 still continues that tradition after 39 years.
For further information, please write to AOPA's Airport Directory, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701, or send e-mail to [email protected]. AOPA members may elect to receive a free copy of the airport directory by checking a box on their annual renewal form. The 2000 edition was mailed during December 1999. Additional copies of AOPA's Airport Directory are available from Sporty's Pilot Shop. Please call 800/SPORTYS (776-7897).
Machteld A. Smith is director of AOPA's Airport Directory.
AOPA's FBO Rebate Program
A 3-percent rebate paid by AOPA credit card issuer MBNA America Bank applies to any purchase made with an AOPA Visa or MasterCard at any qualified FBO in the United States (excluding Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands). The FBO must be listed in AOPA's Airport Directory and sell fuel and/or rent aircraft. A 3% icon in the margin beside the business listing indicates that the retailer is qualified under the program. Qualified FBOs are also identified in the online directory. The program excludes operations under FAR Parts 121 or 135. To request the addition of an FBO to the program, call 888/USA-AOPA, or visit AOPA's Web site ( www.aopa.org/info/certified/creditcards.html). — MAS
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