Member favorites
Your picks for best places to fly
The AOPA Pilot Information Center asked forum participants to share their favorite places to fly. The responses were varied—and extremely tantalizing. In this, our annual “Destinations” issue, it seems appropriate to share what our members say are their favorite places to fly. What’s yours? Respond to the AOPA PIC forum (pic.aopa.org) or send to [email protected]. Let’s all go flying this year!
“Pacific City State Airport (PFC), Oregon. River at one end, road guard rail at the other end. Fun to land at with a great breakfast diner called Grateful Bread a short walk away.” —Larry Howe
Lake County Airport (LXV), Colorado. “The highest [public-use] airport in the USA at 9,934 feet. The weather is gorgeous, the air is so clean you can see for 30 miles, and the snow-capped Rocky Mountains tower over us, even though we are at almost at FL10. The place just takes your breath away.” —Diane Gaskill
“Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR), Maryland. Modern, well-run, on-site museum, and great FBO, it has everything in a beautiful setting. High marks also go to Lancaster (LNS) and nearby Reading (RDG) in Pennsylvania. —Robert Carhart
“Sedona Airport (SEZ), Arizona. The view coming from the east is spectacular.” —Christopher McGeary
“Chino Airport (CNO), California. Controllers are great, 150-foot-wide runways for taildragger instruction and pattern work. Flo’s is a great restaurant.” —Russell Owens
“Arcadia Municipal Airport (X06), Florida, is my favorite airport. The airport has shaded parking for your airplane under the trees. There are BBQ grills, a fire pit, restrooms, a courtesy van, and camping spots. They have the lowest fuel prices around and have a very friendly staff.” —Lamberto Roscioli
“Cabin Creek Airport (I08), Idaho. I flew my Maule from North Carolina to McCall, Idaho, in 2016 for some refresher backcountry mountain/canyon flying training. I loved the approach and landing at Cabin Creek.” —Andrew Meranda
“Red Creek Airstrip, Arizona. It is the most secluded and comfortable strip imaginable. Just 35 minutes from Phoenix in a super quiet wilderness area with minimum but adequate camping facilities. Approach and landing not for the faint of heart or untrained but well worth it! Don’t do it on a hot day!” —James Stark
“Pecos Municipal Airport (PEQ), Texas. Halfway between Houston and Phoenix, good gas prices (usually), and some of the best homemade burritos I’ve ever had in the hangar fridge (free with fuel, donation appreciated).” —Stefan Murry
“Wiscasset Airport (IWI), Maine. A great little airport. You can spend days scarfing the best seafood anywhere at Wiscasset, Boothbay Harbor, and surrounding little places. You get so tired of lobster, you switch over to scallops. Make sure to eat at Red’s [Eats], secondary choice is Sprague’s [Lobster], and if it is really cold and you think you gotta eat inside, Sarah’s [Cafe] is OK too. —Joe Stubblefield
“Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF), Florida. The best little live-work-play-sail-fly on the Davis Islands; Tampa’s downtown airport is five minutes from everything.” —Neil Cosentino
“College Park Airport (CGS), Maryland. Very nice little airport on the metro line into Washington, D.C. Friendly staff and a neat little aviation museum on the field.” —James Janaitis
“What transcends all of the favorites is the privilege we have to be able to fly pretty much where we want and to expand our knowledge and understanding of people, places, and flying.” —James Meer“Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), Alaska. Always a beautiful arrival or departure over the mountains and bay. Challenging weather any time of the year. Satisfaction on a successful touchdown and roll out. Great ATC and a culinary delight on layover.” —Tim Kavanaugh
“Nemacolin Airport (PA88), Pennsylvania. It can be challenging to find, nestled in the trees, and the chateau blocks its view from the west. It is a VFR-only airport and you have to have permission to land. Can be a tricky place to land but a real nice setting.” —Larry Clark
“Aeroflex-Andover Airport (12N), New Jersey. With lakes on both ends of the runway and both asphalt and grass strips to choose from.” —Michael Darder
“Key Field Airport (MEI), Mississippi. The FBO is simply outstanding, great service, great hot dogs! You are always met upon arrival with a smile and a southern hello. They have a very clean, modern facility, good prices on fuel, and they will help however they can. Their hangar rates are excellent, and they are a true pleasure to work with.” —James Hyde
“Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK), California. Super challenging mountain airport, soft field landings on snow, unexpected wildlife on runways; coming in over Donner Pass you need to lose a lot of altitude to get into the pattern, unexpected downdrafts on some runways, tricky mountain flying but totally awesome!” —Michael Bruner
“Block Island State Airport (BID), Rhode Island. Beautiful New England island!” —Jonathan Rosenberg
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