Via Altoona (KAOO) to Cincinatti KLUK), any tips?

[Robert C.]

Hi gang,

Unless something drastically goes wrong I'm expecting to make a weekend trip (from KDXR in CT) to Cincinnati this coming weekend. Planning on parking at KLUK and having a luncheon stop at Altoona/Martinsburg, PA.

Anyone know anything about either airport and the local ATC practices I should know? Looked on AOPA and Airnav and everyone by and large said nice things about both.

Thanks in advance,

Robert

 

[gsengle]

All straightforward.. Flown into KLUK a number of times.

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[TWinter]

I stopped at KAOO for fuel last year on my way to New Hampshire.  Nice clean place, pretty quite.. Fuel was expensive though.

 

-Tom

[Robert C.]

Just now, TWinter said:

I stopped at KAOO for fuel last year on my way to New Hampshire.  Nice clean place, pretty quite.. Fuel was expensive though.

-Tom

Thanks Tom. Did you have lunch there? And was there any problem getting in/out of the terminal building as one pilot reported?

[Jerry 5TJ]

I flew my Ovation to Cincinnati last week.  Considered LUK but ended up at I69 nine miles east.  It was just as close to my meeting, and 100LL is a couple dollars cheaper per gallon there at Clermont County.  LUK is closest to downtown Cincinnati.  

[gsengle]

For what it's worth, KLUK is the ancestral home of American Airlines and has a if I recall pretty cool old time Art Deco terminal which has a restaurant etc

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[Hank]

The restaurant at LUK is pretty good, used to pop over for lunch sometimes. Just be careful taxiing to the restaurant parking,it's easy to get confused and end up back-taxiing 100' or so on a runway. The controllers don't like that . . .

Inside the old terminal is pretty cool. It's historic, and has an altitude record plane from the 30s hanging from the ceiling.

Never bought fuel there, it was only a 40-minute flight. Have a good trip.

[TWinter]

12 minutes ago, Robert C. said:

Thanks Tom. Did you have lunch there? And was there any problem getting in/out of the terminal building as one pilot reported?

No I don't remember anything special about it. I just remembered it being one of the higher price gas stops I made. I just stopped in, fueled up and headed out. The only reason I picked it as a stop was because it was right along my flight path and geographically worked well. I didn't check prices prior to stopping, but I was surprised when I paid the bill. 

 

-Tom

[Jeff_S]

Lunken is a fun little airport, and the old terminal is as they say...nice art deco style with a good restaurant right inside. My only recommendation is to pay attention to your Safe Taxi diagram on your G1000 when taxiing. I found their runway configurations to be quite confusing on the ground, especially if you're trying to distinguish takeoff on 21L or 25. Neither will kill you in a Mooney, but if you're cleared for one and takeoff on the other, Tower doesn't like it too much.  Don't ask me how I know that! 

[Robert C.]

Thanks guys. Very helpful.

The trip is in doubt at the moment. 2 strong fronts are making their way West-to-East and while I'm fairly confident that i can work my way around convection by going North the winds in the wake of the fronts are predicted to have 8-12kt cross-wind components, if not at KLUK than certainly on my return to KDXR.

8kts steady I'd probably consider within my personal minimums but if it gusts as is often the case after a frontal passage then it's easy to look at >10kts which I'm not quite ready for.

I'll probably decide tomorrow just before the hotel's no-cancellation fee deadline kicks in. 

[steingar]

Mooneys handle crosswinds just fine, but by all means be safe.  The good news is that the runways at LUK are long and wide.  Like everyone else said, it has a funky terminal building and a pretty good restaurant.  Taxing around can get a bit confusing, but the tower is pretty good about it.  Always a bit of a shock seeing terrain out my windows when I land there.

[Browncbr1]

Has anyone flown into KCVG?    If they are operating 36L/C/R, with a west wind that would be ok for the airlines, but not us, would they be able to work us in on rwy 27 without too much trouble?  any advice would be great.. 

[Browncbr1]

22 minutes ago, Robert C. said:

Thanks guys. Very helpful.

The trip is in doubt at the moment. 2 strong fronts are making their way West-to-East and while I'm fairly confident that i can work my way around convection by going North the winds in the wake of the fronts are predicted to have 8-12kt cross-wind components, if not at KLUK than certainly on my return to KDXR.

8kts steady I'd probably consider within my personal minimums but if it gusts as is often the case after a frontal passage then it's easy to look at >10kts which I'm not quite ready for.

I'll probably decide tomorrow just before the hotel's no-cancellation fee deadline kicks in. 

I'm in the same boat for saturday arrival, but may just drive since it's only 4 hours drive from here

Edited May 11, 2016 by Browncbr1