Best Airport for Grapevine?

[Jeff_S]

Hey all.  I may need to be at the Gaylord in Grapevine in late June.  What’s the best Mooney-friendly airport in the vicinity?  Thx!

[hammdo]

Alliance/Perot KAFW probably makes the most sense. Can take hwy 114 to hwy 26. Others would be KGPM (Grand Prairie) or KGKY (Arlington). KAFW has a nice FBO and Mooney Safety Foundation does their 3 day course here…

That is if you want to avoid flying into DFW ;o)

-Don

[McMooney]

Grand Prairie, KGPM, has an awesome restaurant.   also you may get to see some shiny helicopters 

KGKY and KGPM are literally across the street from one another

[Jeff_S]

Many thanks…I’ll check them all out!

[trevttu76]

Grand Praire or Arlington Municipal are closest and both are GA friendly.   I've been based at both.  

Holler if you need any more info.

[LANCECASPER]

On 6/2/2023 at 10:25 PM, McMooney said:

KGKY and KGPM are literally across the street from one another

They are close for sure, but definitely not across the street. Airnav shows them 3nm apart. I've landed at both many times. KGKY has better services. KGPM always had better fuel prices. When I used to fly up for Rangers or Cowboys games I'd go into KGKY since they would drop me off and I'd get a taxi back after the game. Now with Uber and Lyft it wouldn't make much difference. 

If you need to be in Grapevine don 't rule out KDFW. I've landed there quite a few times and it's been very easy. It's been awhile but the last landing fee I paid there was $25 I think and fuel wasn't as crazy as you would have thought it would be. 

[Greg Ellis]

On 6/5/2023 at 11:09 AM, LANCECASPER said:

They are close for sure, but definitely not across the street. Airnav shows them 3nm apart. I've landed at both many times. KGKY has better services. KGPM always had better fuel prices. When I used to fly up for Rangers or Cowboys games I'd go into KGKY since they would drop me off and I'd get a taxi back after the game. Now with Uber and Lyft it wouldn't make much difference. 

If you need to be in Grapevine don 't rule out KDFW. I've landed there quite a few times and it's been very easy. It's been awhile but the last landing fee I paid there was $25 I think and fuel wasn't as crazy as you would have thought it would be. 

So, a look at DFW fees for GA.... $95 landing fee not waived with fuel purchase.  100LL is $9.19 per gal.  Even though it would be cool to fly in with the big guys....I think I would go somewhere else.

[LANCECASPER]

2 minutes ago, Greg Ellis said:

So, a look at DFW fees for GA.... $95 landing fee not waived with fuel purchase.  100LL is $9.19 per gal.  Even though it would be cool to fly in with the big guys....I think I would go somewhere else.

Ouch, it's been a few years since I went in there.

[Will.iam]

Yea i did the dfw experience just to say i did it. Airport landing fee was like $3.19 chump change to the FBO parking fee of $95 and that is strictly per 24 hour period, i was 26 hours and it was $190 no prorated for hours not used, then they proceeded to tell me that they close at midnight and don’t open till 7am and some freight haulers had started landing and picking up freight from 1am to 4am and then blasting off before 7am. I was like with no prorated fees and how high they are i would do the same thing too. It normally takes me 25 mins to get to the airport and flight time would be 7 mins or less as our airport is right under the 18R ils but that day they had a runway change to the north  and they vectored me damn near waco before clearing me to land 36L with best forward speed i was like a left down wind to base would have been way less disruptive to airline flow than to stick me on an 18 mile final and then demand i floor it because you could not clear me visually or allow me to land on 31L. So 1 hour flight time later I’m finally landing on the runway. Next day to add insult to injury they switch the runway back around again so what would have been a 7 min flight was going to be a vectoring nightmare until I cancelled ifr and went VFR and got home in 17 mins but i see why no GA planes are ever seen at dfw anymore, it’s faster to drive there and much cheaper. 
did get a wing picture of Z bridge while waiting for an Abus 319 to pass by. 

[T. Peterson]

22 hours ago, Will.iam said:

Yea i did the dfw experience just to say i did it. Airport landing fee was like $3.19 chump change to the FBO parking fee of $95 and that is strictly per 24 hour period, i was 26 hours and it was $190 no prorated for hours not used, then they proceeded to tell me that they close at midnight and don’t open till 7am and some freight haulers had started landing and picking up freight from 1am to 4am and then blasting off before 7am. I was like with no prorated fees and how high they are i would do the same thing too. It normally takes me 25 mins to get to the airport and flight time would be 7 mins or less as our airport is right under the 18R ils but that day they had a runway change to the north  and they vectored me damn near waco before clearing me to land 36L with best forward speed i was like a left down wind to base would have been way less disruptive to airline flow than to stick me on an 18 mile final and then demand i floor it because you could not clear me visually or allow me to land on 31L. So 1 hour flight time later I’m finally landing on the runway. Next day to add insult to injury they switch the runway back around again so what would have been a 7 min flight was going to be a vectoring nightmare until I cancelled ifr and went VFR and got home in 17 mins but i see why no GA planes are ever seen at dfw anymore, it’s faster to drive there and much cheaper. 
did get a wing picture of Z bridge while waiting for an Abus 319 to pass by. 

Will, yore crazy! 
Landing at DFW just for the experience is like poking a pencil in your eye just for the experience!

[Will.iam]

23 hours ago, T. Peterson said:

Will, yore crazy! 
Landing at DFW just for the experience is like poking a pencil in your eye just for the experience!

I will say the black limo that took me to terminal C and back to the flight line for my flight was nice but not $190 nice. Also missed a photo op from the the taxiway as it was south flow taxi so we did not go pass the GA flight line. 

[StevoInTexas]

Alliance/Perot KAFW probably makes the most sense. Can take hwy 114 to hwy 26. Others would be KGPM (Grand Prairie) or KGKY (Arlington). KAFW has a nice FBO and Mooney Safety Foundation does their 3 day course here…
That is if you want to avoid flying into DFW ;o)
-Don

How far is Denton regional / KDTO?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hammdo]

Just up the road north on 35W or 35E . 35W takes you to Ft Worth side of the metroplex. 35E takes yo to the Dallas side of the metroplex. It’s about a 15 minute drive from Alliance (KAFW).

I will say, one of the DTO controllers is a real gem, well you’ll get the idea if you get her and you not ‘up to speed on DTO ops’… She’ll do ‘google fu’ on you ;o)

She even made news:

https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-googled-it-air-traffic-controller-dragged-for-telling-veteran-pilot-how-to-land

-Don

[Fly Boomer]

1 hour ago, hammdo said:

Just up the road north on 35W or 35E . 35W takes you to Ft Worth side of the metroplex. 35E takes yo to the Dallas side of the metroplex. It’s about a 15 minute drive from Alliance (KAFW).

I will say, one of the DTO controllers is a real gem, well you’ll get the idea if you get her and you not ‘up to speed on DTO ops’… She’ll do ‘google fu’ on you ;o)

She even made news:

https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-googled-it-air-traffic-controller-dragged-for-telling-veteran-pilot-how-to-land

-Don

Apparently, the petition to get rid of her didn't work?

[Shadrach]

1 hour ago, hammdo said:

Just up the road north on 35W or 35E . 35W takes you to Ft Worth side of the metroplex. 35E takes yo to the Dallas side of the metroplex. It’s about a 15 minute drive from Alliance (KAFW).

I will say, one of the DTO controllers is a real gem, well you’ll get the idea if you get her and you not ‘up to speed on DTO ops’… She’ll do ‘google fu’ on you ;o)

She even made news:

https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-googled-it-air-traffic-controller-dragged-for-telling-veteran-pilot-how-to-land

-Don

 

19 minutes ago, Fly Boomer said:

Apparently, the petition to get rid of her didn't work?

Yow and her last name is Mooney…No relation…I hope.

[hammdo]

2000 votes - that’s a lot of DFW pilots. I’ve been with pilots that had that ‘experience’. Not a pro at all. One time was enough for me and I stopped training there…

Brandy at KGYI is an absolute pro. Met her and talked to the tower group. Great place to train - So are the controllers at KHQZ and KGGG (where Maxwells resides). DFW controllers are fantastic too along with ft.  worth center. We’re really blessed here in DFW - with this one exception…

-Don

[LANCECASPER]

On 2/17/2024 at 3:31 PM, Shadrach said:

 

Yow and her last name is Mooney…No relation…I hope.

Perhaps her tail is on backwards