Las Vegas/Hover Dam/Grand Canyon family Trip

[schrambow]

Wife has scheduled me for a family trip to Vegas in early April with the 2 kids this year.  Instead of being cheap and taking the cattle cars out there, i was thinking on taking my 840, as this is why i have a plane?
She wants to fit Vegas, Hoover Dam, and Grand Canyon into this trip, she is a sucker for tourist spots and unfortunately doesn't like to listen to me much.

1st.  If i flew out to Vegas, do i go into MC Carran?  Or try Henderson?   Which FBO's to hit?   She wants me to rent a car to drive to the Dam too,  she wants to drive to the big hole in the ground also, but that is a 5 hour drive from Vegas area, so why not just fly into KGCN on the way back and hit that hole?  Can you get a car at KGCN?  Is that a good airport to go into it?   Anybody stay overnight in that area out there near the Canyon?  Can one spend a whole day out at the canyon?  I have flown over it but never saw it from the ground.
Anyways, I know i am asking a ton of questions here, but i thought i could get some good input on this future trip and your recommendations, even though the wife is very stubborn and insists if i fly into the canyon she is leaving me, which means "i would have to sell my airplanes eventually", she tells me.


 

[donv]

A couple of thoughts:

1) LAS. I have generally gone in to Atlantic at LAS, it is just so convenient-- basically walking distance to the strip. However, it is expensive, so I can see an argument for Henderson, depending on where you are staying. I've never flown into Henderson, so can't help you with that.

2) Hoover Dam. I did the tour years ago, and it was totally worthwhile. Even if you have to stand in a big line.

3) Grand Canyon. I was there last January-- maybe posted about it here? Anyway, perfectly nice airport on the south rim, there is some restricted airspace around there so look at the chart before going in, but otherwise no big deal. There is fuel there, not really an FBO but the local airline/sightseeing operation can help you out. I'm pretty sure there are rental cars there as well, but we took a taxi up to the canyon itself, and a taxi back. There is airline service into there, so that's why I'm pretty sure there are cars... but you may not need one.

I thought the canyon was really cool. There are several hotels right on the rim, and you can walk around and if you are feeling adventurious, even hike down into the canyon. There are also helicopter tours, etc.

We did it as a day trip (from Tucson) but I think I would have preferred to spend at least one night there.

Hope this is helpful!

[donv]

My thread from last year:

http://www.twincommandergroup.com/index.php?topic=1239.0

[Ndege]

Another option if you like sightseeing is to fly into Sedona airport - a fabulous airport on top of a mesa in the midst of stunning red rock country. There is a motel within walking distance and a very good restaurant right on the airport. It's a scenic 2.5 hour drive to the canyon, so fairly long day to go up and back, but you could spend the night at one of the cliff side hotels and return the next day which would give you plenty of time to visit the canyon.
There is a rental car company based at Sedona airport.

[donv]

Sedona is a great place. Worth a trip all on it's own.

[schrambow]

thanks for input guys,
trying to come up with a good plan here in the next week or two, appreciate your thoughts.

I have checked with Atlantic up in McCarren, and they have $176/night for overnight plus another $18 per night for some other fee as well,  Their fuel price is $6.19/gallon at the moment also.   I called Henderson FBO, they are $70.00/night overnight, and $4.66/ gallon fuel.  I didn't even bother with calling Signature at the moment.

Currently, it looks like i will probably choose Henderson and taxi/uber it up to the strip area, Might not even rent a car as its just too easy and convenient to get around that way on the ground, and probably will just book a tourist deal/bus with the dam also.
Also, i booked a hotel up near the canyon, "Yavapai Lodge - Inside the Park", so the last day, we will leave a day early from Vegas and fly into KGCN for an overnight there.  I like that Sedona recommendation also, however, the wife booked all these days in Vegas already so might have to look Sedona up on another trip.
Might even be able to make it home without a stop if we get favorable winds from KGCN!  I like the flying part probably even more than any of the ground stuff we will be doing, lol.

[donv]

Sounds like a great plan. I will have to try Henderson next time I go down there, whenever that is.

Atlantic LAS used to be much more reasonable in the past, but I guess those days are gone. In general, Atlantic's have seem to become much more expensive over the last few years. They used to offer good deals through CAA, but that relationship is no more.

[Adam Frisch]

The Henderson FBO is really nice and they have good service. Only flown to LAS Atlantic as a passenger.

[Bruce Byerly]

I don’t have much to add on Henderson vs anywhere other than Atlantic and Siggy are hopefully  avoidable ...

Just make sure you take the Commander!

[kent4142]

My advice Buddy - just do "EVERYTHING" your wife says!  Period!!!

The last time I was at the Grand Canyon it snowed so hard I couldn't see my hand outstretched in front of my face!!!!

The time before that was around 1975.  A friend and I flew up from San Diego in a Beech Travel Air and we hiked to the North Rim and Back.  Those were the days!!!


REPEAT AFTER ME.  "I love my wife and children way more than "ANY" airplane"!!!!  REPEAT, REPEAT!!!


                we want you to be able to keep the airplane!

[Roy]

Is that Elvis in the pilot seat of that TravelAire?!


 

[schrambow]

Stopped in Colorado Springs for a fuel stop and to spend the night monday.  Cutter Aviation was very good here, plus there is a nice hotel within walking distance and a nice restaurant/museum as well with eating in the KC97 aircraft.  Was a nice unexpected treat and the kids liked it so much for supper, we had to stay until 11am the next day to eat lunch there also. There is also an elderly guy (Bob) who eats every day there for lunch and has his own table-  is 96 years old and will talk your ear off on anything aviation.  He was in WW2 and Korea and did some teaching i think in the area as well here.  The kids and wife wanted to keep talking with him, but i said we should leave him alone and our lunch was getting cold ourselves. Phots below are wife and bob, and us in front of the restaurant.

[schrambow]

flew out of colorado springs tuesday for Henderson.  It got a bit bumpy at 20K over the Eastern side of the rockies.  Wife got a bit nervious and opened some wine up and that calmed her down, and i climbed up to 24K and it smoothed out nice even though the ground speed dropped pretty good!  They gave me a quick STAR coming into henderson right while i was taking pictures of the canyon, so i was fumbling a bit but got on it and made a VFR approach into Henderson.  That terrain sure sticks up on the south side of that airport, but it was a clear fun day and the airport has alot of parking also.
I been to Vegas 3 other times in the distance past, it is interesting to say the least. Being from Rural Wisconsin for most of my life it is amazing for the kids to see the craziness here. Witnessing states also still somewhat on mask/covid restrictions was good for all to see also.  It makes everyone in my party very appreciated of the place and community we live in, even though it is "in the sticks".
So many interesting stories, and traffic, 1 hour waits for taxi's, large linq wheel ride, Fremont street, etc... everyone should visit this place at least once in their life time i believe.
Anyways, we are leaving for KGCN tomorrow and hopefully getting a ride out to the southern rim.  The FBO guy says most services are still shut down on transportation out there, but he assured that someone will give us a ride out there if we land there for fuel stop. 
Its an adventure, so we will land out there anyways, and if we get transportation out to the rim- great- if not we will take on more fuel to make it back home.
I just love our machine(840), and feel so spoiled to be able to do a trip like this in it.
I will post some canyon pictures tomorrow also if we make it out there.

[donv]

Nice!

My daughter lives in Colorado Springs, so I've been to that museum and eaten at that KC-97 restaurant a few times. It's really a great museum and well worth the visit.

[schrambow]

yes, i liked Colorado Springs, wished i had more time to see other places in the area.

Flight from Henderson to GCN was a quick 30 minutes.  One sure doesn't get many cloudy days out in that part of the country it seems.
Landed behind a phenom at GCN and talked with Jack at the FBO on the field.  Jack's wife i think took the Phenom passengers (whom rented the jet for the first time for this trip to visit the canyon) in her car to the south rim.  All Jack had left was his old beater wood chipping truck with 200K miles on it.  I felt just like back home in the rig and it provided perfect transportation out to the south rim for the family.  I have never seen the first hand views of the canyon, was just incredible and mind blowing of the size of it, pictures don't do it justice as one has to experience just looking into the canyon with your own eyes i believe.  Wish we could have hiked a mile or two down into it, but the wife is not much of a hiker- and we really weren't prepared correctly with any type of gear either though.
Grabbed a quick lunch in the village and back to the airport for a quick 4 hour flight back home to Fond Du Lac.  Took a couple of photos on the way out here crossing the south rim, was a pretty neat view from the air also.
No taxi's, no rental cars, etc... Jack was such a nice guy letting us use his truck, was greatly appreciated by us also.
Beautiful flight back at FL270 all the way home, clear almost all the way, except when entering Wisconsin of course, there has to be clouds in that state because that are the rules for the great lakes area. 
Thanks to Bruce/Scott/Tim/Ryan and crew who fixed our pressurization leaks at our last 150 hour, the machine holds a steady 5.2 ish which give us a little over 9K cabin attitude at FL270, works perfect now and stays steady too!
Was a fun flight with the aircraft and looking to using it more too on personal trips instead of all just company stuff.