The Pilot's Camping Directory
This handy guide contains everything you need to know to go camping with your airplane. Includes 100 airports with camping facilities.
This handy guide contains everything you need to know to go camping with your airplane. Includes 100 airports with camping facilities.
Ever wondered how aviation and nature go together? Or how to be a pilot on a budget? There is a way, and it's as easy as reading our book. Imagine the AFD on steroids, with information not only on airports and runways, but nearby camping opportunities, town or city background data, and restaurants, as well. You'll find everything you need-VFR airport sketches, communications data, airspace, operational procedures, weather data sources, and NAVAIDS-as well as all the travel information that you wish the AFD had.
The book's special focus is on camping: we include approximately 100 airports where you can either camp with your plane or walk to a nearby campground. Detailed instructions on getting to campgrounds are included, as are facilities and fees.
If airport camping sounds somewhat mysterious to you, don't worry, the book covers what you need to do, bring, and keep in mind as you explore this very special type of aviation vacation.
Sample Page [PDF]
If you're thinking about airport camping, but haven't tried it yet, consider the following benefits:
People often complain about the routine of day-to-day life, which might, if you're not careful, extend to your vacation, as well. A vacation that advertises solitude and adventure might very well end up looking more like packed hotels, tightly scheduled tours, and crowds of people jostling to get a better view of an already overrun attraction. Fortunately, there's a cure for the common vacation, and it has aviation written all over it. If you're looking for adventure, airport camping is the real deal, from the time you make your flight plan to the time you pitch your tent in a solitary grove of trees near a remote and wild airport. The thrill of being completely self-reliant in an untouched place is not for the faint-of-heart, but that's not why you got your pilot's license in the first place, is it? There's no better way to truly explore your surroundings than to fly and camp.
Flying airplanes is a privilege that, as many pilots know, comes with a price. Between steadily increasing AvGas rates, rental costs, and maintenance, many pilots have precious little money left over when they want to go on a weekend trip or flying vacation. If you're plane camping, that's not a problem at all: simply pack your tent and gear within CG limits, take off, and enjoy your stay.
Flying is a way of getting intimate with the sky. On the same token, camping is an excellent way to get close to the land you're staying on. Call it grassroots traveling, or being close to nature-either way, camping near your plane keeps you in touch with a very hands-on experience of both travel and aviation.
Some people fly private to get places faster. Others fly private to avoid the drag of commercial airports. Still others fly for the raw adventure of it, to experience places from a vantage point few people ever get to see. This latter group of explorers consists of people who appreciate rugged beauty both from the sky and on land. From the delicate, snow-dusted topography of the Sierra Nevadas to the spectacular fall foilage in New England, the United States is full of natural wonders that look even better from an aviator's eagle-eye view.
It's no surprise that a fair amount of aviators are also avid outdoorspeople. What better way to appreciate the untouched beauty of a place than from above? And, once you land, you can immerse yourself directly into places that are often too remote to comfortably drive to. With the aid of a tent and a few supplies, your experience on land can be almost as breathtaking as what you see from the sky, with nothing around you but a few planes and pure, untouched nature. If this appeals to you, and the pilot in you is also the explorer in you, then our book will be an invaluable resource.
One thing that you can't beat about aviation is all the driving time it saves. While your non-pilot friends are agonizing their way to remote destinations by spending all day in a car, you're there in an hour or two. Now, imagine further prolonging the experiences that you love-flying, experiencing a new place-while eradicating those that make travel difficult, like waiting in line to check into a hotel, or loading all of your stuff into a cab. That's what camping will do for you. Not only will you save travel time, but you'll save the anxiety of staying in a hotel you've never visited, trying to find a cab, and repeatedly loading and unloading your luggage.
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