Diamond Fly In Loveland, CO (KFNL) 8/21/2021

[Boatguy]

The transient parking looks limited. @Rich - have you checked with the FBO?

[Rich]

I contacted the FBO again to confirm our dates and tiedown situation. They have plenty. Something like 20-30. Overnight tiedown fees will probably be completely waived, as lots of us will be buying fuel.

[ememic99]

I contacted the FBO again to confirm our dates and tiedown situation. They have plenty. Something like 20-30. Overnight tiedown fees will probably be completely waived, as lots of us will be buying fuel.

For us in Europe this sounds like science fiction. Our fly-ins are pretty hard to organize because of limited number of GA parking places on many airports (practically any airport that has CAT). Landing and handling fees for below 2-ton aircraft can go as high as $400 (recently I paid $200 for landing & handling at 45 min refueling stop LIEE in Italy and I expect $250 in few days at LGKF in Greece). There's no way some airport would waive fees if you buy fuel. Some airports charge you additional $50 if you buy less than 50 gallons of fuel. And fuel prices in Europe and US are incomparable. For IFR flying, if your aircraft is above 2 tons, Eurocontrol charges you for using the airways - depending on weight and distance it's between $150 and $250 per flight hour. That's why, for us in Europe, US looks like flying paradise.

[Donkadillapig]

Not for nothing but just to back up Emir's point.
As an ex-pat Brit living in the USA, The States truly is pretty close to aviation paradise!! We should all remember that as often as allows
Sadly, a Colorado fly-in is a tad outside my low time capabilities from the East Coast, even though my fantastic airplane would head that way in a heartbeat lol
Maybe next year.

[photoSteveZ]

Not for nothing but just to back up Emir's point.
As an ex-pat Brit living in the USA, The States truly is pretty close to aviation paradise!! We should all remember that as often as allows
Sadly, a Colorado fly-in is a tad outside my low time capabilities from the East Coast, even though my fantastic airplane would head that way in a heartbeat lol
Maybe next year.

Don’t write this event off just yet. KFNL is on the high plains, east of all the Rocky Mountains cumulogranite: no mountain flying required. Yes, it’s at 5000’ MSL, but it’s got a nice, long runway so DA is manageable. While you’re here I’d be happy to give you a mountain flying orientation, or you could arrange for a mountain flying course of instruction.

[dmloftus]

I have 2 weeks to kill in Colorado between my early August conference at Broadmoor Colorado Springs and the fly-in on the 21st. Any recommendations on good places to see and fly in the interim? Looking for nice vrbo or airbnb near airfields. Flying onward to a trade show in Vegas after the 21st.

[SteveM]

Check out the Pueblo Aircraft Museum. It's within walking distance of KPUB and even has a B-29, among many other cool aircraft.

[Rich]

I have 2 weeks to kill in Colorado between my early August conference at Broadmoor Colorado Springs and the fly-in on the 21st. Any recommendations on good places to see and fly in the interim? Looking for nice vrbo or airbnb near airfields. Flying onward to a trade show in Vegas after the 21st.

Two weeks is a tall order. It's been 30 years since we lived in CO, though I still get there from time to time and still have friends and family there. A few years ago I went there for my son-in-law's 50th birthday (they live in Loveland) and we did a pub-crawl around Boulder, Weld, and Larimer counties. An astounding number of microbreweries lurk therein. But spending two weeks at breweries might not be the best plan

I do recall lots of things happening around the State in August, such as Leadville Days. Our members here that reside in CO would be better able to fill you in. For me it'd be revisiting old "stomping grounds" of Central City, Blackhawk, Mount Evans, Cripple Creek, Leadville and so forth with a rental car (really expensive these days).

A word of caution: if you decide to do a Mountain Flying checkout don't just assume any random CFI should be trusted with this. Make sure they're experienced/qualified for such things. Decades ago we almost piled in on Vail pass due to trusting my CFI against my better judgement.

[dmloftus]

I have 2 weeks to kill in Colorado between my early August conference at Broadmoor Colorado Springs and the fly-in on the 21st. Any recommendations on good places to see and fly in the interim? Looking for nice vrbo or airbnb near airfields. Flying onward to a trade show in Vegas after the 21st.

Two weeks is a tall order. It's been 30 years since we lived in CO, though I still get there from time to time and still have friends and family there. A few years ago I went there for my son-in-law's 50th birthday (they live in Loveland) and we did a pub-crawl around Boulder, Weld, and Larimer counties. An astounding number of microbreweries lurk therein. But spending two weeks at breweries might not be the best plan

Haha! Thanks Rich. Yes, not exactly two weeks to fill. In today's remote working world I figure I can work out of Colorado for a couple of weeks and see a few sights while I'm out there. Just looking for a few "must see's" like Pike's Peak and Rocky Mountain National Park, etc in my spare time.

I used to live in San Jose and I've done some mountain flying to places like Tahoe and Yosemite. Not quite the Rockies, but I've gotten some good advice along the way on general mountain flying and taken the online FAAST training. Any recommendations on a good formally trained CFI would be great. I'm a pretty careful flyer anyway so not looking to push 16K MSL in my DA40 ;-)

[Rich]

David, since you mentioned Pike's Peak, maybe the Cog Railway trip up there would be attractive to you. It travels between Manitou Springs and the summit. Though I've driven the road, I never got around to doing the Cog Railway. Could be spendy but if you're at the Broadmoor they may have special deals.

Mt. Evans is actually higher than Pikes Peak, but the latter's isolation from the Continental Divide and location give you a different panoramic view all around, whereas Mt. Evans is tucked in closer to the Divide. I used to go up Mt. Evans on a summer afternoon and amuse myself watching RV's negotiate the last stretch between the summit lake, where the road definitely changed quality.

The back roads in the front range were really something, like Virginia Canyon between Idaho Springs and Central City. But I don't know for sure what they're like these days. Could be full of condos and such.