I went to this last year and it was great. Lot of Warbirds and some amazing flying demos.There is a car show too. You won't be disappointed!

http://www.wendoverairbase.com/airshow

http://connect2utah.com/news-story?nxd_id=106895

Cool, now I have to decide on that or the Lewiston Idaho fly in...... guess I'll see which way the wind is blowing that day

Just thought I'd plug the airshow one more time. Should be great weather (85, high pressure). Last year it was pretty big and lots of Warbirds and some amazing acrobatics. Would be a great way to spend you Saturday if your in the neighborhood.

Hey all, I hate to display my ignorance (knowingly anyway, doing it unknowingly is bad enough), but as it looks like I am going to try and make the Wendover event, I could use a refresher on the MOA transition thing.

I see the area is pretty much surrounded by them, at least coming from my direction, and with the floor of operations down to 100'. Short of flying at 50', or clear around them, the procedure is to contact control on the frequency for that particular MOA listed on the chart, correct? My question is: what do I do if no one answers? Seriously, do I keep trying and stay the hell out if I get no response, fly it at 50' while keeping my head on a swivel, or assume it is inactive and just cruise on through?

Better to LOOK stupid, then BE stupid and leave no doubt, so I'm asking. Usually I just go around them or below them, but this particular bunch with the 100' level made me think I better ask!

Hi courierguy, there are lots of opinions on what you can do. I just plane ignore MOAs and go on my jolly way. Not to be confused with Restricted air space.

On your sectional are the contact frequencies. You can call the controlling agency and ask if the MOA is hot. If it is then some pilots say the proper etiquette is to stay clear. I am sure they will chime in. I have ask several times to transit Restricted areas and have yet been ok ed. I know it does happen though.

Cheers...Rob

Courierguy,
It's impossible to fly out my local strip without immediately flying into MOA airspace. In this neck of the woods, there's no requisite to inform anyone. I do know folks who are flying high who contact Boston Center to give them a heads up, but for day to day flying I don't know anyone who does.

Just blast on through. Like Rob mentioned the controlling agency can tell you if it's "hot" meaning in use. I've never had one Hot that I've gone through before and if it is chances are they won't be down in the weeds where you'll be. Going around the ones here is not really an option because they are huge.

AvidFlyer wrote:Just blast on through. Like Rob mentioned the controlling agency can tell you if it's "hot" meaning in use. I've never had one Hot that I've gone through before and if it is chances are they won't be down in the weeds where you'll be. Going around the ones here is not really an option because they are huge.

Thanks guys, that is kind of what I thought, the only thing that really got my attention about this one was the 100' call out! I'll enjoy the flight now instead of wondering if I'm screwing up. I don't mind SCREWING up, I just don't like WONDERING if I'm screwing up! Ignorance is bliss as they say...

I would pay attention to the low level operations areas on the chart.

I was shooting some landings at Easton, WA and something small, fast, and military came blowing around the corner of the mountain and North up the lake at not much above pattern altitude. No factor for me but it would have been a real thrill if I was flying up the lake.

I know in Eastern Washington the jet jockeys are down in the weeds in certain areas.

TD

courierguy wrote:

AvidFlyer wrote:Just blast on through. Like Rob mentioned the controlling agency can tell you if it's "hot" meaning in use. I've never had one Hot that I've gone through before and if it is chances are they won't be down in the weeds where you'll be. Going around the ones here is not really an option because they are huge.

Thanks guys, that is kind of what I thought, the only thing that really got my attention about this one was the 100' call out! I'll enjoy the flight now instead of wondering if I'm screwing up. I don't mind SCREWING up, I just don't like WONDERING if I'm screwing up! Ignorance is bliss as they say...

25 years ago when I lived in Fla and just learning to fly my instructor advised me to use flight following when near MOA's. A simple radio call to center will have them call the controlling agency and give you, a all clear or , keep your head on a swivel passage. They have called traffic for me a few times while I transited the space.

You pay taxes.................. get your moneys worth.

Ben.

CourierGuy, most people around here just head around the Mode C for SLC and then there is a clear corridor right over I-80 that takes you right to Wendover. Not much space but you can squeeze through without talking to anybody if you want.

Jerry

CourierGuy;
I don't fly in that neighborhood a lot; however, I did contact the controlling agency (Clover) when I was leaving Wendover a few years ago and they cleared me direct through everything to Boise. I think there was even a restricted area along the way and I asked them if I was cleared through it and they okay'd with "affirmative, direct Boise". It's worth the call??

Chris

Well, I made it to the airshow but had to drive. The show sure didn't have as many planes as last year but was still good. There were a lot less general aviation planes there too. Only thing there was more of was people. Courierguy was there too and his plane is really nice!

Afterwords my brother and I went to the Salt Flats and were lucky enough to watch a guy set the new land speed record for a motorcycle, 376.36 MPH!!! He made a few runs eariler in the day and was about 1 MPH under the record. I guess he was having trouble with the transmission and couldn't get it to shift up from fourth. They changed the gearing with a new sprocket and did the last run right before they shut the track down. He stayed in forth and he exited the timing area at 394 MPH. That brought his average up to 376. Thing was hauling Butt! First time I have been to the Salt Flats and I sure picked a good day to do it!

http://www.rocky-robinson.com/

Oh yea, there was another guy there that went 96 MPH on a LAWNMOWER!

http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii14 ... G_2776.jpg

The MOA's were inactive according to SLC control, I checked with them secondly after receiving no response from the stated controlling agency frequency listed on the chart. The restricted area of course I went around. At one point the GPS was showing 50 some miles to the closet airstrip (not that I care) and that is further then my flight up the gut of the Frank Church and Selway wildernness areas this summer, really some remote area with of course a few desert rats living out there in the most unlikely areas.

The car show was the thing.....some pretty impressive rides, I'm always amazed with the work and money the "car people" put into their rides, and then they bring them to events like this for the gen public to get close to, not behind ropes (a very few) but right there to be possibly scratched etc. They are trusting souls! I'd like to know how in the hell they keep the engine compartments so clean, Q-tips?? Sure looks like a whole lot of work! I had a little trouble the next AM accessing the field (thank you Osama), but finally found a missed/unlocked entry and was able to get to my plane and had a GREAT flight back, except for one odd occurance I hesitate to post about.

Let's just say it involved an off airport landing (emergency biological function to attend to, seriously, involving some questionable Mexican food from the night before and way over brewed coffee that morning acting as a catalyst), near some junk farm equipment, using a sage brush free section of the desert. While attending to the emergency, seconds after landing and very near the plane, I caught a glimpse of a person ducking down behind a junk pile in such a way that it was clear he was trying to keep his presence secret. I immediately hollared out a greeting (YO, HEY, something like that, just something to let him know his presence was noted), and was fully intending to apologize for the unexpected arrival, when I thought back to the view of the place from the air: no house, not even ramshackle, no trailer or tent or any other sign of habitation, no farming, no operable appearing vehicles, or no sign of the grown over access road being used in some time. In general, even allowing for the standards of the area, nothing going on. The last thing I'd want to do is disturb someone, and if I had any idea anyone was there no way would I land. I had actually choked back my initial greeting, when I realized the person was hiding, and then I realized he had to know that I KNEW he was there, AND hiding, an awkward moment....and then, before he could get the shotgun loaded or the chain saw started, I jumped back in the plane, and without benefit of seatbelts or headset blasted off, even going so far as to jink on the way out in order to throw off his aim. You would have had to see the area to see how weird it was to find a person there, on a early Sunday morning, it was uninhabitable even by desert rat standards. No power or solar, no water source I could see, and MANY miles from anything else, truely remote.

For those who would have held it while heading for the nearest GEN AV facility with a flush toilet, this story will make no sense. For those who think nothing of finding a spot and landing when you HAVE TO, you'll get it. I feel terrible about disturbing this guy, and a little freaked by his behavior, he obviously had some social interaction issues he was dealing with by hanging out where he was, and I had a possibly over active imagination. Maybe I should have searched the area for him while calling out "I know you're here"?! That didn't seem like a good idea either, getting the hell outa there ASAP seemed like the thing to do. If he is a forum member, reading this, sorry about that. BTW, 54 miles from the closet airport with a flush toilet according to the GPS.

Maybe he was a Bigfoot? Their pretty good at hiding. Really, I have been out there a few times and there are some underground houses built by the railroad workers. Maybe he was camping/hiding out in one of them. Was there a mound of dirt? It would be a long walk from anywhere to get where you were. You can drive from Park Valley down and come out on I-80 but there isn't a whole lot out there and you were probably East of that road. Pretty strange.