From: rkaplan@netcom.com (Richard Kaplan)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation
Subject: Re: umwaufi report
Date: 2 Sep 92 17:33:51 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <1992Sep2.144625.23@eecs.nwu.edu> phil@eecs.nwu.edu
 (William LeFebvre) writes:

>What's the landing and ramp fees like there?  Are they GA unfriendly?
>This might be kind of fun, as long as we don't get tower and approach
>angry at us.  Does MSP require reserved-in-advance landing and takeoff
>slots like ORD does?


The landing fee is only $5 and there is no ramp fee if you
don't stay overnight.  Fuel is a bit expensive, in the
range of $2.25.

No advance reservations are required.

I have flown into MSP twice and attempted a third time,
and each time the controllers were quite pleasant:


1.  When I needed to build hours for my instrument 
rating I flew in VFR at night (around 7PM).  I had been
warned that the controllers discouraged VFR flights
at busy times so I called the tower in advance -- they
said don't worry, they'd fit me in somehow but they
preferred if I filed a flight plan and had flight
following the whole time, even outside the TCA.  
They sequenced me in nicely ("Delta XXX, slow
to minimum safe speed, number 2 following slow
traffic on short final") and even provided vectors
for a practice ILS.  Let me tell you, being cleared
to land at night on a 2 mile long runway with 
centerline lighting and dozens of jets on 
frequency certainly gets the adrenaline running....
quite fun overall, and I think quite safe if you 
plan ahead and remain alert.

2.  I dropped a friend off one weekday afternoon.
I filed IFR and the frequency did not seem busy,
so I didn't expect any problems.  However, there 
apparently was conflicting traffic and the controller
was very apologetic about delaying me 15 minutes.  I 
didn't mind at all..... He gave me vectors to fly
2000 AGL right over downtown Minneapolis.  My 
passenger and I loved the view.

3.  Two weeks ago I was enroute to Rochester late
Saturday afternoon and I figured my passenger and I
would stop at MSP for dinner and then continue on.
MSP's runways are aligned 4-22 and 11-29 and the
wind was about 180 at 20 knots gusting to 25.  The
active was 11R (the longest); I requested and
was declined 22 due to conflicting traffic.  Right about
at the middle marker a Northwest jet reported wind shear +15
at 200 AGL.  I figured I did not want to deal with 
a stiff crosswind, wind shear, and a busy international
airport all at once, so I diverted back to Rochester.

So the moral of all this is:

1.  The landing fee at MSP is only $5.
2.  The controllers are generally quite accomodating,
though you may have a short wait for sequencing on arrival.
3.  You may need to land on the crosswind runway.
4.  Overall, it's probably fairly benign for a TCA
primary field.

The more I think about it, a fly-in to MSP just
might be a realistic idea.  We would just need to be
relatively flexible about scheduling, since
our arrivals and departures might not be 
predictable beyond a 45 minute or so margin.
There is no courtesy car, but the Page
AvJet van will usually take you into downtown
and pick you up later.



-- 
Richard Kaplan M.D.           Medical Software Exchange BBS
806 2nd St. SW # 104          (507) 281-1989 14,400 HST
Rochester, MN  55902          (507) 281-1689 Voice
PP-ASEL-IA     N4VRB          rkaplan@mayo.edu|netcom.netcom.com