Here is some general planning info for your trip to / from the great state of Texas!
Arrivals
IFR - If possible**,** cancel and use Flight Following when you get near to the DFW airspace. Otherwise, you can expect vectors! In any event, use one of the suggested arrival procedures:
FINGR FIVE - Northeast
YEAGR TWO - Southeast
GREGS EIGHT - Northwest
KNEAD SEVEN - Southwest
VFR - Use Flight Following rather than just file an ordinary VFR flight plan. If you do file a VFR flight plan, that does not mean arrive at KADS unannounced. Do not come in unannounced!
Upon landing, you need to get off the runway ASAP , cross the hold short lines, and then call Ground.
Tower or Ground will direct you to turn right or left and send you to parking.
You need to identify yourself as a COPA member at the MillionAir front desk to get the M13 fuel discount.
MillionAir will shuttle you to the Hotel at no charge.
Departures
IFR - Use one of the suggested Departure Procedures.
KINGDOM NINE – West
HUBBARD EIGHT – East
JOE POOL SEVEN – South
TEXOMA FOUR – North
VFR - Plan on getting a handoff for Flight Following. General notes for Everyone
There is only one runway for departure. To save time, when you are at the MillionAir FBO for departure, give your desired departure time to the FAA TRACON Concierge Service representative at MillionAir. He will be coordinating with Departure control, be aware of the current runway/taxiway status, and can give you guidance about what number you are in line and an approximate start time. This coordination will greatly reduce congestion as well as the time you spend idling, awaiting your turn. This is NOT a specific “slot” time, and you are NOT locked into anything he tells you.
There will be a standard Clearance Delivery # listed in the freq’s. All pilots should identify themselves to Clearance, Ground and the Tower as being with “COPA M13”.
Departing planes will need to call the hotel’s front desk to use the hotel shuttle or MillionAir at 972-248-1600 to let them know you need a ride to the airport.
You can call MillionAir at 972-248-1600 and have then coordinate Lunches to Go. They suggest Jimmy Johns as a cost-effective way to eat on the road. They have a lot of other options, as well. MillionAir will also have free bottled water , ice, candy , popcorn and fresh fruit.
Note: ATC has implied that some of the SIDS and STARS may have their revision number changed of the next publication cycle date of 8/20/15. All pilots need to be aware that the SID or STAR number may have been updated; check the latest info.
Thanks for doing the M13 coordination with TRACON. As Chairman of the fly-in, I realize how many hours of behind-the-scenes work you had to do to make this relatively brief announcement. Thanks very much for easing our planning workload and showing everyone the way.
Thanks for bringing a career’s-worth of professional as well as GA flying to this task. Getting into and out of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Class B airspace shouldn’t be a problem for COPA pilots, if they just follow the above, easy-to-understand directions.
For COPA members, this year’s effort by Andy took a lot of time, effort and a team approach (so to speak) to making our arrival to, and departure from, Addison as easy as possible for all COPA arrivals for M13.
I should also note that there is some additional and expanded arrival and departure info located in the Guidebook app for M13.
Scroll down the left side of the Guidebook and select “Migration Registration Site”.
Then select the top bar that says “Travel, Hotel & Logistics”.
It would be terrific if all attendees (and people thinking of attending) download the Guidebook app and check it out. There is LOTS of good information on the entire event.
Once you download the free Guidebook app, just search for M13 and press download.
It shows schedules and speakers, sponsors and advertisers, exhibitors, maps, notes, FAQ’s etc… A lot of time and effort has gone into making the app as user friendly and full of info as possible. In addition, the app is updated constantly as new information becomes available.
So we are on our own for transportation to the airport after the event? Is there COPA-arranged transportation from the airport to the hotel for arrivals?
And unlike some migrations, the hotel is almost across the street from the airport. Very short drive. No having to get on buses like Duluth, Colorado, and Vegas.
I understand these are the coordinated arrival and departure routes, so this is just an FYI. I flew into Addison twice last week from northern Arkansas. The first time I filed for the FINGR FIVE, and Ft Worth Center changed me to the SASIE FOUR just as I started the arrival. Second trip, I filed for the SASIE FOUR and that’s what I got. They had everybody on the SASIE FOUR both trips down.
I opted to depart KADS VFR, but asked for FF since it is such busy airspace. As soon as I checked in with departure, I was cleared into the bravo and given a climb to 3,500’. That put me in the bravo and then I was trapped. I got vectored around and held down for a while before was able to exit the bravo to the north, cancel FF, and proceed on course.
I fly in and out every week from SE KS. I get Sassie most of the time. It depends on flow. I normally depart VFR FF and get vectored to 040 on the heading and 2000 feet. Once I switch to Departure I get cleared to 3500 and 007 on my direct heading to IDP. They keep me at 3500 to 4500 until the outer ring of the class Bravo.
Easy peasy considering it is one of the busiest airspaces in the country. Much easier than Houston.
Oh yeah, it’s certainly easy enough. And I didn’t get vectored too far out of the way. I just commented to my ride along friend that they caught me and and I was stuck with them. Certainly safer than running out under the Bravo at <2’K. No big deal, just a pirep.
Thanks for the PIREP. Tim and I were on a conference call yesterday with TRACON, Addison, etc. And, I brought up the subject. As instrument pilots, you and I know that routing is altered based on the current situation. So, while TRACON has done it’s best to give us a “heads up”, here’s what I suggest for all of our COPA pilots:
If arriving IFR, expect to be given an arrival procedure of some sort - probably one of the procedures Andy Brown listed in his write-up for the website (and program guide). So, file using the most appropriate procedure given in Andy’s document. (These were given to him by TRACON.) Don’t file an IFR flight plan direct to an IAF in an approach procedure. You won’t get it.
If arriving VFR, be on Flight Following. Don’t expect to simply scoot in under the Bravo and call Addison Tower directly. Work with ATC and they’ll give you a handoff. As Tim said, easy-peasy.
If departing IFR, file using one of the departure procedures that heads you in the direction you’d prefer.
If departing VFR, expect a departure clearance and vectors until you are out from under the Class B. Personally, I’d ask for a handoff for Flight Following. I suspect that TRACON will want to make sure that VFR traffic is well out of their area before no one is talking to them.
All in all, I expect arrivals/departures to be relatively easy (but not necessarily quick) for such a busy airspace. Andy has worked with TRACON for months. And, they are looking forward to our arrival! All we have to do as pilots is manage our expectations and respond to their directives in a professional manner… [:D]