 |
Flying into
Lake County Airport, Leadville Colorado! |
 |
N4201B on the ramp at Lake County
Airport, Leadville Colorado, elevation 9927' MSL.
|
Best time of the year to go? |
Spring though Fall. Not sure
about winter? |
|
Food on the airport? |
No |
|
Fuel on airport? |
Yes, this is the only FBO
I've seen to discourage a fuel purchase. |
|
Landing or Parking fees? |
No landing fee |
|
Comments about arriving and departing. |
Check density altitude.
|
|
Things to do at or near the airport. |
Not much on the airport but
a lot of things to do in town. Ask Deborah at the FBO for a certificate! |
|
Rate this stop with 10 being best, 5 average. |
9.5, go to town, it's an
outstanding stop! |
|
AirNav |
Leadville Airport Website |
|
|
Go to town and see
Leadville! |
|
Many pilots land at Lake County Airport but few
see the town and they are really missing something. Leadville
Colorado is the
highest incorporated city in North America at an elevation of 10,152
above sea level. Being an old mining town it has several historic
places to stay, eat and sights to see. The surrounding mountains are
spectacular. We spent about 4 hours in town and it just wetted my
appetite for more. There are a couple of airport cars, Dan Jensen
said they have never turned a pilot down when a car is available.
Other than density altitude Lake County
airport is pretty simple airport to get in and out of. Both ends of
the runway drop off with a slight turn. To the south is a nice
valley with plenty of areas for an off airport landing in the
unlikely event it becomes necessary.
I'm not a CFI but I do have a lot landings and
takeoffs at high altitude airports and I do respect density
altitude. I've seen some Stupid Pilot Tricks at both Big Bear
Airport (6,750') and Mammoth Airport (7,127'). I have my own set of
rules. Use some common sense when using this airport:
- Do not go full rich when landing in case
you need to go around.
- A go around at high altitude can be
really tricky, watch your flaps and airspeed.
- Indicated airspeed is indicated airspeed.
DO NOT carry extra speed on final. Who started that rumor?
- You won't find a chart in most POH's that
will calculate a departure at or above 10,000'. If the DA is
13,000 and your service ceiling is 12,000...
- Depart with a minimum of weight.
- Cooler temperatures in the morning equal
a lower density altitude.
- Lean the engine for best power before
takeoff per your POH.
- Make a short field takeoff, DO NOT lift
the nose before having flying speed.
- Stay in ground effect while building
airspeed. This is a big one!
- One last thing unique to Leadville. If
you live at lower altitudes like I do, think about using o2 as
soon as you buckle in to clear your head before departure.
Again, I'm not a CFI but the above works for
me.
|
|
Pictures
taken flying to and at Leadville Colorado! |
|
 |
Over flying Gunnison
Colorado |
 |
Over flying Central Colorado
Regional Airport, Buena Vista, Colorado. This is the valley
to the south of Leadville. |
 |
Enroute to Leadville
Colorado. We had to spend about 15 minutes at 13,500 to get
over some weather. Not a big deal without using o2 normally
however, hiking around Leadville after that I found myself a
little hypoxic. Blurred vision and some trouble concentrating.
Some deep breathing cleared my head. |
 |
Enroute to Leadville Colorado
from the south. Looks bad but we are over a wide flat valley
floor. |
 |
Enroute to Leadville. |
 |
Final approach to runway 16
at Lake County Airport, Leadville CO. |
 |
On the runway there are
three yellow lines dividing the runway with each section
being about 1600' long. Make sure and use these lines to
your advantage. In the picture you can see one of these
lines going under the nose. |
 |
Downtown Leadville CO |
 |
Downtown Leadville CO |
 |
The
National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the
old Leadville High School. Our airport car is in the center
of this picture. |
 |
Leadville from east of town
on the way back from the Matchless Mine |
 |
Horace Tabor
made (and lost) a fortune from silver mines during
Leadville, Colorado’s boom days, becoming one of the most
famous of the Colorado Silver Kings. Although Tabor’s
first silver discovery wasn’t the
Matchless Mine, it’s story remains as one of the most
famous documented stories about the Silver King mines in the
entire country. |
 |
The Matchless Mine |
 |
The Matchless Mine |
 |
The Mineral Belt Trail is a
11.6 mile all-season non-motorized ADA accessible route with
numerous trailheads and access points. Approximately six
miles of this trail meanders through the historic Leadville
Mining District. It offers unsurpassed views of the Sawatch
and Mosquito ranges. |
 |
The
Mineral Belt Trail is not for the faint of heart. From
what I saw no part of it's below 10,000'. |
 |
On my next trip to Leadville
I want to ride the Leadville,
Colorado & Southern Railroad. Just wasn't time on
this trip. |
 |
The
Golden
Burro is a good place to eat in Downtown Leadville. When
you order keep your menu and read about the history of
Leadville. |
 |
Getting a Certificate of
Pilotage after landing at Lake County Airport is only
for rookies but Adrienne made me pose for this picture.
Deborah is the FBO manager and was more than happy to loan
us an airport car. Caution, there's a reason the cat is
named Nipper! |
 |
Proof I was there! |
|
|
|
