Fly Utah! A Pilot’s Guide to
Exploration and Discovery in the Red Rock Country
By Galen L. Hanselman
No AvGas. No telephone or friendly, awaiting FBO. Just glowing red sandstone and pristine desert water. Cool, liquid pools hidden beneath perfectly shaped caves. A dirt runway perched precariously between two cliffs with a severe downward tilt. An abandoned airstrip near an authentic Navajo eatery. A barely noticeable, 800-foot airstrip classified as extremely hazardous bearing the auspicious name of Poison Spring.
If scenes like these quicken your pulse, then you’ll want Fly Utah! to accompany your venture to the barren and starkly beautiful Red Rock Country. From the Canyonlands Field airport in Moab to the rural airstrip Spiral Jetty along the rim of the Great Salt Lake, the accumulative 740 pages of maps, photos, local information and airport diagrams form a passport to the farthest reaches of Utah. Pilot and author Galen L. Hanselman has compiled all of the crucial information, such as unusable runways, Avgas availability, frequencies—if any—surrounding attractions, and up-to-date photos of each and every airstrip.
Both published in a compact, notebook-style format, the Ground Section volume is filled with the complete history of each airport including the often colorful stories of the author’s visit, perfect for the armchair pilot or to enrich an upcoming visit to the mentioned locations. The stories vary: from the eerie vortex in the Escalante Desert to the mystical Cathedral in the Desert, from deserted lands where outcasts roam to the archaeological paradise of Range Creek Canyon, a stunning portion of Utah where pictographs, artifacts, mummies, and stone houses remain intact from American Indian dwellings. To complete your travels, Hanselman includes all information of relevance such as hotels, motels, restaurants, and attractions worthy of mention, with reviews of each. While the rugged wiles of Alaska have previously called to me for exploring by bush plane, and the sleek deserts of Arizona beg to be raced by aerobatic airplane, perhaps someday I will set out on an expedition to discover the less obvious treasures of Utah’s heritage. And if I do, Fly Utah! will be situated in the right seat.
Fly Utah! can be found at Hanselman’s website, www.flyidaho.com.
Brigit Hartop can be reached at flying-girl@lycos.com