Tailwind Traveler
Franconia Airport
Are you looking for a really fun flying destination in New England? Fly your plane to Franconia airport (1B5) in Franconia NH, a great destination for a day trip or a few days in the mountains. This 2500 ft grass strip in the heart of the White Mountains lies directly beneath Cannon Mountain and the Kinsman ridge. The airport is 2 miles South of Franconia village center, and directly across the street from the Franconia Inn, a spacious New England country Inn with 29 rooms, a few suites, and a great dining room. The Inn has many amenities, such as clay tennis courts, a pool, and riding stables that provide trail rides. The Inn regularly serves breakfast and dinner during the summer-fall season. For group fly-ins, lunch can be pre-arranged.
Franconia airport has an interesting history. During World War II a defense production plant was to be built nearby, and it was decided that air transport would be required. The Franconia Airport was created expressly for meeting this need.
Flying in from the South, you will probably fly through Franconia Notch. Cannon Mountain ski area appears to your left at 4300 feet, while Mt. Lafayette reaches to 5300 feet on your right. For scenic flying, this is probably the best thing east of the Rockies. On weekends you may see gliders running the ridges of these mountains. Franconia Airport (1B5) is home to the Franconia Soaring Association, and the White Mountains is its playground.
The club has a number of sailplanes, and offers both rides and instructions in high performance gliders. If you have a yen to see how the eagles do it, get a ride in one of their two-place sailplanes. Soaring takes place weekends, from June to October. Flights in a high performance Grob sailplane are available from the club. Soaring is a great experience, and many of the club members are power pilots and ATPs. The location of the airport next to the mountains provides not only excellent thermal soaring, but also the opportunity to fly the ridge lift of various nearby mountain chains. When prevailing winds are favorable, mountain wave soaring provides a unique flight experience. (Watch the earth drop away, but don't enter Class A.)
The runway is a north –south grass strip, 150 ft wide with a 2500 ft usable runway length. Field elevation is 980 ft, and runway 36 is right traffic. When doing a pattern be aware of the paddock fence beyond the South end threshold. Midfield is the office building for the Franconia Soaring Association, and aircraft parking is the area between the office and the Franconia Inn tennis courts. Note that gliders enter the pattern via a midfield crosswind west to east. Glider landings and launches are generally from the South end, but will be switched with strong South winds. Call Unicom 122.8 for the active pattern and field conditions.
There pleasant walking paths nearby the airport, as well as trails that will take you to the summits. A biker has a variety of choices in this area. There is the opportunity to enjoy scenic biking on the quiet roads in and around Franconia village. Franconia Notch also provides spectacular riding on the paved recreational trail that extends from the North end of the Notch down to the Flume gorge. While on the trail, stop at the basin and visit the crystal streams cascading over the granite shelves. For rough riders there is a network of mountain bike trails that can be accessed directly from the airport. Can't fit a bike in your plane? You can rent bikes from the Franconia Inn, the Franconia Sports Shop, or Cannon Mountain.
There are many more attractions within ten to twenty minutes drive from the airport. Both auto rentals and taxis are available in nearby town of Littleton. Contact information can be found at the website. www.littletonareachamber.com. A few of the things to do might include:
A ride up the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway is an exciting fun trip for everyone, with stunning views of the Lafayette range. Short walks from the tramway station lead you to awesome vistas atop the Cannon cliffs. When you come back down the Tramway, stop in to the New England ski museum. This is the area where skiing started in America, and there are excellent displays of the ski life and equipment of yore plus some great audio visual presentations of the skiing history. Right next to the Tram area is Echo Lake, a great place for a swim. If you are a fisherman, the other lake in the notch is regularly stocked. You can have a good golf day at one of the five golf courses nearby. Drive East to Crawford Notch and take a ride to the summit of Mt. Washington on the cog railway. For the younger set there is a variety of theme parks nearby.
During the fall leaf season the flying is just plain spectacular. Colors vary from the yellow to flaming red among the hardwoods of the lower elevations. The hardy conifers predominate in the upper regions, while the peaks are the grays of New Hampshire granite. At this time of year you may see groups of hawks circling up in thermals that fuel their southerly migration flights. Geese and cormorants make their way along the flyways of these mountains. The occasional bald eagle may be seen cruising above the mountains. The author has flown his glider in echelon formation with one of these great birds, a thrill not to be forgotten.
Drop in for the day, or spend a few days enjoying the North country.
By Jim Dwyer