Renting a light single in N Carolina or Virginia

[knobbygb]

Hi. I'm going to be visiting that part of the States in June and would like to rent a Cherokee (or Cessna) for a few days. Can anyone recommend a good place to rent from, ideally close to either CLT or RDU (so I can avoid getting a hire car), or somewhere in Virginia or close to IAD or BWI. I've rented sevevral time in both Florida and Arizona where there are loads of well known FBO's, but I'm less familiar with this area.

Also, I plan on flying to the coast and visiting Kill Devil Hills, but are there any other good destinations local pilots would recommend? Where should I avoid?

Thanks for you help.

[Viliamu]

NC Rentals

Knobby,

You'll enjoy your time in NC. I live in CLT, and flew C-130's for the Air National Guard here in town for about 10 years. While I don't have immediate recommendations for rentals, I can do some quick looking and get back to you.

What I CAN tell you are a few good sites to visit. If you're planning on spending your time hopping around the coast, try Wilmington (KILM) after Kill Devil Hills. Afterward, you can continue south to any of a half-dozen places on the SC coast. I'd recommend Charleston (KCHS) if you can go that far south.

If you are interested in a cross-state flight, I would strongly encourage you to head west to Asheville (KAVL). Beautiful terrain, lots to do (Biltmore house and wineries), and great restaurants.

If you're going golfing, head to Myrtle Beach in SC, but be warned that it's a tourist mecca during June. However, it has more golf courses per person than just about anywhere else in the world.

Hope this helps. Get back to you on the rentals, and pm me if you've got more specific questions.

Cheers,

Viliamu

Knobby,

Just remembered a few dealings with an outfit by the name of Piedmont Hawthorne. They are a large FBO organization with 26 FBO\'s nationwide. I worked with them over a six-week period in RDU two years ago, and saw good service and professionalism. They may be a good place to get started for rentals. They have an FBO in Monroe NC, about 30 minutes from CLT. Here\'s the link:

http://flypiedmont.com/eqy/index.asp

They also have the FBO at RDU. Here\'s that link:

http://flypiedmont.com/rdu/index.asp

Hope this gets you pointed in the right direction.

Cheers again

Viliamu

[knobbygb]

Thanks Viliamu. I've just arranged my rental - from Tradewind Aviation at New Bern, NC - seem like a professional outfit (i.e. they ACTUALLY answered my emails) so we'll see how it goes.

Not too interested in golf, but I will probably visit Myrtle Beach. I've also had Tangier Island, KTGI, recommended (in the middle of Chesapeake Bay) and other pilots have mentioned Asheville. After KFFA, I'm planning to overnight at Acrocoke (W95).

Another question I wanted to ask was about the weather. I've chosen this area partly because it'll be cooler than Arizona (my first choice) and hopefully calmer (in terms of afternoon storms) than Florida. Have I guessed correctly or can I expect a rough ride during the afternoons? Also, do early mornings tend to be hazy and humid like Florida, or clearer? I like flying at sunrise and this is kinda necessary due to the jetlag too

Thanks again
Gary

[NATCA BNA]

Gary,

We have been having a lot of Thunderstorm activity through Middle Tennessee (which often works it way through North Carolina). Like anywhere you should pay close attention to weather forcast, and check the weather again whenever you stop.

Enjoy you flight, and remember if you feel the need, don't hesitate to request VFR advisories (flight following) with the local radar facility.

Mike
NATCA BNA

[getonit]

Another airport I would recomend is Williamsburg VA - JGG. They have an excellent place for lunch.

Suffolk VA - SFQ has a bunch of old war birds, some guy does a bunch of resoration there.

Atlantic City - Bader Field - AIY you can walk to the casinos