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Disney Trip - KISM?

bkervaski

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We're thinking about flying down to Disney from central Alabama (KEET) this weekend ... any pireps on KISM or overall general recommendations for flyiing into the area?

Thanks :)
 
I haven't been to KISM, but my advise is to call all the FBO's first to get pricing- I do this all the time. Case in point, I went to KDAB for the races last weekend. Called Sheltair which is walking distance to the track and it was a $65.00 facility fee, and $50.00 a night for parking.

Called ATP which is a $7.00 Uber ride and there were no charges whatsoever for three nights, and fuel was a dollar less. They didn't even ask me to sign in!!
 
I flew to KISM for a conference that was at one of the Disney properties a couple of years ago. No issues with KISM - think I used Kissimmee Jet Center because they had the cheapest fuel. Uber to hotel no issues. This was in a rental before purchasing my RV, so I didn't worry about hangar, so can't comment on that.
 
My buddy flies in there on a regular basis to visit hid elderly father in a nearby assisted living facility. He loves the fact that he can rent a car there for a very reasonable price at half day rates.
 
Ken Balch (kbalch) is based there - you may want to reach out to him. I flew in to visit him recently. Busy towered field, lots of training traffic, but location is very good for Disney. Not too familiar with FBO's - I parked on ramp near Ken's hangar, they charged me a small ramp fee but I didn't buy fuel - I got the sense they'd waive the ramp fee if I had bought fuel.
 
We flew into KORL and used Sheltair. 20 dollars a night ramp fee and fuel was reasonable. We were treated very well there. You can Uber to Disney world from there.
 
We flew into KORL and used Sheltair. 20 dollars a night ramp fee and fuel was reasonable. We were treated very well there. You can Uber to Disney world from there.

I used the other FBO due to proximity. I think Sheltair may be a better choice.
 
KGIF
on site vehicle rental
AVgas 3.60 also have 91 unleaded
tie down fee was 27 bucks for the week 5 bucks nightly.
 
ISM and ORL are close to the parks. You will pay more for fuel and tie downs, but there is a convenience factor. I would probably just pay the tie down fee directly, bypass the buy 20 gallon game as you can get fuel $2+ cheaper at other local fields (X04, X23, GIF,...)

GIF and BOW are to the SW of the parks. They are cheaper for tie down and fuel, but traffic is a nightmare in that area. Not many options to get around the traffic between Champions Gate and the parks. I4 and Hwy 27 are normally parking lots in the morning and evening hours. Good restaurants on the field.

X04 is a rural airport that has some hangar and grass space. You will need to arrange for pickup though. Uber and Lyft both service that area, but you will probably want to call a car as soon as you land as it will take time. Straight shot down a toll road (429) ~$5 one way to get to the back side of the parks.

As it was said earlier, be ready for high volumes of training traffic as you get south of Ocala (OCF); especially under the Class B. Lake Apopka is the training area for local airports as is just west of the Disney TFR. 123.500 is the unofficial training freq around there.

Looks like great weather down here this weekend. Hope this helps.
 
Oh and this is the first weekend our spring break season so lines will be getting longer.
 
Oh and this is the first weekend our spring break season so lines will be getting longer.

Thanks!!!

I thought this weekend was free and clear of spring breakers .. that's why we picked it .. :confused:
 
Thanks!!!

I thought this weekend was free and clear of spring breakers .. that's why we picked it .. :confused:

The first week is actually starts on Monday, but most roll the weekend before or weekend after to get that 7 day window. Here is an extract of the list of univeristies for next week.

Johnson and Whales University February 29th to March 7th
St. Anselm College February 29th to March 7th
Vanderbilt University February 29th to March 7th
Western Michigan University February 29th to March 7th
Ball State University February 29th to March 7th
Northeastern University February 29th to March 7th
Sacred Heart University February 29th to March 7th
Boston College February 29th to March 7th
Chestnut Hill College February 29th to March 7th
University of Michigan February 29th to March 7th
Michigan State University February 29th to March 7th
Clark University February 29th to March 7th
Davidson College February 29th to March 7th
Duquesne University February 29th to March 7th
Emerson College February 29th to March 7th
Loyola University in Maryland February 29th to March 7th
Villanova University February 29th to March 7th
University of Florida ? Gainsville February 29th to March 7th
Florida Gulf Coast University ? Fort Myers February 29th to March 7th
Clarion University of Pennsylvania February 29th to March 7th
Saginaw Valley State University February 29th to March 7th
Wright State University February 29th to March 7th
Loyola University ? chicago February 29th to March 7th
Valpairaiso University February 29th to March 7th
William Woods University February 29th to March 7th
Concordia University February 29th to March 7th
Fort Scott Community College. February 29th to March 7th
 
No real other convenient options for Disney other than KORL and KISM.
Previously I hangared the RV at KISM for a year and a half while on the waiting list for hangar at KORL.

KISM -
No self serve fuel and FS fuel is typically expensive there ($5.20ish/gallon).
Parking/ramp fees vary but was more expensive than KORL last time I called and checked for some friends who flew in to town. Kissimmee Jet Center is likely the most cost effective but also has the most modest facility on field. Not much to see on the drive from KISM to Disney property except low-end motels and trinket shops.

KORL -
Has self service fuel that costs the same as full service at KISM. Sheltair is my preferred FBO (although Atlantic is nice also). The drive from KORL to Disney takes you past a few things to see like the Orlando Eye (400'D observation wheel), Starflyer (450' tall rotating swing) Universal Studios, and a few others that can be seen from the highway. You also fly low in the vicinity of downtown Orlando so that adds a bit to the trip as well.

Both fields have friendly controllers, a few span cans in the pattern doing touch and goes, and in one form or another the KMCO class Bravo to deal with.

Suggested plan -
Cancel IFR on the way in and buy fuel at Orlando Apopka - X04 - as that is the cheapest fuel around hovering around $3.50 a gallon and generally enroute if you are headed from the north. Its a pain to pickup a clearance at X04 on the way out as its uncontrolled and the passengers typically don't like sweating in the plane waiting for the takeoff clearance! Take the short hop from X04 to KORL and tie down at Sheltair. Uber to Disney and see the sights out the window and skip the rental car.
 
What Turner and Tim said! :)

I'm in one of the Sheltair hangars at KISM and planning to do my -14A's first flight on Friday. Since I haven't yet had the plane anywhere else, I've fueled up with Kissimmee Jet Center, as they're the least expensive on the field. Even so, the current price is $5.10, which is an outrage, considering that $3.60-ish is readily available at any number of smaller fields in the vicinity.

KISM is definitely the most convenient field to Disney. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.
 
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