Page 6 - Volumer 13 Number 7

The Maine Idea
Americans often associate their national parks with vast expanses of desolation, from the Rockies westward, yet, many of the National Park System (NPS) gems lie east of the Mississippi River. Some are quite new (like Indiana Dunes, upgraded to a national park in February 2019). Others, like Acadia, have held that status for a century. Almost by definition, many of our national parks are remote and can be challenging to reach. Large commercial airline hubs north of Boston simply don’t exist, limiting commercial flights into the immediate area to only connectors. Enter general aviation and its nearly limitless options for taking us to amazing places faster and easier than driving, while providing views vastly different from those of terrestrial tourism. Fortunately, several general aviation airports can get you close to Acadia and provide the necessary services as well.
I first became aware of Bar Harbor, Maine’s Hancock Co. Airport (KBHB) back in the early 2000s when I flew Reagan-era Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger, in on a charter flight. He was a gregarious elder statesman and espoused the many virtues of his adopted home. It was the dead of winter and the town and hotel reminded me of The Shining, buttoned up as they were for the offseason. But the airport services were excellent,
Figure 1: The ILS Runway 22 at Bar Harbor is the primary approach into BHB. While it includes standard Category I ILS minimums of 200 feet, beware of the “Notes” section of the approach plate which details several adjustments to minimums under certain conditions. Also note that DME is required (of course, most aircraft equipped with modern avionics have DME or use IFR approved GPS navigations systems in addition to or in lieu of DME).
even in those frigid conditions. Of course, so far north, tourist season is typically only May through October. Regardless, King Air pilots, with their full weather capabilities, could also choose to partake of the winter wonders the area has to offer (without fighting the summer crowds). Today, FBO services are provided by Columbia Air Services and include everything a King Air pilot might need (rental cars, fuel, tie-downs and hangaring, pilot lounge, flight planning room, etc.). Arrival procedures are straightforward and do not include any published Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs). For approaches, BHB is equipped with an ILS and two RNAV-GPS (LPV) approaches. Runway 4/22 is primary (at 5,200 feet long), but Runway 17/35 (3,363 feet long) is available if winds or traffic require (assuming that is within your King Air’s performance limits at the time). Note that some minimums adjustments are necessary when using non-local altimeter settings, which is required when the AWOS is unavailable at this pilot-controlled field (see Figure 1).
As an alternative, Bangor’s Class C international airport (KBGR) is only 30 miles inland. That distance could potentially get you away from coastal weather that might be driving conditions below published minimums at BHB. Or it could be that the larger facilities of BGR better match your performance limitations or personal preferences, thus, offsetting the minor additional driving distance. BGR’s single 11,440-foot runway (15/33) will certainly accommodate any size/weight King Air, while offering much larger safety margins than BHB’s runways.
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4 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JULY 2019