Page 17 - Volume 14 Issue 3

Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina: One of dozens of historic military coastal fortifications with the NPS, Fort Sumter is perhaps the most famous due to the notoriety it earned by being the site of the Civil War’s first shot. Like many of these historic forts, Sumter is near a fairly urbanized area, served by several airports likely to see King Air type traffic. In fact, Charleston International (CHS), Charleston Executive (JZI), and Mt. Pleasant Regional (LRO) are all within 15 miles or so of the historic downtown Charleston area. Ferries run frequently between Charleston and Fort Sumter Island. If you don’t have time for that, you could simply enjoy the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center, co-located at the ferry’s downtown docking area. Charleston and the surrounding area have many other military forts and various historic sites within an hour’s drive.
Muir Woods National Monument and Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California: The Bay area of northern California is served by dozens of general aviation airports capable of hosting turboprop traffic. Exploration during layovers in such an area is not difficult. Muir Woods is a small park north of the Golden Gate Bridge and within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Its main attraction is its grove of old growth Coastal Redwood trees. Named for the famed naturalist whose writings first drew widespread attention to America’s natural wonders and the need for sustained preservation efforts, Muir Woods
offers beautiful hiking trails among the enormous Redwoods. Alcatraz Island, of course, is most famous for its long-closed, maximum-security prison which has become an iconic symbol of crime and punishment in America. Now preserved and maintained as an NPS site, ferries to and from the island run frequently from the San Francisco wharf area. Self-guided tours of the island, the prison buildings and the remains of military fortifications from the pre-prison years are a fascinating way to while-away a few hours of downtime in the Bay area.
The Four-Corners States: Within the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah are dozens of NPS sites. While these states are large and sparsely populated overall, they all contain many airports a King Air pilot might have reason to visit (from large Class B and C airports, to rural pilot-controlled airfields). Wherever you might be stuck waiting in these states, it is likely you’ll be relatively close to something amazing to see. Many major ancient Native American sites are preserved in each state. Some are near the major cities, like Petroglyph National Monument on the western edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle National Monuments, north of Phoenix, Arizona. While others are near only small-town airports, such as the impressive Hovenweep and Canyons of the Ancients National Monuments, both on the southern Colorado/ Utah border, just north of the Four Corners marker.
MARCH 2020
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 15