Baker Airport (0O2) now open for business!

[Geoff]

Aubrey Aviation is proud to announce the grand opening of its second FBO, Baker (0O2). The field is a lonely outpost about 60 miles southwest of Las Vegas, on the edge of Death Valley. In real life, it's owned by the US Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management. The airport's website says: "Located at the entrance to Death Valley, Baker Airport is an emergency airfield, as well as a strategic location along the primary route connecting Los Vegas with Southern California." Indeed, there are no nearby airports at all. The location is quite interesting.

Unlike Aubrey's other airfield (Ernst Field), this strip actually has an asphalt runway: 15/33:3157’ x 50'. It even has a beacon, some runway lighting, a runup area, a taxiway, and an actual ramp -- a relative palace by my standards!

I've pointed my passenger terminal at 46CA. I'm still working on a repair terminal and fuel; I hope to have both by tomorrow. Alas, X-Plane has no scenery for it yet, but I'll make some in the next couple weeks. In the meantime, enjoy!

Airport website here: http://cms.sbcounty.gov/airports/Airports/Baker.aspx
Skyvector page: https://skyvector.com/airport/0O2/Baker-Airport

[Keith Smith]

Congrats on the new FBO.

My only concern is being this far from 46CA with a 3 job maximum (since it's a 1-gate facility) is going to make it a tough sell for people to make the trip. The 1-gate FBO's that are close to 46CA do OK because there are quite a few of them, and they're all fairly close together (that was the original idea of the first version of the TSP network). Remote locations were later added, but nearly all of them are multi-gate FBOs which make for worthwhile flights that can fill some money-making airplanes.

You're absolutely welcome to point at 46CA, I just don't want you to be disappointed if you don't see a lot of activity out there.

[Geoff]

Thanks for your comments, Keith. To be honest, I'm not expecting a lot of business at this field to/from 46CA, and eventually I might point it at KLAS instead. But I wanted to build an FBO or three before all the available fields are snapped up, and two-slot FBOs seem hard to come by. I'm not making these FBOs to make money; I just want to support the PE network.

I've been eyeing a couple other one-slot airports well north of Los Angeles. Do you think I should pass on these?

[Keith Smith]

If they're 1-lot FBO's, I'd point them at a nearby field that has some traffic and hope for the best.

I wouldn't build anything other than a 2-lot FBO at this point, unless you are going to set up a hub/spoke system with lots of nearby spokes. However, if you're just looking to have some fun and simply use the FBO yourself to play around, then have at it. As long are you expectations aren't high, you should be fine.

[Geoff]

Thanks. Actually, now that I look more closely, I do see a couple dirt two-lot fields open for construction within the PE area. Maybe I'll go for one of those. No one loves a dirt airfield, but for six jobs, even I might fly into a dirt field.

[Keith Smith]

12 jobs.

[Geoff]

Oh! Didn't realize it was 12. That's a huge difference. Thanks.

[Geoff]

Looking more closely still, I see that 38CA (Cashen) is an open two-slot FBO, but it appears to be about 1 nm outside the PE service area. I like it because it's asphalt, and one could still use CTAF there, I suppose. But Peaware would not log flights there.

The other two options for two-slot FBOs are both dirt fields within the PE area. One is 15AZ (Quail Mesa, AZ). The other is 24L (Hart Mine, CA, near the Nevada border). Neither of these fills me with excitement, but they do have the advantage of being within the PE area, so people could log their flights on Peaware. On the other hand, it would be harder (and costlier) for me to get Building Materials and supplies there, and I don't love dirt fields.

Any thoughts or recommendations on which I should pick?

[DanHenderson]

Also others nearby: 73L Blackwell near AVE, which isn't charted but its there right on State Highway 33. While 2CN4 nearby is charted but its not in x-plane, which I found out the hard way after lugging materials there for my FBO. Too bad MacMillian Airstrip CA62 near PRB is under R-5304. They are disappearing fast it seems.