- Minden-Tahoe Airport
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Minden-Tahoe Airport IATA: MEV – ICAO: KMEV – FAA LID: MEV Summary Airport type Public Owner Douglas County Serves Minden, Nevada Elevation AMSL 4,722 ft / 1,439 m Coordinates 39°00′03″N 119°45′07″W / 39.00083°N 119.75194°W Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 16/34 7,400 2,256 Asphalt 12/30 5,300 1,615 Asphalt 12G/30G 2,200 671 Dirt Statistics (2009) Aircraft operations 79,800 Based aircraft 255 Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] Minden-Tahoe Airport (IATA: MEV, ICAO: KMEV, FAA LID: MEV) is a general aviation airport serving the Carson Valley in Douglas County, including the towns of Minden, Gardnerville and Genoa, Nevada. The airport is situated four nautical miles (7 km) north of Minden. It is home to the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center and regional firefighting air tanker base.
The airport is considered a mecca for soaring, and many North American and world records have been flown out of Minden in the many gliders that it hosts.
Gliders are usually towed to altitudes of 1,000–2,000 feet (300–610 m) over the airport, and they are often able to make out and return flights to the White Mountains, Owens Valley, and Eastern Nevada, often covering distances of over 500 miles (800 km).
During the winter months, the famous Sierra mountain wave can carry gliders well over 25,000 feet (7,600 m), with the Minden record well over 40,000 feet (12,000 m).
A mid-air collision near the Pine Nuts range between a glider and a small jet at 16,000 feet (4,900 m) has heightened the awareness for all airplanes flying in the area that both types of aircraft need to watch out for each other.
The airport is currently undergoing an expansion plan where glider operations will be moved to the East Side of the airport.
Minden-Tahoe Airport is the base for the "Introduction to Soaring" tutorial mission supplied with Microsoft Flight Simulator X.
Facilities and aircraft
Minden-Tahoe Airport covers an area of 990 acres (400 ha) at an elevation of 4,722 feet (1,439 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 16/34 is 7,400 by 100 feet (2,256 x 30 m) and 12/30 is 5,300 by 75 feet (1,615 x 23 m). A glider runway designated 12G/30G has dirt surface measuring 2,200 by 60 feet (671 x 18 m).[1]
For the 12-month period ending February 28, 2009, the airport had 79,800 aircraft operations, an average of 218 per day: 97% general aviation, 3% air taxi, and <1% military. At that time there were 255 aircraft based at this airport: 56% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, 2% jet, 1% helicopter, 31% glider and <1% ultralight.[1]
References
- ^ a b c FAA Airport Master Record for MEV (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 29 July 2010.
External links
- Minden-Tahoe Airport, official web site
- Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center
- Civil Air Patrol: Douglas County Composite Squadron
- Hutt Aviation
- SoaringNV
- Minden Soaring Club
- Soar Minden(closed ~3/2011)
- Aerial image as of 12 September 1999 from USGS The National Map
- Minden-Tahoe Airport (MEV)PDF airport diagram from Nevada DOT
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 20 October 2011
- FAA Terminal Procedures for MEV, effective 20 October 2011
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for MEV
- ASN accident history for MEV
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for MEV
Categories:- Airports in Nevada
- Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Nevada
- Transportation in Douglas County, Nevada
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