The Breakfast Club
An Affilliate of the Arizona Pilots Assn.

The Knife & Fork

Breakfast Club Bets on Henderson




8 Nov 2008
by Warren McIlvoy

For the vast majority of folks flying their own aircraft into Las Vegas, the airport of choice was to land at North Las Vegas Airport (VGT) to avoid the outrageous fuel and parking costs associated with McCarran. There were some downside issues to using VGT in that, thought there was a free shuttle to the strip, it was a one way ride requiring having to hire a cab for the return trip. Well, this has all changed with the rebirth of Henderson.

Henderson Airport (HND) is just a stones throw south of McCarran but light years ahead of both the in-city airports. Two words could best describe Henderson, convenience and cost. You don't have to deal with the Vegas approach controllers as the airport is under the floor of the outer rings the Vegas Class B airspace and, secondly, fuel (the self serve variety) is considerably less expensive than the two in-city airports. And I might add yet a third item to the desirability list, we have never flown to this destination before.

We departed Phoenix Deer Valley Airport on a course that was slightly north of the route that we would normally take if we were flying into Bullhead City/Laughlin. We would pass just to the south of the City of Kingman and then over the middle of Lake Mohave. Our original plan was to fly to Bullhead City and then a slight turn to the north would take us to Searchlight and then direct to Henderson. But one of our members that has flown into Henderson on previous occasions said that we could fly direct to CRESO intersection that is about 10-miles south of Henderson and then turn direct to Henderson. This route would avoid having to skim the mountains to the southeast to stay below the Class B floor. We could descend to a lower altitude at CRESO to avert the "nose dive" that the mountain route would require.

Just prior to reaching CRESO, we called Henderson Tower and gave them our position and they asked us to report crossing the power lines that are just to the south of the airport. From our location, it was really easy to enter right downwind for runway 17R. You are advised to not extend your downwind leg as you will enter the Class B airspace that is a mere 3-miles north of the Henderson Airport. After landing and making a right turn to exit the runway, we taxied in the direction of the terminal building as that is where the restaurant is located. There were not a lot of open parking spaces left but we did find one about a 100-yards from the building. The shuttle was right there as we backed our aircraft into the tie-down and the line folks asked us if we would like a ride to the terminal. Since the weather was so nice, we thanked them but we said they would enjoy the short walk in the warm sun.

Up until maybe 5-years ago, Henderson was a little known and seldom used alternative to two city airports. Someone must have hit one of those huge jackpots and unloaded a ton of money on the Henderson Airport. Almost all of the buildings are relatively new. As we entered the terminal building, there was a large service counter to our right and ahead and to our left was the stairway to the second floor. On the second floor, you crossed a "bridge" to the north side of the open lobby to the restaurant. After passing the cocktail bar I spotted a long table that accommodated most of the early Breakfast Club arrivals.

After getting settled at the table and greeting the group, I place our order, got some "rocket fuel" and decided that this might be a good time to get some photos. At the north end of the restaurant, there is an outside patio that overlooks the north part of the airport but most impressive was the view of McCarran and the adjoining Las Vegas strip. From here, you are about as close to Vegas as you can get without having to place a bet. Following an enjoyable breakfast meal, we did a little more scouting of the scenery from the second floor. We then descended the stairs to the main floor lobby, made our mandatory "pit stop" and then continued our exploration of the facility.

I headed back to where my aircraft was secured and after getting the airplane started, I taxied to the self serve fueling facility. There was an aircraft on either side of the fuel island so I just choose the one on the right for no particular reason. With the refueling chores completed and we were secured in the aircraft, I radioed ground for taxi instructions for runway 35. After takeoff and climbing about 500', I made a left downwind departure to CRESO and retraced our early morning route home.

The Henderson Group


What's Next?

The December Breakfast Club event is schedule for Seligman and Lilo's West Side Café. This should be a great fly-in as it is relatively short in consideration of the holidays and a very familiar place. January 09 will see us revisiting historic Tombstone, Arizona and a blast into the past. That's all for now but remember, fly safe.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone.


Click on the Henderson link to view photos of this fly-in event.