Best chance for DC area to ND and bac...

Author Message   dinotars Senior Member Username: Dinotars Post Number: 6638 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 173.169.151.24 Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2010 - 11:37 pm:    Jt, I believe that that flight may have been destined for Hector International airport(FAR) near Fargo,ND.Can't recollect from where it originated though.   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1659 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 67.190.52.82 Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2010 - 10:34 pm:    A couple of years ago, Peterson AFB gave up some of their small executive jets to Fargo. Those planes now fly the same types of routes. So a plane might leave Fargo in the morning, come to Colorado, pick up some General, then go to Andrews, and then return home to Fargo. Since I post for Peterson, I tend to see these routes. My parents are also in Fargo, where I grew up, so I pay additional attention. There are probably 1 or 2 per week to and from Fargo and Andrews. There are also 1 or 2 a week to or from Colorado. Sadly, they tend to 'pop up' and I have never been able to take advantage of them. They also can be cancelled more quickly than a big cargo plane with 'stuff' that needs going somewhere. The other issue is that you have 4 pax. If these planes have anybody else on board, they will not have room for 4 more folks. While the planes claim to have 7 seats, they really only have 5. A general with one aide and a family of 4 is out of luck. You also have to have luggage down to 30 pounds, which might be tough for a wedding. Fargo updates their recording every afternoon late. They give the full routing of the 1 or 2 planes per day (but only Monday thru Friday). Call everyday for a couple of weeks to get a feel for the schedule: 701/451-2123 But as Cherry points out, if you really need to be someplace, especially like Fargo, space a might not be the best option. The other problem is that you might get there, but not have a space a ride back. Fargo is poorly served by airlines. I suspect that a walk up one-way ticket back to DC would be $500-$600. At those prices, an early round-trip ticket would seem cheap....especially for 4 folks.   Cherry C. Senior Member Username: Cherry Post Number: 6293 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 71.163.18.160 Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2010 - 10:17 pm:    James, welcome to the board! While sympathizing with your desire to use space-a for your June trip to North Dakota to attend a family wedding, I am sorry to be the bearer of unwelcome advice, which is, "Fly commercial." Here's why: 1)Yes, there have been occasional flights from Andrews to Fargo. However, it is very likely that they are not on big cargo planes but rather are on the small executive jets that may have as few as 6 total seats AND that limit baggage to 30 lbs. per passenger. Such flights are usually laid on for VIP's who also may have an entourage so that only one or two seats are actually available, if even that. Because you need 4 seats the chances are slim for all of you being accommodated even IF such a flight suddenly appeared. And there's no guarantee there would be one for weeks or maybe even months. Furthermore, even if you hear privately from one of the kind people on this board who have a "crystal ball" and may be willing to share some of its info, and even if they said such a flight was on the schedule in your hoped-for time frame, there is NO certainty at all that it would actually materialize when and where you need it. 2) When you must be somewhere by a certain date (as, for a wedding!), utilizing space-a is not a good idea, even if aiming for a far, far more busy and heavily traveled location than North Dakota. 3)In light of (1) and (2) above, I highly recommend that you bite the bullet and buy commercial air tickets now, to get advance-purchase rates. Therefore my honest answer to your question about "the best way to get to Fargo, Grand Forks, or Minneapolis-St Paul from Northern VA" is, sadly, to advise that you pay to go via civilian air.   Jt Member Username: Jt Post Number: 39 Registered: 07-2008 Posted From: 24.255.112.222 Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2010 - 08:43 pm:    During the past year, if my memory is correct, there has been flights out of Andrews to Fargo. Actually, I think they went to some airway to the west of Fargo. Not sure why they would go there. Not sure exactly when.   dinotars Senior Member Username: Dinotars Post Number: 6636 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 173.169.151.24 Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2010 - 01:01 pm:    My best guess would be to check Andrews to either Scott or Offutt for further flights to either of those destinations.   James M. Burroughs New member Username: Sogcomando Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 74.96.92.15 Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2010 - 05:30 am:    As a former maintenance scheduler, I used to create the long range plans and knew as far as a year out where and when aircraft were scheduled to go as well as return (March, Travis and Mildenhall were my last three bases, extremely handy for Space A travel). Being category VI for the last nine years means I've lost most of my contacts. My wife would like to attend a family wedding in Bismark, ND. I would accompany her with our two young children. Can anyone give me any advice on the best way to get to Fargo, Grand Forks, or Minneapolis-St. Paul from Northern VA? Thank you!