Sundance Airport – KHSD – Sundance Aviation

Yukon, Oklahoma – Sundance Airport- Sundance Aviation 

We review every single airport we travel in and out of. Keep in mind, not all airports have FBOs or services. Some do not have a paved runway. Based on each airport, these are the items we look for. Every review will address each of these topics if they apply. We also will let you know what we are flying, single, twin, or turboprop. We think it is relevant because the service you receive and the fees can vary based on the general aviation airplane. 

We made a fuel and lunch stop in Yukon, Oklahoma in our Mooney. We stopped at Sundance Airport (KHSD) and the only available FBO, Sundance Aviation.  I chose this airport on the fly based on fuel prices plus this FBO boasts Land Rovers as their crew cars. We figured, between the cheap fuel and nice crew cars, why not stop here. We have had our share of crew cars that could use some paint, maintenance, windows that wont roll down and broken air conditioners.  I did not do much research on food at this location and that part becomes a wonderful adventure. 

See our trip to small town of Piedmont, Oklahoma and discovery of Junklahoma here. Yes – Junklahoma – it’s a thing.

Runway at Sundance Airport

The runway is 18/36.  We land on 36 and took off on 18. It ai nice to do a direct landing in and then take off in our desired direction.  This is one of the considerations for why we choose this airport, though fuel prices are the first consideration.

Condition

The concrete runway is 5,001 feet and is in good condition.

Hazards

Both ends of the runway have long clear ways. There are no hazards on the runway.

Controllers

We are on an instrument flight plan (IFR), talking to Oklahoma City. We picked up our clearance in the air. The controllers make the trip through their airspace seamless.  

Controlled or Uncontrolled Field

Sundance Airport is an untowered airport. There is no traffic in the area and no transmissions from the FBO. 

Runway 18 has a right hand pattern and 36 has a left hand pattern, so be extra careful entering the pattern and checking the airspace.  Be vigilant for traffic, since there is no requirement to use a radio.

Ramp at Sundance Airport

Condition

The ramp is large and concrete. It was free of any debris and in good shape.

Security

The airport is gated and secure. Pedestrians must enter and exit through the Sundance Aviation.

Parking

There is plenty of parking on the ramp.  There are only three planes there at the time of landing. We are in our Mooney and she does not need that much space. You can park quite a few more planes without any issues. 

Chocks

No one offers us chocks. There are no chocks laying on the ramp.  We do not see any chocks hanging on a stand or anywhere else.  We have our own chocks so that is not an issue. I had some custom chocks made when my pilot rebuilt the Mooney and had her painted.

Tie-downs/Ropes

There are no ropes on the ramp and no one offers us any ropes for tie-down. We do not see any tie-down holes where we are parked or during the walk to the FBO.  There is a bit of wind, but not so much we need to tie down the plane during the lunch run.

Service at Sundance Aviation

Friendly

The people are not unfriendly but they do not go out of the way to welcome us when we land or walk in the door.  The line crew does not look up as we walk by after fueling at the self-serve fuel pump nor does the desk person when we walked in.  Maybe I am spoiled by the hospitality of our southern airports.  

Helpful 

No one speaks when we walk in the door. No directions to the bathroom or requests if we need anything, not even a hey, hello, or what do you want.  When we approach the desk, after finding the bathroom, the desk person answers our questions but is not overly excited to see us. My pilot tells me turn turn on my Southern charm when I ask about a crew car as he doubts his New York will get us very far. Southern charm and southern accent get you nowhere at Sundance Aviation.

Prompt

We arrive in a Mooney and make our way to the self-serve pump based on the airport diagram.  No one offers to park us when we finish pumping gas.  No one offers a ride to the FBO, though the walk is not that far and I prefer to stretch my legs.

As I said before, no one greets us when we walk in the door but when we ask for help at the desk, it is given and pretty quickly.  

Fuel at Sundance Aviation

Full Service or Self Service

Sundance Airport offers full service and self-service fuel. They have 100LL and Jet A, not that we need Jet A in our Mooney.

The fuel was $2.00 per gallon cheaper than another airport just five miles away.  The cost of fuel is a huge determination for our stops.

We use self-serve because in addition to the price, once I see the self-serve pump, we have to use it. I want to check out the cool looking boom contraption at the self-serve pumps. Neither the pilot nor the right seat pilot have seen that type of a self-serve pump before.  

Ease of access 

We do not use full service but there is a fuel truck on the ramp.  The self-serve pump is easy to access and is about 100 yards from the Sundance Aviation FBO.  

It takes us a minute to figure out how to get the boom system to work.  There is a latch that unlocks and locks the boom to swing it out to the plane.  

The boom system is a little much for a Mooney but for a King Air, it would make things easy and the ladder is located next to the pump.  The boom system does eliminate the need to roll up the hose when you finish pumping.  

Card reader/Payment processing 

There are two screens on the pump; one with the price and one for the credit card processing. The credit card processing screen does not work. 

There are typed instructions taped to the machine that says to listen for the beeps. There are no beeps.  After a few tries, the pump begins to work so we guess we hit all the right buttons.  

We do hear the printer for the receipt but no receipt prints.  They are unable to give us a receipt inside. The fuel pump does show how many gallons and the price. 

Hopefully, the car reader and printer are repaired should you make the trip. Otherwise, think about the steps on a gas pump that typically pop up and just start pressing some buttons. It worked for us.

If the printer is not working, write down the amount if you keep up with your fuel costs, or wait for your credit card statement.

Condition of pumps 

The fuel truck looks good on our walk-by.  The pump appears to be in fair shape, minus the card processing screen.  The pump could be from the late 1990s or early 2000s and is faded by the sun. 

Lighting  

We land at lunchtime so it is daylight. I do notice two lights on the fuel boom.  I do not notice lights on the hangar, but I cannot say I really look very hard, as I have bathroom and food on my mind.

Facilities at Sundance Aviation

Clean 

The facilities are average clean.  I would not say it is sparking clean but it certainly was not dirty, except for the women’s bathroom.

Accessible 

The entrance to Sundance FBO is easily identified.  The walk from the self-service fuel pump is about 100 yards.  No one offers a golf cart ride, but after flying for a while, we are happy for the walk. 

WiFi 

Sundance Aviation has Wi-Fi. However, it is slower than next Christmas in January.  There is no password and it is free, but again super slow.  

We are trying to update our charts on our back up iPad, which we accidentally left in the plane the night before. After waiting and waiting and waiting, we give up on the download. 

We have the charts we need on the main ipad and all the nav data we need in the radio, so we just go with what we have.  We prefer redundancy but after waiting so long, we are going to miss our next planned arrival time window

Do not plan on depending on the Wi-Fi here unless you have hours to wait for downloads.  

Comfort 

The sofas are well loved with some worn spots in the leather but they are very comfortable. The small seating area with four chairs and table are metal and leather. The style is very aviation.  Two other chairs are occupied by two retired pilots talking aviation. We did not intrude in their space and they did not acknowledge or speak to us.

Flight Planning 

There is a nice area for flight planning.

Ground Transportation

Crew Cars

Sundance Aviation at Sundance Airport advertises Range Rovers. We did not call ahead but one Range Rover was available. The vehicle is nice but it is a bit dusty and has someone else’s trash in it.  Someone probably just returned Range Rover and the staff gave it to us, as is.

You will have to fill out some paperwork and sign some documents, but the process is pretty simple.

Rental Service

There are no rental cars available, but it appears you can get off site delivery of a rental car to Sundance Airport from a couple companies, for an additional fee.

Uber/Lyft 

There is no Uber or Lyft available.  Yukon, Oklahoma does have a taxi service.

Food at Sundance Airport

Restaurant/Delivery options

There are some restaurants in the vicinity.  We pick the closest restaurant that is locally owned and not fast food. I prefer local restaurants and have a wheat allergy.  I ask for suggestions and am told they have lots of options but none were provided.  

Our selection is determined by google maps and a search for restaurants.  Though I must say the restaurant we select is a fun side adventure. 

We drive to an adorable stop sign town called Piedmont, Oklahoma, which happens to be the home of Junklahoma.  We stop at the only open restaurant in town that I think can accommodate my need to eat gluten-free. The restaurant is a Chinese American restaurant that serves Chinese food, hamburgers, and breakfast all day.  Read about that adventure here.

Vending Machines

There is one vending machine.  It contains sodas, chips, and candy items.  

Free Snacks

Nope. No free snacks here.  

Ice

Ice was not seen. I guess I should ask, but the guy at the desk does not seem too open to random questions and is oblivious to my attempt to strike up a conversation in my natural southern accent.

Coffee

There is coffee in the pots on the counter. I have to pass, as the only option for the coffee was black or powered creamer. I have got to have cream and not the powered kind.

Water

There is no bottled water available. They do not have a refrigerator that I can find. However, they do have a water cooler to refill your water bottle, which I prefer over bottled water. A water cooler is a big plus for me!

Bathrooms

Clean 

The restrooms for the men are ‘fine’ per my pilot.  The women’s restroom is another story.  There is enough dust on top of the toilet that I can write my name on it.  There is trash in the floor and a ring in the bowl of every single toilet.  

Spacious 

The men’s restroom is large per my pilot.  The women’s restroom is also large. Everything is black or grey, with black toilets and black sinks.  The room is a little dark, but again it is all black.  

Stocked 

So both restrooms have soap and paper towels.  No specialty items are provided.

Showers 

There are no showers nor any bathroom products to freshen up.  Bring what you need.  

Smell 

There is no noticeable smell either way, which is a positive for me.  Based on the dust and the toilets, a clean scent is not expected.

Fees at Sundance Airport

Ramp

There is no ramp fee, which is nice since we used the self serve fuel pump and a crew car.  

Hangar

Sundance Aviation offers hangars for overnight stays. The FBO has to large hangars available.  Sundance Airport also has 190 T-hangars for their residents.

Fuel

The fuel is some of the cheapest in area.  We are flying in our Mooney and take thirty-five gallons. Our little Mooney holds fifty-two gallons but we always stop with an hour and half of fuel to spare.

Compared to several of the neighboring airports, Sundance Aviation prices are by far the best.

Additional/Surprise fees

There are no surprise fees or costs. When visiting airports, we prefer no surprises that cost money.

Other Services

Maintenance 

Sundance Aviation offers aircraft maintenance, including annual inspections and phase inspections.  They also offer airframe, engine, and major alteration repair.  

Luckily, we do not need their services but it is nice to know that maintenance is available.

Pilot Store 

There is not really a pilot store. They have a small area that offers a few aviation items including logbooks, as well as promotional items for Sundance Aviation.  I did like this button but my pilot says I cannot have one until I get my pilot’s license.

Other 

Sundance Aviation offers a flight school. There is also a Redbird FMX flight simulator for a single-engine Piper or multi-engine Piper training.

Sundance Airport is in a rural area but only eleven nautical miles from Oklahoma City, Oaklahoma.  They have inexpensive fuel and the airport is surrounded by cute little towns, making it a perfect fuel stop.  

Anything really cool

If you stop at this airport, you have to take a crew car over to Junklahoma.  Yes, that’s right, I said Junklahoma.  We stumbled upon this little town called Piedmont, Oklahoma in search of food.  I am gluten-free and was in search of a large salad or some steamed veggies.   

We found a restaurant called Piedmont Cuisine in Piedmont, Oklahoma. The restaurant serves Chinese food, hamburgers and breakfast all day.  Imagine Waffle House in a Chinese restaurant. 

We also found a tiny town, where the high school kids still wear letter jackets and people are friendly.  The best part is the greatest Old Store and Junklahoma.  Read about that adventure here.  

If you visit

If you visit, let us know!  If something has changed since our trip, drop an email so we can update the post and let other readers know.  If you have a different experience, we want to hear about it. If we need to go back and check out something else there.  Email us.

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