Thorp Air Command - T18.net

I decided I wanted one of those certificates that you get when you land at North America's (and the 3rd highest in the word) highest airport, KLXV. So I took off from Louisiana for Santa Fe yesterday. Today I took off from Santa Fe and I flew north up through the Poncha Pass and to KLXV. The mixture settings and ground roll were definitely different!! Got my certificate and flew home to Louisiana by 4PM that same day. Here's a couple of photos.

Good going, Ryan! That's a lot of flying in 2 days! I've flown my T-18 to Leadville many times... the first time about 26 years ago. The airport was a little different then. The runway was shorter, and the iconic old blue hangar was there with "LEADVILLE, ELEV. 9927'" on it. There were 2 ladies who ran the FBO. One of them did primary flight instruction out of there with a 172. Quite a few years ago now we helped host a couple of Colorado Thorp fly-ins in Canon City. In 1999 a group of, I believe, 13 of us flew up to Leadville. Many of those had never been there before, and looking at the pictures I realize how much younger we all were. Too many of those good friends are not with us here any longer. Good memories.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE (building)

Ryan, beautiful pictures! In 1976 I lived in Buenavista CO and based my Stits Playboy at Leadville. I got to know my good friend Dean Cochran while I was there and flew down to Broomfield to visit several times. That was a long time ago but as I remember, about the only noticeable difference in the flying characteristics of the Playboy was a longer landing roll. The take off distance seemed to be the same as at sea level. I can tell people that I built a homemade airplane that from the time I advanced the throttle for take off I could climb through ten thousand feet in 12 seconds! I was building my Thorp then and Dean built the exhaust system for me. It was a beautiful piece of artwork. Still flying my T-18 going on 38 years.
Steve Hawley

Awesome Ryan! What a cool trip.
Cubes

I've been to Leadville by car, but not yet by plane. I am envious! However, according to Airport-Technology.com the four highest airports in the world are located in Tibet. I have landed a C-130 at El Alto, Bolivia, that serves La Paz, that comes up as number 5.

Bob H.

Funny story Bob H, I was sent there in a Lear 24 back in my 135 days. The dispatcher sent us there I landed and then (please don't judge) I realized the Lear was limited to a 10k max takeoff altitude. That being said a little ampty Lear with two pilots and 6K of fuel definitely works just fine at 10k.

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Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

OOPS! At AAL we had a few B-757's with a switch that changed the altitude that would drop the masks to 14,500 feet so you could depressurize the cabin for landing at La Paz and Cusco, Peru. It was also odd to have to wear O2 masks for takeoff and landing. It seems that when the Chinese annexed Tibet, they built four airports that are now the highest in the world. In the early 80's when I went to La Paz, I believe it was the highest. Until now I always told folks that I had been to the highest airport, but apparently, not so anymore.

It appears that I was incorrect about the 3rd highest in the world. Anyhow, it was a fun trip and I saw some magnificent views out of my cockpit that a flatlander like myself never gets to see. The Thorp performed beautifully at density altitudes of 16,000.

Ryan,

Yeah, I'm disappointed that I find that I have not been to the highest! Thanks for the great photos! It's a little farther away from your location, but Jackson Hole, Wyoming is also a worthwhile trip, with great views of the Grand Tetons. Leadville is a nice little town, I hope you had a chance to go downtown and have a bite to eat. Bob

Just a little more Leadville trivia... I mentioned the 2 ladies who used to run the FBO. Well, one of them was an artist, and there was a self-portrait she did (in the nude) hanging in one of the local bars. My wife & I flew up there to spend the night in one of the historic hotels, and learned that little tidbit of important information.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE (building)