AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - R-7

Special Fly-Out

Go top secret
Fly to Los Alamos, home of the atomic bomb

SECRET CITY UNLOCKED:
THE LOS ALAMOS TOUR
from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
in Los Alamos, New Mexico
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14,

Cost: $25 per person includes continental
breakfast, box lunch, and transportation to
and from Los Alamos Airport.

IN 1944, ONLY A SELECT FEW got up close
and personal to Los Alamos, site of the
Manhattan Project. At the AOPA Fly-In,
you'll have the chance to see it first hand.
Your tour begins with drive-in or fly-in service at Los Alamos Airport on the
eastern edge of the once-secret community where the atomic bomb was developed during World War II. Pilots will delight in flying into the mesa-top airport
with scenic views set against the spectacular Jemez Mountains and nearby
Valles Caldera National Preserve, an ancient volcano with an impressive array
of elk and other wildlife.
Travelers will meet at the Los Alamos Airport between 9 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.
with continental breakfast included in the ticket price of $25 per person. Buses
depart at 10 a.m. for the short drive to the historic downtown district, where
you will have the opportunity to explore the science behind the Manhattan
Project and today's Los Alamos National Laboratory at the Bradbury Science
Museum. The museum features a short film about the Manhattan Project, plus
interactive and thought-provoking exhibits related to the project and new,
present-day research being conducted by Los Alamos scientists.
Visitors will also tour historic Fuller Lodge, a log cabin structure in the heart
of the downtown that once served as a hotel for visiting Manhattan Project
scientists. The tour will offer the opportunity to visit the Manhattan Project
National Historical Park located near the lodge, as well as options for a walking tour on the historic campus and a visit to the Los Alamos History Museum.
The tour includes a box lunch at Fuller Lodge as part of the ticket price. The
buses will return travelers to Los Alamos Airport at approximately 3:30 p.m.
The historic downtown district features shopping and restaurants for those
wishing to tour Los Alamos independently. A free app is available to download
for iPhone or Android that offers an immersive experience while touring the
Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The app allows the user to enter a
virtual environment and see how the buildings around the park appeared during the days of the Manhattan Project.
Nearby Pajarito Mountain and the community offers hundreds of trails for
hiking or biking in the summertime, and ample downhill and cross-country skiing
in the winter months. Los Alamos also is the gateway to three national parks: the
Manhattan Project National Historical Park, the Valles Caldera National Preserve
(approximately 20 minutes west), and Bandelier National Monument (20 minutes south).

WORTH THE DRIVE:
MADRID
WHAT MOVIE STARRED JOHN TRAVOLTA AND
TIM ALLEN riding motorcycles through New

Mexico? Wild Hogs was produced in 2007 and
put the little former mining town of Madrid
(MAD-rid) on the map. Take the Turquoise
Trail south from Santa Fe and after navigating
some twisting, turning mountain roads you'll
arrive in Madrid (it's 20 miles south of Santa
Fe on the way to Albuquerque). The diner
where most of the scenes in the movie take
place never really was a diner; it was built for
the movie. It's now Maggie's Gift Shop. But the
rest of the town is authentic and there are some
great places to eat-plus some, well, interesting shops. You can tour an old mine shaft, too.
Groups of motorcyclists make this a stop off the
famed Route 66.

FOR INFORMATION ON SPECIAL
FLY-OUTS, CHECK ONLINE
(www.aopa.org/saf/explore)

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | R-7

http://www.aopa.org/saf/explore http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018