Jet Charter Vegas arranges flights from Las Vegas for mining, survey and research teams heading to sites that airlines do not serve. Many of these trips end at a small airport in rural Nevada, Utah, Arizona or California, and some end at a strip with no paved runway at all.
Flying north to Nevada’s gold country
Much of Nevada’s gold mining takes place in the northeast of the state, along the Carlin Trend west of Elko. Elko Regional Airport (KEKO) is about a mile west of downtown Elko, and we arrange flights there from Las Vegas for executives, engineers, geologists and visiting investors. A day trip up and back can be arranged, subject to scheduling and aircraft availability.
Choosing the aircraft for the airstrip
Mines and research sites are where the geology is, and the nearest airstrip may be short, unpaved or at high elevation. A turboprop can operate from many strips that jets cannot use. When there is a long paved runway nearby, a jet will save the team time. For a site with no airstrip at all, ask us about helicopters.
Before we quote, your advisor will go over the destination airport with the operator. That conversation settles the aircraft, the price and sometimes the route.
Equipment, samples and crew rotations
Survey instruments, core samples and field gear often travel with the team. Give us the weights and sizes, and tell us if anything counts as dangerous goods, because some operators will not carry it. If the equipment is the main load and the team is flying separately, a cargo charter may be the better choice.
Exploration programs can run for months, with crews rotating in and out on a set pattern. Send us the full rotation schedule along with the first flight, and we will plan the season around it. Our turboprop page covers the aircraft that suit short and unpaved strips.
Vetting Behind Every Trip
Every operator, aircraft, and crew goes through our internal due diligence before we present any options. Our internal standards meet or exceed what the FAA requires:
- FAR Part 135 charter operators for traditional private aircraft, or FAR Part 121 for airliner-size and group trips (or the foreign equivalent on international legs)
- Operator subscription to Wyvern and ARGUS reviewed where the operator participates.
- Pilot experience and operator incident history reviewed before we recommend an aircraft.
- Fewer than 60 brokers worldwide hold Premium Wyvern Broker Member status, and Air Charter Advisors is one of them.
Las Vegas-Specific Patterns We Plan Around
Harry Reid International (KLAS), formerly McCarran, is the only airport in the Las Vegas area with customs, so a flight arriving from abroad lands there first. None of the Clark County airports have a curfew, but the towers at Henderson Executive (KHND) and North Las Vegas (KVGT) close in the evening, so a late departure from either one takes a little more planning. On the biggest event weekends, such as Formula 1 in November and the NBAA business aviation convention in October, the FAA requires a parking reservation for every private aircraft at Harry Reid, Henderson Executive and North Las Vegas, and for some events at Boulder City too, and the reservations go first come, first served. In summer, the heat can limit how much an aircraft carries on a hot afternoon, so a morning departure is often the easier choice.
Contact
For a quote on a Las Vegas charter, send the trip through our contact page or call an advisor at 1-888-987-5387. Our safety page sets out how we review operators and crews, and the aircraft gallery covers every category we arrange. We are also a member of the National Business Aviation Association.