33 Votes (4.36 Average) and 8,620 Views  

Eurocopter EC-130 (N240SH) - These two Airbus helicopters are two of the many helicopters flying people from all around the world out to the Black Rock Desert where the annual Burning Man Festival is in progress. In this photo (best viewed by clicking on FULL), Sundances N244SH is lifting away from Lima taxiway to make the fourteen minute trip from RNO to the temporary airport (88NV-- see ** below) in the Black Rock Desert while N240SH awaits its next load of passengers. In the background, N878MH is one of four Maverick Helicopters EC30s also flying people to the festival. And just as an "interesting" bit of additional information -- the fare for the quarter-hour flight to get to the festival is (are you ready for this?) .... waaaay over $2000.00 per person. But it is well worth the price. People who drove out were waiting in line for over 15 hours to get in ... and that was AFTER they made the two-hour drive from Reno to Gerlach. Tonight, the Man will burn, and then about 80,000 attendees will all start leaving. And these helicopters will be busy again.br /** The airport in the Black Rock Desert is a temporary strip which is established each year just to accommodate helicopters and small passenger planes that bring attendees from RNO to the festival. It even has a very small control tower that is built to direct the air traffic. The airport is assigned an identification number, 88NV. And every year, after the festival is concluded and as required by the Bureau of Land Management, the airport must be dismantled so completely that no remnants of it are left behind.
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Eurocopter EC-130 (N240SH)

Submitted

These two Airbus helicopters are two of the many helicopters flying people from all around the world out to the Black Rock Desert where the annual Burning Man Festival is in progress. In this photo (best viewed by clicking on FULL), Sundance's N244SH is lifting away from Lima taxiway to make the fourteen minute trip from RNO to the temporary airport (88NV-- see ** below) in the Black Rock Desert while N240SH awaits its next load of passengers. In the background, N878MH is one of four Maverick Helicopters EC30s also flying people to the festival. And just as an "interesting" bit of additional information -- the fare for the quarter-hour flight to get to the festival is (are you ready for this?) .... waaaay over $2000.00 per person. But it is well worth the price. People who drove out were waiting in line for over 15 hours to get in ... and that was AFTER they made the two-hour drive from Reno to Gerlach. Tonight, the Man will burn, and then about 80,000 attendees will all start leaving. And these helicopters will be busy again.
** The airport in the Black Rock Desert is a temporary strip which is established each year just to accommodate helicopters and small passenger planes that bring attendees from RNO to the festival. It even has a very small control tower that is built to direct the air traffic. The airport is assigned an identification number, 88NV. And every year, after the festival is concluded and as required by the Bureau of Land Management, the airport must be dismantled so completely that no remnants of it are left behind.

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Gary SchenauerPhoto Uploader
RNO's Lima taxiway east of taxiway Charlie has been closed for about a week so these Sundance and Maverick helicopters could take off and land as a steady stream of passengers kept them going and returning for more. Starting early tomorrow morning, the process will be reversed as the copters go out to the desert and return with folks leaving the festival.
Leon Kay
Thank you for a nice photo and very informative comment!
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Date Aircraft Origin Destination Departure Arrival Duration
31-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Newnan Coweta County () 03:58 EDT 04:36 EDT 0:38
31-May-2025 EC30Piedmont Fayette Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 02:31 EDT 02:41 EDT 0:09
31-May-2025 EC30Spalding Rgnl Medical Center ()Piedmont Fayette Hospital () 01:57 EDT 02:10 EDT 0:13
31-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Spalding Rgnl Medical Center () 01:14 EDT 01:27 EDT 0:13
30-May-2025 EC30Emory University Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 19:49 EDT 20:09 EDT (?) 0:19
30-May-2025 EC30Piedmont Hospital-Newnan ()Emory University Hospital () 18:52 EDT 19:12 EDT 0:20
30-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Piedmont Hospital-Newnan () 18:01 EDT 18:04 EDT 0:03
28-May-2025 EC30Grady Meml Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 20:25 EDT 20:46 EDT (?) 0:20
28-May-2025 EC30Spalding Rgnl Medical Center ()Grady Meml Hospital () 19:39 EDT 19:57 EDT 0:17
28-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Spalding Rgnl Medical Center () 18:57 EDT 19:10 EDT (?) 0:13
28-May-2025 EC30Grady Meml Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 18:02 EDT 18:23 EDT 0:21
28-May-2025 EC30Near Atlanta, GAGrady Meml Hospital () First seen 16:58 EDT 17:15 EDT 0:17
28-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Near Atlanta, GA 16:39 EDT Last seen 16:44 EDT 0:05
26-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Newnan Coweta County () 20:41 EDT 21:03 EDT 0:22
25-May-2025 EC30Choa Arthur M Blank Hospital Helipad ()Newnan Coweta County () 17:48 EDT 18:10 EDT (?) 0:21
25-May-2025 EC30Near Atlanta, GAChoa Arthur M Blank Hospital Helipad () First seen 17:44 EDT 17:46 EDT 0:02
25-May-2025 EC30Big 'T' ()Choa Arthur M Blank Hospital Helipad () 16:32 EDT 16:51 EDT 0:18
25-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Big 'T' () 16:03 EDT 16:10 EDT 0:06
25-May-2025 EC30Piedmont Atlanta Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 14:29 EDT 14:48 EDT 0:19
25-May-2025 EC30Near Atlanta, GAPiedmont Atlanta Hospital () First seen 13:31 EDT 13:45 EDT 0:14
25-May-2025 EC30Piedmont Hospital-Newnan ()Piedmont Atlanta Hospital () 13:10 EDT 13:29 EDT 0:19
25-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Piedmont Hospital-Newnan () 12:50 EDT 12:53 EDT 0:03
24-May-2025 EC30Grady Meml Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 14:42 EDT 15:00 EDT 0:18
24-May-2025 EC30Big 'T' ()Grady Meml Hospital () 13:30 EDT 13:45 EDT 0:15
24-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Big 'T' () 12:55 EDT 13:01 EDT 0:06
23-May-2025 EC30Grady Meml Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 19:18 EDT 19:37 EDT (?) 0:19
23-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Grady Meml Hospital () 17:41 EDT 18:32 EDT 0:51
23-May-2025 EC30Grady Meml Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 11:13 EDT 11:31 EDT 0:17
23-May-2025 EC30Near Atlanta, GAGrady Meml Hospital () First seen 10:00 EDT 10:24 EDT 0:23
23-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Near Atlanta, GA 09:36 EDT Last seen 09:42 EDT 0:05
22-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Newnan Coweta County () 17:43 EDT 18:04 EDT (?) 0:21
22-May-2025 EC30Piedmont Hospital-Newnan ()Newnan Coweta County () 11:59 EDT 12:03 EDT 0:03
22-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Piedmont Hospital-Newnan () 09:03 EDT 09:07 EDT 0:03
22-May-2025 EC30Childrens Health Care Atl At Scottish Rite ()Newnan Coweta County () 04:13 EDT 04:33 EDT 0:19
22-May-2025 EC30Spalding Rgnl Medical Center ()Childrens Health Care Atl At Scottish Rite () 03:18 EDT 03:47 EDT 0:28
22-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Spalding Rgnl Medical Center () 02:30 EDT 02:42 EDT 0:11
21-May-2025 EC30Grady Meml Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 21:23 EDT 21:42 EDT 0:18
21-May-2025 EC30Piedmont Hospital-Newnan ()Grady Meml Hospital () 20:30 EDT 20:47 EDT 0:16
21-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Piedmont Hospital-Newnan () 20:07 EDT 20:09 EDT 0:01
21-May-2025 EC30Fulton County ()Newnan Coweta County () 15:30 EDT 15:45 EDT 0:15
21-May-2025 EC30Grady Meml Hospital ()Fulton County () 14:46 EDT 14:52 EDT 0:05
21-May-2025 EC30Piedmont Fayette Hospital ()Grady Meml Hospital () 14:02 EDT 14:13 EDT 0:11
21-May-2025 EC30Piedmont Fayette Hospital ()Piedmont Fayette Hospital () 13:30 EDT 13:55 EDT 0:25
21-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Piedmont Fayette Hospital () 13:16 EDT 13:25 EDT 0:09
20-May-2025 EC30Grady Meml Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 15:25 EDT 15:45 EDT 0:19
20-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Grady Meml Hospital () 14:18 EDT 14:49 EDT 0:31
20-May-2025 EC30Kennestone ()Newnan Coweta County () 05:38 EDT 06:01 EDT 0:22
20-May-2025 EC30Piedmont Hospital-Newnan ()Kennestone () 04:50 EDT 05:09 EDT 0:19
20-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Piedmont Hospital-Newnan () 04:20 EDT 04:22 EDT 0:02
18-May-2025 EC30Kennestone ()Newnan Coweta County () 21:53 EDT 22:15 EDT 0:22
18-May-2025 EC30Near Atlanta, GAKennestone () First seen 21:15 EDT 21:22 EDT 0:07
18-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Near Atlanta, GA 20:30 EDT Last seen 20:46 EDT 0:16
17-May-2025 EC30Grady Meml Hospital ()Newnan Coweta County () 20:27 EDT 20:46 EDT (?) 0:19
17-May-2025 EC30Kenley Fld ()Grady Meml Hospital () 19:10 EDT 19:26 EDT 0:16
17-May-2025 EC30Newnan Coweta County ()Kenley Fld () 18:40 EDT 18:50 EDT (?) 0:09
17-May-2025 EC30Medical Center, Navicent Health ()Newnan Coweta County () 03:43 EDT 04:24 EDT 0:40
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