Flying to Hoover Dam

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Flying into Henderson Executive!

What has 115,000 horsepower at 180 rpm, built in 1941 and is still in use?

Best time of the year to go?	Fall though spring. HOT in the summer.
Flight time in a Super Viking from KAJO?	1.2
Food on the airport?	Yes, good food too. the restaurant above the terminal is owned by the same people who the restaurants at KMHV, KWJF and L71.
Fuel on airport?	Yes, self serve prices are usually good.
Landing or Parking fees?	Fee for overnight.
Comments about arriving and departing.	Las Vegas approach is real good about giving class B clearances.
Things to do at or near the airport.	It's Las Vegas baby!
Rate this stop with 10 being best, 5 average.	8.0



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A behind the scene tour of Hoover Dam

I find a need to stop at Las Vegas 2 or 3 times a year and Henderson Executive is my airport of choice. Easy to get in and out of, rental cars on the field and a nice new terminal and jet center.

I took this trip because fellow Bellanca Super Viking owner, Mike Macosco, a Electrician at Hoover Dam, had set up a fly-in and behind the scene tour of the dam and power plant. We spent about 6 hours at the dam and Mike said we only saw 25% of what there is to see. How does one describe Hoover Dam? I can't, video and pictures will have to speak for me.

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	Everyone meeting up, except John, before the tour. John Christensen
	The group of Bellanca Super Viking owners who took the tour.
	The High Scaler on the Nevada side.

	Hoover Dam from the visitor center Dewey Elsik
	3/4 level progress on the dam; August 31, 1934
	They are four reinforced-concrete structures located above the dam, two on each side of the canyon. The diameter of these towers is 82 feet at the base, 63 feet 3 inches at the top, and 29 feet 8 inches inside. Each tower is 395 feet high and each controls one-fourth the supply of water for the power plant turbines. The four towers contain 93,674 cubic yards of concrete and 15,299,604 pounds of steel. John Christensen
	Intake towers; March 26, 1935
	Lake Mead overflow intake structure on the Nevada side.
	The Hoover Dam Bypass under construction. Ron Quillin
	This is a very unique picture as it was taken from inside the dam though an air grill. (see below) Ron Quillin
	Taking the picture above John Christensen
	I have no idea where this hole went or how far down it goes. I was trying to send Ron down to find out. Ron Quillin
	What makes the above picture so unique is how it were taken. Ron Quillin stuck his arm though the air intake (red arrow) and snapped the picture two above.
	One of the 30-foot-diameter penstocks (pipes). In the video you'll se us walking along side of this pipe. There are 4,700 feet of 30-foot-diameter pipe. Maximum thickness of the largest pipe is 2 3/4 inches. Ron Quillin
	More of the 30' pipe. John Christensen
	More of the 30' pipe. John Christensen
	Penstock pipe in fabrication shop; 1934
	Section of pipe in transit to site; 1934
	House power on the Arizona side. One of these reside on the Nevada side also. These were the first generators installed in Hoover Dam John Christensen
	Paddles used in the house power generator. I may know the woman who they used for this mold. John Christensen
	Ron Quillin
	Ron Quillin
	Generator row on the Inside Hoover Dam, Arizona side. John Christensen
	Generator row on the Inside Hoover Dam, Arizona side. John Christensen
	John Christensen
	John Christensen
	John Christensen
	A modem gate valve (huge) is so efficient that one valve replaced 5 needle valves. (see below) John Christensen
	This picture was taken from under the needle valve looking back at the capped of pipes no longer needed. (see above) John Christensen
	The Hover Dam Control Room. John Christensen
	Water leaving the generators taken from below. John Christensen
	Water leaving the generators taken from above. John Christensen
	Shaft alley, under the generators and above the turbines. Ron Quillin
	A close up of Shaft Alley. John Christensen
	Inside Hoover Dam John Christensen
	Inside Hoover Dam John Christensen
	Inside Hoover Dam John Christensen

	The Dam from the Arizona side. John Christensen
	Across to the Nevada side. John Christensen

	150 man worker transport to dam site; 1932. This must have been pre OSHA.
	The drawing shows how the completed Hoover Dam works. The Nevada wall of the Black Canyon (to the left) is shown solid, but the Arizona wall (to the right) shows with broken lines what the internal structures behind the wall look like. The fluted cylinders behind the dam are intake towers, and pipes leading from them are penstocks. These convey water to the turbines in the powerhouse at the foot of the dam. While the dam was being built, the four large tunnels, two on each side of the river, diverted the river around the dam site. The upstream ends of these tunnels have been plugged. They serve as penstocks and spillway outlets.

Last Updated
October 26, 2008