private airports

[cessna170bdriver]

Sounds like it's time Mr. Askey put in a 10,000-head hog farm. The stink alone would make the neighbors wish they had the airstrip back.

Miles

[Abe]

Hey Joe,
I hope that I still can come down and try my new prop out on your 600' strip when I get it put 2604D back together without making your long narrow cows nervous.....

And Flat Country, thanks for reminding me what folks in rural areas can sometimes take for granted. I sometimes get an "Oh Sure" look from folks when I tell them that we don't have a stoplight in our entire county. I also have to get Judy to the "big city" (Portland or Spokane) once or twice a year for a cultural fix. Personally, I'd rather head east for a fly-in at a ND farm.

[GAHorn]

Harry Askey needs to get his attorney to pursue his land ownership rights. Most states have statutes that protect an owner's right to enjoy the use of his property, and new neighbors have the obligation to respect the prior use of neighbors land.

[iowa]

my dad had a 1500ft strip on his farm
north of kellogg, iowa for awhile
was very convenient to fly in.
also my brother has a private strip
in minnesota near tintah.
wheatencamp.
it is only 10' wide
but i've been in and out of there
100's of x's
is there a problem with insuring one's
plane when landing on fields
like these?
dave

[N2865C]

You have to check your insurance policy. Many have an off airport exclusion. I went with AIG for a few dollars more because it covers me for off airport landings. I don't land off airport often, but when I do I figure I'm more likely to loose it there than at an airport.

[4-Shipp]

Here are some pics of our runway that we built in May. The first pic is looking north. The strip is on the right side of the picture, just right of the barn. The barn is 40x60 and will be called a hangar as soon as I can get the doors built for the north end. The only dirt work required was cutting/smoothing the terraces on each end. The center section was disked and rolled. The high point is abeam the barn/hangar (Bangar???). It drops about 30 feet to the north and about 10 feet ot the south. There are 25 foot power lines in the south end (bottom of the picture along the road) that will get safety markers this month. Or property is 23 acres and the strip is 1800 feet x 50 feet.

We are located in North Texas and there were no county or state issues of note. AS George said, Texas is pretty airport friendly.



We had no rain from just before the dirt work was done until September. A bit of burmuda grew but the soil is very sandy and was too soft to use until we got the first two inches of rain. Since September we have recieved over 8 inches and the grass is filling in nicely. What is not covered in grass is packed very solidly and has held up to tire marks very well. Fortunately there is good grass on each end for turnarounds and where we taxi on/off the runway.

We recieved over 7 inches of rain in the last 48 hours. Last night, after 5.5 inches (it was still raining) I walked the strip and with the exception of 3 small soft spots (no grass on theses spots), the strip was usable. This soil is very sandy and drains very quickly. The areas with established grass didn't even leave a tire mark from the truck and the dirt areas were solid but for the top 1/4" or so.



In the last pic, look just above the left wingtip and just to the right of the large tan building on the horizon. The dark spot you see is the cab of the control tower at the local Air Force Base. We are 1.6 miles north of the tower and about a half mile east of the final approach courses. I thought this would be a show stopper for sure, but I drafted a 3 page Letter of Agreement (LOA) on how I would operate and deconflict from the military traffic, and the base was 110% cooperative! Their only response was "We see no reasons why this can't work. We are glad to help". We are also registered with the FAA and they had no issues as long as the LOA with the base was in effect. The FAA did stress that their approval was from an airspace point of view only and remeinded me that anyone could build anything next door or across the road. This is a chance I was willing to take. The neighbors shouldn't complain about the excess noise as I am right under the departure path for the T-37s!




We rented a 12' road grader at the local rental shop for $38.00/hour dry and used 2 days (16 hours) to do the dirt work. A good friend from the local airport (who has built half a dozen runways in the county) drove the grader for water/lunch/and beer. I will build 2x20' sliding doors on the end of the barn. The grass is all volunteer burmuda from the existing hay field. In all I'll have between 18-24 month's hangar rent at my current airport invested.

We bought the property and built the house knowing that a strip may be possible but truely expected to be shot down by the feds or the base. When we got the green light my bride was the one to ecnourage me to get to work. Thanks, June!!!!

Moral of this story: if you have an opportunity, explore your options and get busy! With a bit of research and some sweat equity, it can be done cheaply and safely.

[iowa]

not that pretty,
but adequate!
well, i take that back,
any airport next to
one's house is
a pretty site.
dave

[4-Shipp]

Unfortunately not much of anything around here is "pretty" this summer. The first of September we were 15 inches below average rain fall and had no rain for 4 months. Now we are only behind about 7-8 inches but it is too late for the yard and runway. We sprigged the field with burmuda a year ago June and may get our first cut in 3-4 weeks.


We planted 17 trees in the yard and kept them alive by watering 3-4 times a week. Didnt' even consisder spending money on seed for the strip. After this rain and witha good spring, we should be in fine shape.

It may not look like much, but the first time you taxi up to the back door, shut down and walk in for dinner, it is as good as it gets down here

Bruce

[flat country pilot]

VERY GOOD

Bill

[iowa]

i remember about 25 years ago,
bad weather forced me to land
on a private strip just east
of brooklyn (which is east of grinnell)
enroute from iowa city.
i had picked up a friend of mine
from germany who had never
been in a plane before!!!
the owner was very upset
and demanded that i pay a landing fee.
after he calmed down,
and the weather passed,
and we had talked for an hour,
he thot it okay if i landed there
anytime i wanted

dave

[hilltop170]

Anyone who puts in a new strip or flies off any private strip or airport subdivision should attempt to obtain an Avigation Easement from adjoining land owners. I think AOPA legal dept can help with the verbage and weasle words. Once filed at the local courthouse, your ability to operate over other's property is much more secure. They are not that hard to do and can make the difference down the road.
Richard

[170C]

Well Bruce you are crowding the OK border aren't you if you are North of Sheppard? Guess you are close to Burk. Photos look great. Guess one of these days when you get you runway finished you will have to let me know and maybe I can sneek in under the T-37/T-38's. I have flown into Kickapoo numerous times as well as Wichita Valley. Your place looks nice. I didn't know it got that green up there, but when I was up there in Sept on business & a golf outing I could see you had had more rain at that time than we have here in the Fort Worth area. That sandy soil will be nice for drainage, but watch out for the grassburrs, they love sandy soil.

[buzzlatka]

Bruce, thanks for posting the photos.

[GAHorn]

Well, let's see Bruce.... the November flyin date is set for FTW, and the Xmas party is GLS...so how does January or February sound for the fly in? (We can all hop over to the catfish place if you like. And we'll need to know the details of your LOA.)

[AR Dave]

I think I might have found us a great place for a fly-in party in Southern Colorado. And the Lodge host will feed us, lodge us, and tour us around for FREE!



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