What're you flying? VTOL, STOL, what size? My autogyro can get up in 500 feet.
What're you flying? VTOL, STOL, what size? My autogyro can get up in 500 feet.
Those planes will take off or land in that distance, but when you factor in trees, terrain, and general pucker factor, most folks should be fairly comfortable with a couple thousand feet. I regularly go into 2000 ft strips, and could land or take off in substantially less, but if there were to be a problem, I want some options - other than miss the tree trunks.
One of my favorite - Brandon Airdrome
Here's another - THA
You've got a very nice field - depending on what you are flying it could be a blast. A lot of the light sport aircraft - new rule - could handle that easily.
Lake Wolford in CA is fun if you like to simulate carrier traps. Sedona, AZ can be fun too if you don't mind the strong downdraft just prior to getting to the approach end of the runway (local knowledge is to turn base before your abeam the numbers.)
Please note the man said 500+ NOT 500 and he didn't say + what!
He also didn't say if that was over a 50 ft obstacle or just till the gear cleared the ground.
Nothing wrong with a few trees near the runway. I haven't landed at Grand Canyon lately but last time I did the overrun was big pine stumps and the cleared swath was none to wide. This was prior to general aviation being kept away from the rim. Then, you could flly as low as the rim without special permision.
I had considered a small strip on my place but will probably forgo that project. The odds of my getting another genav aircraft are not too high and any ultralight that would meet my requirements doesn't need more prep for a strip than a brush hog.
Welcome aboard to you, we could use another pilot's perspective.
Could you share what end of the world you are in? I promise we won't pool our money, hire a private eye, ferret you out, and make nusiences of ourselves.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
I'm in Nashville, the farm is in Hickory, NC. I fly a Beechcraft Musketeer here it is .
My RV project is dormant right now, for a variety of reasons.
Your talk of Sedona reminded me of trip some friends of mine took a couple of years ago. The interesting thing is how much territory they covered in a fair short period of time. Anyway, if you are interested in aviation you'll probably enjoy this story. Also, Sam has an excellent website on building/flying these aircraft(Vans Aircrat). Here's a quote:
"What a trip! After the planes had received loving pats on the cowls and were tucked into their hangars, we stood around somewhat stunned at what we had accomplished in less than five days. Many aviators have had similar experiences, but this trip warped our perspective of relative distances as we now realized we were only two days from anywhere in the lower forty-eight states! Trips such as Oshkosh and Sun-N-Fun which formerly seemed like major hauls were now recognized as quick little hops."
Here the link to the trip westward ho!
Thanks for the link to THE STORY. I don't think they should "promote" such a cavalier attitude regarding weight and ballance. Just like "Mind thy airspeed lest the ground arrise and smite thee", playing fast and lose with weight and ballance IS NOT SMART. Just because someone is "LUCKY" and gets away with it doesn't make it safe, responsible, or behavior to be emulated. If they got into bad weather or mountain turbulence and needed full control extensions to maintain control, the unballanced condition would contribute to less than optimal handling characteristics and potential disaster.
If you read accident/incident reports you see that usually (not always) there is a chain of envents or multiple causes of a problem. Continued flight into lowering visibility, gethomeitis, VFR on top (but how to get down?) As bad decisions or unsafe practices or conditions begin to accumulate the odds of disaster increase. Why purposely trade your safety(and that of any passengers) for a little temporary convenience?
Never confuse the roll of pilot with Super Hero or Knight Errant and do remember at all times that "There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old bold pilots!"
Brought back many memories. I have significant stick time with one eye for flying and one eye in the view finder of a Super-8 at some of the same places discussed and similar too.
Regadring Sedona, with a good wind up there is a powerful downdraft from turbulelnce caused by an upwind mountain. You can be making a textbook perfect approach and just before passing over the cliff face at the approach end you suddenly catch an express elevator for a fast ride down a few floors leaving you facing and flying into a large cliff face. That was our experience the first time to Sedona. Full throttle and a couple notches of flaps (and an A/C under gross weight) got us back up to a safe landing.
Chatting with locals we found that the "standard" approach was to NOT extend the downwind leg beyond abeam the numbers. Yup...turn base to final OVER THE RUNWAY. There is plenty of room to land from there given that the runway length is to accomodate high density altitude takeoffs. Works great, no surprises, no sharp intake of breath from the back seat.
I once flew a round robin in a Cherokee 6 that included San Diego (Santee), Tuscon, Grand Canyon, Grand Junction, Alberquerque, Amarillo, Duncan OK, Carlsbad (had to walk the cavern), Lancaster (over the hill from LA), YellowStone, including overflights of Zion, Monument Valley, etc. IT took us nearly two weeks but we rented cars and cabins at varous locations and did some ground based sight seeing as well.
The most excietment was a toss up between an overflilght of the Grand Canyon using full control extensions at and below manuvering speed to stay upright while in turbulence at an altitude equal to the canyon rim and having a controller put me in the pattern BACKWARDS at Lancaster. After a near miss with other traffic at pattern altitude and being informed I was i the pattern backwards I offered to exit and re-enter but he said NO just make the landing. When flaring he shouted at me over the radio to go around GO AROUND!!! YOUR GEAR ARE UP!!! I continued to a perfect grease job on the numbers and taxied to the tower that was locked and chatted with him over the supplied phone in the box. Turned out he had just transfered from a place that made right turns and he claimed through his binocs that he saw no gear. Being in a fixed gear A/C and exercising my rights as pilot in command I just had ignored him and landed. He declined to have me come up in the tower and replay the tape. The other 4 adults on board heard what I heard, instructions to make right turns NOT LEFT! I usually fly with the comms on my headset but when landing I often put the audio on speaker as typically folks like to listen in.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
When I was in Highschool (Lindsay, Oklahoma.. the broom corn capital of the world back then) There was a farmer out on the highway south of town that used the paved highway as his strip, taxying out or back on his driveway and parking next to his house. Yet another advantage of high wing... you clear the mail box, fence, and gate.
I guess your public roads are a mite too well travelled for that. He did it there for years with no problems and the guvamint mowed the grass 'longside.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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