Airport selection?

MuseChaser

MuseChaser

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MuseChaser
My sister recently relocated from out west to within easy flying distance with my Cherokee. In looking for airports near her new residence, the closest one is described in the AF/D as

3315 x 50 feet / 1010 x 15 meters
Surface: Asphalt in Poor Condition
WIDE CRACKS & WEEDS ON RWY.

I've landed on grass plenty of times (intentionally), but when exploring new airports with my meager not-quite two hundred hours of flight time and on-again/off-again flying life since getting my PPL in 2004, I am pretty conservative and haven't landed on any fields that were described as being in "poor" condition. Anyone have any thoughts? In an airport described as above, does that mean I'd be having to avoid potholes as big as Buicks, or just that I might feel a less than silky smooth surface? To avoid, or not to avoid? Obviously, that's plane-dependent. Again, I fly a PA28A-140.

Thanks.
 
Try giving us the name of the airport and members can give you a pirep.
 
Thanks. N69 stormville near Beacon, NY, although general comments would be really helpful, too, to help understand just exactly what "poor" means in the grand scheme of things for future selections..
 
MuseChaser said:
My sister recently relocated from out west to within easy flying distance with my Cherokee. In looking for airports near her new residence, the closest one is described in the AF/D as

3315 x 50 feet / 1010 x 15 meters
Surface: Asphalt in Poor Condition
WIDE CRACKS & WEEDS ON RWY.

I've landed on grass plenty of times (intentionally), but when exploring new airports with my meager not-quite two hundred hours of flight time and on-again/off-again flying life since getting my PPL in 2004, I am pretty conservative and haven't landed on any fields that were described as being in "poor" condition. Anyone have any thoughts? In an airport described as above, does that mean I'd be having to avoid potholes as big as Buicks, or just that I might feel a less than silky smooth surface? To avoid, or not to avoid? Obviously, that's plane-dependent. Again, I fly a PA28A-140.

Thanks.
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I wouldn’t do it without knowing more. You should be able to find some numbers to call to get more info. Have your sister drive out there and take some pics/videos
 
MuseChaser said:
My sister recently relocated from out west to within easy flying distance with my Cherokee. In looking for airports near her new residence, the closest one is described in the AF/D as

3315 x 50 feet / 1010 x 15 meters
Surface: Asphalt in Poor Condition
WIDE CRACKS & WEEDS ON RWY.

I've landed on grass plenty of times (intentionally), but when exploring new airports with my meager not-quite two hundred hours of flight time and on-again/off-again flying life since getting my PPL in 2004, I am pretty conservative and haven't landed on any fields that were described as being in "poor" condition. Anyone have any thoughts? In an airport described as above, does that mean I'd be having to avoid potholes as big as Buicks, or just that I might feel a less than silky smooth surface? To avoid, or not to avoid? Obviously, that's plane-dependent. Again, I fly a PA28A-140.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

AF/D says the airport manager is 845-227-4444
 
luvflyin said:
I wouldn’t do it without knowing more. You should be able to find some numbers to call to get more info. Have your sister drive out there and take some pics/videos
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A very good idea. Typically, one does not ask my sister to do things... one is asked to do things by and FOR my sister... ;) ... but I'll give it a shot.
 
Poor/Fair/whatever is up to whoever submitted it to the FAA. For a long time 6Y9 was listed as "poor" even though it had been improved to "good"
 
I believe Stormville is closed, despite being listed as open, when the flea market is running it covers the entire airport including the runways. I've gone to the flea market occasionally, never saw an airplane or any evidence that it's still operating as an airport.
 
In ForeFlight aerial view, looks like the runways at N69 have a big X on each threshold. Call and ask the FBO. One of our local airports has had bad pavement and allowed landing in the grass next to the runway...much better, IMO.

A nice paved runway just north at 44N.
 
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Dana said:
I believe Stormville is closed, despite being listed as open, when the flea market is running it covers the entire airport including the runways. I've gone to the flea market occasionally, never saw an airplane or any evidence that it's still operating as an airport.
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Wow. Well... THAT'S good to know! Thank you. I may give the owner a call anyway, just for fun. Thanks very much for the info.
 
POU is a good option. I've flown there many times to visit family in Hyde Park. (Less than a one hour flight beats a 3.5 hour drive any time.) Plus, if you have a mechanical issue while visiting, there are repair facilities there. On one trip, I discovered during preflight a massive brake fluid leak from one wheel on a Sunday afternoon for a return home, and an A&P came out and fixed me up quickly. Fortunately just a loose fitting. Brakes were bled and I was on my way.
 
If N69 is still open, the runway cracks are visible from space in Google maps. They look numerous and quite wide, maybe 6-12 inches. Between the cracks and FOD risk from the damaged paving, I wouldn't land my plane there. The condition certainly looks poor as advertised.
 
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N69 09/159 Aerodrome 09/22/2020 1426 11/15/2020 2359 RWY 06/24 CLSD TO FIXED WING ACFT 2009221426-2011152359


Also: Operational restrictions: NOT PLOWED. FLEE MARKET OBSTNS & MATERIAL MAY BE NEXT TO RWY ENDS.
 
Sky Acres, 44N, in LaGrangeville, NY. It is a single runway airport with a nice restaurant on premises. This has always been the go-to airport/restuarant for Saturday Breakfast. The restaurants have trouble making it through the winter but there always seems to be another coming in to give it a try. At the far end of the runway is Stiles Aviation, which sells used parts rescued from planes that landed a bit too hard.

The red barn on the right is the location of the restaurant. Good view of planes coming and going, and fueling on the pad right outside the restaurant.

-Skip
 

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Skip Miller said:
Sky Acres, 44N, in LaGrangeville, NY. It is a single runway airport with a nice restaurant on premises. This has always been the go-to airport/restuarant for Saturday Breakfast. The restaurants have trouble making it through the winter but there always seems to be another coming in to give it a try. At the far end of the runway is Stiles Aviation, which sells used parts rescued from planes that landed a bit too hard.

The red barn on the right is the location of the restaurant. Good view of planes coming and going, and fueling on the pad right outside the restaurant.

-Skip
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Beautiful. Thank you!
 
You can always make a low pass to see the condition of a runway as well. Just make sure to have a suitable alternate if you don't like what you see on the low pass.
 
cmsuav8r said:
You can always make a low pass to see the condition of a runway as well. Just make sure to have a suitable alternate if you don't like what you see on the low pass.
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Of course, a good idea. I was hoping to be able to give her a "for sure" place to meet us, as it would still be a 30 minute drive for her, but a reconnaissance flight down first, unannounced, would be fun and a great way to add some more airports to the personal list. That pic of 44N above looks just about perfect, although it's a bit further for her. N45 looks good, too, and is a bit closer to her. Anyone been there?
 
how close is 'close' and how much further is the next closest?
 
Racerx said:
Go on flightaware and get the tail number of some guys flying out of there for a pirep
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tenor.gif
 
MuseChaser said:
Surface: Asphalt in Poor Condition
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These never seem accurate. I've landed at places that say "good" or "excellent" and they're awful. I'm also been to fair and poor that seem totally fine. I give that about as much credit as the field in airnav that tells how many visit an airport gets in a day.. some podunk hellhole in the middle of the desert will say "75 operations/day" when I've camped there and failed to see a single plane over a 3 day span..

Go figure.

But yes, probably good to get a local pirep from someone. Is there a flight school on the field, maybe ask them?
 
If your ultimate destination is Beacon, NY, then POU is as close as anything, and the FBO is easy to find from the road. If my father-in-law could find it, anyone can. They've got big, long, fat runways in good condition. The FBO (Richmor Aviation?) was very friendly. I don't remember being charged excessively to park overnight in my many trips there. I haven't been there recently, not since my wife's parents passed away.
 
Thanks, @chemgeek . I'm sorry to hear about your in-laws. I'll give the FBO a call. Appreciate the help.
 
Dana said:
I believe Stormville is closed, despite being listed as open, when the flea market is running it covers the entire airport including the runways. I've gone to the flea market occasionally, never saw an airplane or any evidence that it's still operating as an airport.
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I called the airport managed of Storyville and asked if I could land there. He told me I could, but it didn’t seem like you could actually park for a short or long term.

They do have Notams sometimes during flea market events and it has been listed as closed at times, but not currently but nothing seemed to legally prevent me from landing. It has a weird past and was once a thriving skydiving airport but has been “closed” for a long time. However, I have never seen “X” on the runways and the notams are only active during the flea markets. So even if it is listed as “closed” somewhere, it may still be “open”. Yes, lots of quotations and I think that is the most concrete answer I can ever get about Stormville after asking lots of local pilots.

The surface is “fine”. Not perfect, but better than 5B7 up near Albany that I fly into to see my in-laws. That one has lots of loose asphalt, but my beat up 150 can take a dent or two and they all blend in at this point.
 
N45 - I did my first landings there as a student. It is listed as 50’ wide (but the 25’ on the edges do not exist, so it is a solid 25-30’ wide with tall trees on both ends, a hill on one end on base and a short runway. Nice airport, but it is not one to fly into on a hot day max gross without prior knowledge. There Is fuel, but not many other devices and it pretty dead. Not a lot of Uber on that side of the river either.

Call up the Storyville manager and ask him to land and park there. Remind him that it is a public airport and more pilots want to use it since he is getting the tax breaks.
 
MuseChaser said:
Because it's always fun to denigrate those who don't think exactly as you do. Carry on! Very helpful. ...
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It was a joke. I'd never actually do that. For the most part Im all for privacy. Bought land so I wouldn't have neighbors and went full on get off my lawn when I was 22. Wasn't trying to denigrate at all.
 
Racerx said:
It was a joke. I'd never actually do that. For the most part Im all for privacy. Bought land so I wouldn't have neighbors and went full on get off my lawn when I was 22. Wasn't trying to denigrate at all.
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Thanks... sorry I took it the wrong way...
 
Here's the latest I could find from the FAA Notam site:

upload_2020-10-2_16-34-18.png
 
I may be a bit naive but I rarely hesitate to fly into a public use airport in a plane as light as a 140. At least not due to poor runway conditions. Why? It’s kind of difficult for any entity to survive ownership of a public airstrip with plane swallowing cracks.

Reading this thread I wasn’t surprised to see the strip is closed to fixed wing. That is definitely worth checking.

Private use strips require a closer look. Flying dumb and blind into one of those is asking for it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Stormville is a very special case for a “public use” airport and is shrouded in mystery for all of us who live near it.

The airport has been for sale in various forms and deals over the past decade.

Here is a website with some history
https://stormn69.org/
 
Matthew Rogers said:
Stormville is a very special case for a “public use” airport and is shrouded in mystery for all of us who live near it.

The airport has been for sale in various forms and deals over the past decade.

Here is a website with some history
https://stormn69.org/
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Man, the things you find when you explore! Before I read your post and the linked article, I did some more research on the place. VERY interesting. Maybe we should organize a small little three or four plane fly-in... get that place back to being an airport again! I'm in if you're in... and would be happy to call the owner.

and... I wouldn't have known about this place at all if my sister hadn't moved!

In a pretty much unrelated event (except for the topic of small, generally unknown airports), when we were flying around yesterday I made a position call on 122.8 as we were approaching another private airport. That frequency covers a ton of area fields, so there's a lot of calls from all over the place. Another pilot got on the frequency and said, "Pilot calling position to XXXX airfield.. WHERE is XXXX airfield? Never heard of it... " I replied. Thought it was pretty cool to find one that not even the regular guys in the area knew about.
 
It looks pretty shaky on the Google map machine.
 

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N69 has been closed for years.
Trust me, I don't care what anyone says, it's closed. I live less than 2 miles from N69 for the last 34 years. It's not safe to go there.
Every weekend the runways are used for a giant open air flea market.
N45 is small, narrow and on any given day the fuel pumps are broken. It does have a really nice restaurant.
Use 44N or KPOU.
KPOU is closer to Beacon.
44N has cheaper fuel.
 
Shepherd said:
N69 has been closed for years.
Trust me, I don't care what anyone says, it's closed. I live less than 2 miles from N69 for the last 34 years. It's not safe to go there.
.
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Just waiting for you to chime in, I knew you would know.
 
Shepherd said:
N69 has been closed for years.
Trust me, I don't care what anyone says, it's closed. I live less than 2 miles from N69 for the last 34 years. It's not safe to go there.
Every weekend the runways are used for a giant open air flea market.
N45 is small, narrow and on any given day the fuel pumps are broken. It does have a really nice restaurant.
Use 44N or KPOU.
KPOU is closer to Beacon.
44N has cheaper fuel.
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I know, but I called the airport manager last fall and he told me I could land there at that time. And if it is public and not Notam-Ed and the airport manager told me I could land there ...........
 
Matthew Rogers said:
I know, but I called the airport manager last fall and he told me I could land there at that time. And if it is public and not Notam-Ed and the airport manager told me I could land there ...........
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Seems like a perfect flight for the week and at least a low pass to see what is going on.
 
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