Clearview Airport (2w2), Westminster, MD 1800x30 + 2 degree slope + trees

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AirDC

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Andrew
I just flew into Clearview (2W2) in Maryland on Saturday. I went up with an instructor to really learn to push the limits of the club 172 I am flying. I learned in a DA20 but after 30 hours in the 172 (and 90 total hours) I still haven't felt comfortable with short field landings in the Cessna. The full flap roundout is day and night vs the Diamond.

Anyways, Clearview has got to be one of the most challenging airports I have ever seen - and confirmed by searching on the internet. . It is 1800x30, with a displaced threshold of a couple hundred feet on both sides, AND a 2 degree slope. It has trees on one end and a 100' drop off on the other. Apparently it is prone to crosswinds, and on Saturday it was about 8-16kt gusty direct 90 x-wind there.

The first approach on the downhill runway I thought we were going to die. We were fighting gusty crosswinds and swirlies from the buildings on the left and used up the whole runway. The adrenaline was pumping hard! I haven't done anything like that before and i learned at a small airport 2800x40 carved into trees.

Conversely - taking off uphill is an interesting experience as well. It seems like the plane doesn't want to leave the ground. After a few more times I got the hang of it and it is definately easier to land on the uphill runway.

On the way home we stopped at Davis airfield which is 3000' long but only 25' wide. It was like a bicycle path.

It was definately one of the most fun 1.5 hours of flying I have ever had and I feel like I am a MUCH more competant pilot of that plane now. Going into those 2500x40 fields is going to feel like a class B airport.

Anyone else flown into Clearview or Davis? Your thoughts?
 
Why on earth would you want to land downhill and takeoff uphill when you had a 90 degree crosswind? I've only been in to Clearview once but I understand that you always land uphill there unless you have a monster tailwind.
 
I agree with your assessment of Clearview -- extremely challenging, and pretty much pushing the practical limits of a 172. I won't take my Tiger in there at all.

Never flown into Davis, but I have flown into narrow strips before, and when they're only 25 feet wide, you'd better have your stuff together. It's places like that which drive me to push my trainees to be able to keep the centerline between the main wheels on every landing.
 
If this was a normal day - I would have definately planned to land uphill with a direct crosswind. But the purpose of the flight was to really see the capabilities of the plane and push my abililties, so we practiced taking off and landing on both sides.
 
Ron Levy said:
I agree with your assessment of Clearview -- extremely challenging, and pretty much pushing the practical limits of a 172. I won't take my Tiger in there at all.
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My dad told me he used to fly his BARON in there. Pretty crazy.

Ron Levy said:
Never flown into Davis, but I have flown into narrow strips before, and when they're only 25 feet wide, you'd better have your stuff together. It's places like that which drive me to push my trainees to be able to keep the centerline between the main wheels on every landing.
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The instructor said that is where they take cocky students.
 
Ron Levy said:
I agree with your assessment of Clearview -- extremely challenging, and pretty much pushing the practical limits of a 172. I won't take my Tiger in there at all.

Never flown into Davis, but I have flown into narrow strips before, and when they're only 25 feet wide, you'd better have your stuff together. It's places like that which drive me to push my trainees to be able to keep the centerline between the main wheels on every landing.
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The runway at my home base is 140 feet wide. On my pre-solo checkride we had a gusty 10-15kt crosswind and I landed them all safely but off-center. The instructor said I did well (for my experience level) but that in the future when flying by myself, if its so windy that I can't expect a centerline landing, I should sit on the couch and drink beer instead of going flying :)

Good rule of thumb to help make your go, no-go decision.

In the first 15-20 hours of my flight training I heard "centerline, centerline!" alot from my instructor. I swear it still rings in my head everytime I pull the power to roundout / flare. Narrowest runway I have been into is 35 feet - thanks to good instruction I can fly in there confidently.
 
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My wife learned at Dulles (though she did much of her landing practice at FDK). It took her a while to get used to narrow runways (and she smacks me if I mumble something about the centerline being out of service during her landings).

Our old standard club checkout was to go to FDK, then Clearview, Suburban, Freeway, and if you succeeded at those, Kentmoor to have lunch in celebration.,
 
If you like Clearview, you' love Mattituck!
Another good place to go is Falwell just outside Charlottesville Va. 4 % grade. You can land, make the first turn and never touch the brakes. Taxiing up the hill to takeoff takes mucho throttle. Takeoff is like heading down a ski jump. There's a sign that says to make sure you're ready to go, because no one has ever successfully aborted a takeoff. Swamp and trees at the departure end.
Good fun!
 
Chip Sylverne said:
If you like Clearview, you' love Mattituck!
Another good place to go is Falwell just outside Charlottesville Va. 4 % grade. You can land, make the first turn and never touch the brakes. Taxiing up the hill to takeoff takes mucho throttle. Takeoff is like heading down a ski jump. There's a sign that says to make sure you're ready to go, because no one has ever successfully aborted a takeoff. Swamp and trees at the departure end.
Good fun!
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Thanks for the tips - I will check them out someday!
 
Too flat here, best is a 30 x 2500 with a tree line 100ft or less from the end of 27. They are cut inline with the runway so you end up looking over at the tops of the trees on short final.
 
Both cool airports!
Flown into both with an Aeronca Chief, Taylorcraft and 1956 C-172.
There's a pucker factor the first few times at Clearview. Landing down the hill is fun. The runway drops at about the same rate as the plane, seems like it'll never touch down. Taking off to the west with a 65hp plane on a hot humid day can be 'interesting'!
Remember one time flying into Davis with the aeronca for gas, back in the '70's. The owner Mrs. Pailey sp? was out on the runway mowing the grass growing up thru the cracks. I was watching her from the downwind leg and then on final getting ready to go around. She turned and followed a crack up towards the hangar and off of the runway so I came on down. Just as I was going to flare she turned around and pushed the mower back out towards the runway. I broke off the descent went to full power and began to climb (there's no place to go on either side of the runway at that point). With the mower running she couldn't hear the plane, so when the shadow passed over her she was surprised.
Still had enough room to land and not enough gas to go somewhere else, so plopped it on the ground and taxied back to the pump where she was waiting. It was one of those 'life's longest moment' things as she was a no nonsense kind of person, and I was dreading the lambasting I was going to get. When I shut down she came walking over and was laughing, said "Almost got me didn't you?" Glad I didn't. h
 
Haven't made it to Clearview yet, but I flew into Davis on my "discovery" flight, almost exactly a year ago. I remember thinking it looked like someone's driveway.
 
I'd made it to Clearview a few times over the years, but today was my first time in the 140. Felt like cheating.
 
Been there dozens of times years ago....my fun meter has changed. Not for me today.
 
Landed at Clearview during my training. Still have the seat fiber between my butt cheeks.
 
I was based at 2W2 with my C-150 then C-172 in the 70's. In fact I worked with the FAA beginning in 1973 to get the VOR approach for 2W2 (selected that moniker in February 1976 over some other ones) and the approach was granted dated Aug 05, 1974 and became "active" in November/December of 1974. Nice laid-back place then. I moved away in 1980 to Colorado and haven't (yet) made it back. As a CFI, I flew with many students in a club C-150 based there and they learned about spot landings early on. Tom Chapman was (maybe still is) the manager now and is a great guy. Nothing wrong with the airport just requires one to pay attention, particularly landing "down hill". As I recall it was (is still) the second highest MSL airport in Maryland. Enjoy the airport! Requires skills but so does responsible flying everywhere!!
 
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