Gaston's procedure and safety review

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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west Texas
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Display name:
Dave Taylor
Less than a month to go!
Might be a good time to start thinking about the ideas we bounced around last year, which helped keep us coordinated and safe.

arrival/departure procedures
comm
the goalpost approach
runway specifics
ground ops
emerg procedures
airfield etiquette
cookie contest rules

Gaston newbies have any Qs??
 
Ah, but I must defer to the much more experienced and savvy aviator, Mr. Bockleman!
 
When on short final, if it gets hairy with swirling winds, say, "Sh*t!"

Makes it all better! :D
 
This is a good start:
 
Jesse, I can never remember which side of the rwy has the less obvious humps, was it the river side or t'other?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Jesse, I can never remember which side of the rwy has the less obvious humps, was it the river side or t'other?
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I suggest you cheat to the right of center a bit. It doesn't take much at all. People tend to ride the left side because that feels better further away from people and cabins..but it's bumpy over there.
 
Not Jesse, but I think the south side (river side) is a little better.

But will defer to Jesse.
 
Who's got the coldest beer and the best-tasting margaritas? Let's get the big stuff handled, the other stuff will sort itself out when the time comes. BTW, the TX group wants to do a formation arrival and landing, but we don't have time to practice or even talk about it before we leave home, probably just form up over Texarkana or somewhere and see how it goes. Any good books we should read?

Let'sgoflying! said:
Less than a month to go!
Might be a good time to start thinking about the ideas we bounced around last year, which helped keep us coordinated and safe.

arrival/departure procedures
comm
the goalpost approach
runway specifics
ground ops
emerg procedures
airfield etiquette
cookie contest rules

Gaston newbies have any Qs??
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
SCCutler said:
Not Jesse, but I think the south side (river side) is a little better.

But will defer to Jesse.
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We're in agreement. Right side on takeoff = south side..Landing doesn't really matter because you touch-down before the bumps.
 
jesse said:
We're in agreement. Right side on takeoff = south side..Landing doesn't really matter because you touch-down before the bumps.
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Lordy, I hope so...
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Less than a month to go!
Might be a good time to start thinking about the ideas we bounced around last year, which helped keep us coordinated and safe.

(1)arrival/departure procedures
(2)comm
(3)the goalpost approach
(4)runway specifics
(5)ground ops
(6)emerg procedures
(7)airfield etiquette
(8)cookie contest rules

Gaston newbies have any Qs??
Click to expand...

my thoughts on what dave has listed here. We have a lot of people who come to this event, and we have a good time. We need to all work together to keep it safe.

(1)In the past we've used the Dam(n) approach which has worked well. Coming over the dam to the NW of the airport puts you on a sort of crosswind leg to enter downwind. There are a couple reasons this is nice. One is that when youre coming from the north it is a lot easier to see the lake and the dam than it is to see the airport. second is that there is usually a flurry of activity through the weekend and its good for everyone to be in a line.

(2)communicate on CTAF. try to minimize chitchat. Often Steve, or someone else, provides advisories from the flight line and mostly helps direct people for parking. Keep in mind that generally we run takeoffs and landings simultaneously in opposite directions. If you are approaching to land keep an eye and ear out for aircraft departing. being on base leg to see someone coming off the runway right at you could get exciting.

(3)there is a line of trees on the right side of the runway and a few trees on the left side at the approach end. don't worry, there is plenty of clearance. A DC-3 has been in there, if you hold any resemblance of a centered approach you will not come close to hitting the trees. they are not obstacles, so do not go over them. best technique is to make an approach at proper speed with an aim point towards the beginning of the runway. this will put you between the trees but don't sweat it. coming in a little fast and a little high can (literally) have catastrophic consequences.

(4)you guys covered the last known location of runway potholes etc. in my experience gastons has a very well kept grass runway. considering how much use it gets it is in very fine shape.

(5)there are always about 1000 handheld radios on around the flight line so when you are on foot keep eyes and ears open. remember that the grass is not your front yard it is an active runway. try to avoid standing in the middle of the runway having a conversation. If you see innocent bystanders greet them and advise them of the airplane activity and what to be careful of and watch out for. and offer to take them flying if you can :) when taxiing be alert for foot traffic. between our group and the others that fill the resort for the weekend there are a lot of people around and most of those people have no idea how to be safe around running and taxiing airplanes.

(6)good thinking dave. a basic first aid kit and a fire extinguisher would be a good addition to the flight line, IMO

(7)an example of poor airfield etiquette would be 300 HP wood and fabric airplanes doing low passes at sunrise :)

(8)smoke alarms are not timers

Proficiency is key here. It is not a particularly challenging runway to get in and out of but it has its quirks. Being able to fly a precise approach and touch down in the first 1/4 of the runway is key. Go arounds are not as cut and dry here as they proabably are at your airport. the end of the runway is basically a wall of trees going up a hill, with power lines running across it. Go around early. Past a certain point you can't outclimb the terrain. make sure to work that into your approach planning and don't forget to factor if you are approaching with a tailwind.

I'm looking forward to seeing everybody again this year. Im going to have a club 172 that i'm going to need to put some hours on so I hope i can find some people to give rides to. Also, I'll be happy to go to Flippin or Mountain Home and pick people up who need shuttled. Or if you just arent sure that you are up to flying into Gastons on your own at first, I'd be (and im sure the other CFI's would too) happy to come over and fly with you in your airplane until you are comfortable coming in on your own.
 
Lemme check the freqs, but I have a VFR approach plate that I used 2 times....good stuff.
 
Freqs are good:

3m0plate.png
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Less than a month to go!
Might be a good time to start thinking about the ideas we bounced around last year, which helped keep us coordinated and safe.

arrival/departure procedures
comm
the goalpost approach
runway specifics
ground ops
emerg procedures
airfield etiquette
cookie contest rules

Gaston newbies have any Qs??
Click to expand...

Ya may want to add: Charcoal Disposal Procedures
 
tonycondon said:
my thoughts on what dave has listed here.

(6)good thinking dave. a basic first aid kit and a fire extinguisher would be a good addition to the flight line, IMO
Click to expand...

That's a great idea.


tonycondon said:
(7)an example of poor airfield etiquette would be 300 HP wood and fabric airplanes doing low passes at sunrise :)
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I think getting woken up by a Bellanca Viking at sunrise is fantastic...
 
Gary said:
?? Was the dumpster torched?? :yikes: If so, wouldn't be the first time I've done something like that!

Gary
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No worries Gary.
They're talking about something that happened at Gaston's last year.
Not the dumpster at Wings.
 
nice job, Tony.

..PS: no one does low passes at Gastons. Forbidden. However it is a good idea to regularily do a Runway Inspection Pass to examine for people on foot, loose livestock, that sort of thing. (seriously if the passes are thought to be inappropriate, say the word and I bet those partaking will trim it back, there is a wedding there that wknd)
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
..PS: no one does low passes at Gastons. Forbidden. However it is a good idea to regularily do a Runway Inspection Pass to examine for people on foot, loose livestock, that sort of thing. (seriously if the passes are thought to be inappropriate, say the word and I bet those partaking will trim it back, there is a wedding there that wknd)
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i was just giving you a hard time for waking me up so early Dave :)
 
tonycondon said:
i was just giving you a hard time for waking me up so early Dave :)
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I slept right through it I think -- my biggest problem--was that it was ******** HOT in our room.
 
You youngsters and all this sleepin' in!
Jesse - no a/c in your room? Ours was great.
 
tonycondon said:
(7)an example of poor airfield etiquette would be 300 HP wood and fabric airplanes doing low passes at sunrise :)

(quote]

Back before they went to jail on insider trading convictions, the LTV execs put on a big July 4 weekend golf shindig at Steamboat (which they owned at the time) for themselves, their customers and associates and a bunch of pro athletes. I got invited for some reason. First time out, we flew the plane to Denver, rented a car and drove to the condo. Arrived late, checked in (top floor suite) fed the kids and went to bed.

Crack of dawn the next day a big-motor flew over our bedroom so low the ceiling fan shook. I figured it was the early morning commuter leaving, so tried to get a few more minutes sleep. Then he came from the other way, sounded like he was even lower, just outside the window. Couldn't stand the suspense, so jumped up and ran out on the deck to see whassup. Turned out to be an ag-something spraying the mosquitos around the resort and golf course. He made a number of passes, and drew quite a crowd on balconies.

Bottom line is that I agree with Tony.
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Thank goodness he is not talking about Dave...

...his BL17 has 310 HP!
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
..PS: no one does low passes at Gastons. Forbidden. However it is a good idea to regularily do a Runway Inspection Pass to examine for people on foot, loose livestock, that sort of thing. (seriously if the passes are thought to be inappropriate, say the word and I bet those partaking will trim it back, there is a wedding there that wknd)
Click to expand...

I have a feeling that when I move back to the CONUS I will **** some people off. I never land anywhere up here without doing this anymore, unless the airport is attended.
 
tonycondon said:
(3)there is a line of trees on the right side of the runway and a few trees on the left side at the approach end. don't worry, there is plenty of clearance. A DC-3 has been in there, if you hold any resemblance of a centered approach you will not come close to hitting the trees. they are not obstacles, so do not go over them. best technique is to make an approach at proper speed with an aim point towards the beginning of the runway. this will put you between the trees but don't sweat it. coming in a little fast and a little high can (literally) have catastrophic consequences.
Click to expand...

One of my biggest Gaston's safety fears is that someone will try to come in over the trees instead of between them. Read what Tony says above, he is right on. If you go over the trees, you will NOT be able to stop before the end of the runway, not even close. And like he says elsewhere, if you wait too long to go around, you won't make it.

(4)you guys covered the last known location of runway potholes etc. in my experience gastons has a very well kept grass runway. considering how much use it gets it is in very fine shape.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind also that the bumps may not be in the same place, as Gaston's does do a lot of maintenance on the runway - After I apologized for the ruts some of us left when it dumped rain there a couple years ago, the maintenance guy said not to worry about it, they smooth out the runway on a fairly regular basis. Heck, I don't think we really need to worry about the bumps too much - Just fly the plane. They're not that big. :no: It's a pretty nice runway. :yes:

(7)an example of poor airfield etiquette would be 300 HP wood and fabric airplanes doing low passes at sunrise :)
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If he woke you up, you didn't drink enough the night before. Grant can help you with that. :D

(I didn't hear a thing. Zzzzzzz...)

Now the Trimotor at OSH, on the other hand... There's no sleepin' through that. :no:

(8)smoke alarms are not timers
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:rofl:

Great post, Tony! :yes:
 
FYI, a friend of mine flew into Gaston's last Sunday and the west end (Parking Area) was so soft he almost got stuck. A Cessna 400 did get stuck and had to be pulled out by a 4X4 truck. If the rains continue like they have for the last month, we may have a shortage of parking. The runway itself was in good shape.
 
Dean said:
FYI, a friend of mine flew into Gaston's last Sunday and the west end (Parking Area) was so soft he almost got stuck. A Cessna 400 did get stuck and had to be pulled out by a 4X4 truck. If the rains continue like they have for the last month, we may have a shortage of parking. The runway itself was in good shape.
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It drains pretty fast -- I'm sure it'll be fine.
 
Typical IT guy's answer for any contemplated problem. You sure you didn't work in Dallas for a while?

jesse said:
It drains pretty fast -- I'm sure it'll be fine.
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jesse said:
It drains pretty fast -- I'm sure it'll be fine.
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Yes it does, but with all the rain we have been getting, there is no place for it to drain off to. We are going to need several nice warm sunny days for it to dry out.
 
Dean said:
Yes it does, but with all the rain we have been getting, there is no place for it to drain off to. We are going to need several nice warm sunny days for it to dry out.
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I plan to fly down there for lunch this Saturday, so I'll give you the current runway conditions when I get back.

The next weekend is a Yak/CJ fly-in and the DC-3 will be there, as well.
 
I wonder if I still have the VFR night plate around here somewhere. :D
 
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