Grass strip tour in May

Ken Ibold said:
Poetic justice would insist on a stop at Pioneer Field in Oshkosh. :yes:
Click to expand...

Yeah. And that would put you very close to 68C, which I can't believe I couldn't convince you to go to - It should be a mandatory stop on any trip like yours! :yes:

What you could do is make the swing up through Wisconsin, hit Pioneer and Central County and head on up into the UP and go to 6Y9, then cross at the Mackinac Bridge to the lower peninsula and go to your Michigan destinations. :yes:
 
You might consider a stop at Antique Airfield in southeast Iowa. It's just a couple miles west of me and has the Airpower Museum on field that has a ton of cool stuff to look through. It is a private field and I don't know the owners well enough to say how easy it is to land there w/o being a member. http://aaa-apm.org/info/airfield.html
 
Diana said:
Mark, it would be fun to get together with you guys! :yes: I'm having a hard time finding grass strips with fuel in your part of the country. In Virginia there are only two airports with grass runways with fuel. That seems odd. :dunno:

I'm still working on finding grass strips in the Carolinas. My brother lives near Goose Creek (Charlotte), and I'll probably stop to visit him (even if it's paved). :)
Click to expand...

Let's see, FDK has a grass strip, and I'd fly to get you. You ought to do the Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum while you're in the neighborhood.

I also checked with a friend whose son owns a grass strip south of here, Hartwood. He does have a fuel tank, but there probably wouldn't be anyone around to get some fuel. It is outside the ADIZ, but it's under an MOA.

I'll keep looking.
 
bkreager said:
You might consider a stop at Antique Airfield in southeast Iowa. It's just a couple miles west of me and has the Airpower Museum on field that has a ton of cool stuff to look through. It is a private field and I don't know the owners well enough to say how easy it is to land there w/o being a member. http://aaa-apm.org/info/airfield.html
Click to expand...
Wow, who knew such a neat place was quietly tucked away up there. I had never heard of it before. I'll call the airport manager and see about landing there. Thanks!
 
Diana said:
Wow, who knew such a neat place was quietly tucked away up there. I had never heard of it before. I'll call the airport manager and see about landing there. Thanks!
Click to expand...

It is Bob or Brent Taylor. It should not be a problem landing there, as far as they are concerned.
 
Kaye said:
I also checked with a friend whose son owns a grass strip south of here, Hartwood. He does have a fuel tank, but there probably wouldn't be anyone around to get some fuel. It is outside the ADIZ, but it's under an MOA.

I'll keep looking.
Click to expand...
Thanks Kaye! :)
 
Re: Dog Island

Mike Schneider said:
Dog Island is about 3 miles offshore. The Gulf of Mexico is about 200 yards South of the field, the bay is about 300 yards North of the field. I have landed there many times, but have never obtained prior permission as AirNav indicates. I've never talked to anyone who has, and no one on Dog Island has ever brought the subject up. http://www.airnav.com/airport/FA43
-- Mike
Click to expand...
Wow, talk about an out of the way and unique place! :yes: What do you do when you get there? Would you need to have a flotation device to cross the water?
 
Diana said:
Jason, that looks like a wonderful airfield! I'll put it on the list of possibilities. Have you flown in there?
Click to expand...

It was the first airport I kept my 150 at!
Its a great field with some really interesting people and planes...and a great story.

Recently (within the last 5 years) it was privately owned and was going to be sold -- the people in the town saw the writing on the wall i.e. the beautiful open space would be turned into McMansions and the people said NO WAY.
The town actually bought the airfield to save it from development!

Diana the views are great, the people too, the Stearman does acro shows above the field on nice summer nights, and people bring lawnchairs and watch.

If you do make it a stop, consider the tour and clam chowder on me.
 
Last edited:
Re: Twenty-Three State, U.S. Grass Strip Tour

Mike Schneider said:
Diana, sure, I will be around to fly over to Dog Island. Plan on staying over with Susan and I in Tallahassee, if that fits into your schedule.
Click to expand...
Mike, thank you for the generous offer! :)

Mike Schneider said:
Will you be posting on PoA, so we can keep up with where you are on your tour? - Mike
Click to expand...
I hope to...if I can get access to the internet somehow.
 
Re: Twenty-Three State, U.S. Grass Strip Tour

jCircle the dome at 100' and you can use my wi-fi router!

Diana said:
Mike, thank you for the generous offer! :)

I hope to...if I can get access to the internet somehow.
Click to expand...
 
You'll be close enough, Diana, I've heard rumors of a grass trip in Northeastern NM. Its called Price or something, and its near Mount Dora. I never had the opportunity to fly up that way, but maybe you can confirm or deny its presence on your trip. It mysteriously disappeared from some sources of data one day without any "closed" notams or anything. I think Steve and I were looking at it about a year and half ago, and he found it in his EAA airport directory. Both AOPA and the AFD (and airnav) no longer list it though,

If it exists, it is the only grass strip that exists in New Mexico.
 
Re: Dog Island

Diana said:
Would you need to have a flotation device to cross the water?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother. 3 miles is a pretty easy glide in most GA planes. Just cross with plenty of altitude and spiral down over the field. On your departure do a climbing spiral over the field until you have sufficient altitude to glide across.

I have no idea what the glide ratio of your Citabria would be though...I don't imagine a 3 mile glide is out of the question with some altitude.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Yeah. And that would put you very close to 68C, which I can't believe I couldn't convince you to go to - It should be a mandatory stop on any trip like yours! :yes:

What you could do is make the swing up through Wisconsin, hit Pioneer and Central County and head on up into the UP and go to 6Y9, then cross at the Mackinac Bridge to the lower peninsula and go to your Michigan destinations. :yes:
Click to expand...

Ken wouldn't it be easier for her to change the routing on the lower MI airports and hit GDW I think it was last, then head up and over the lake from there. Then back down Eastern WI to Pioneer Field?

Dan
 
stingray said:
Ken wouldn't it be easier for her to change the routing on the lower MI airports and hit GDW I think it was last, then head up and over the lake from there. Then back down Eastern WI to Pioneer Field?
Click to expand...
:)

Well, I love flying around Wisconsin and hope some day to fly to the Mackinac area. You all have some great suggestions. :yes:

Here is the latest tentative map. Subject to change on a woman's whim. :D The east coast is still fuzzy. The Citabria gang have offered to lead me around that part of the country for a bit, and that sounds like a good plan to me.

Steve, I'm checking into the airports you mentioned.

Has anyone ever flown into the grass strip in Bayou La Batre, Alabama (5R7)?
 

Attachments

  • Grass tour 7.JPG
    Grass tour 7.JPG
    254.1 KB · Views: 50
stingray said:
I'm thinking a book is in order.
Click to expand...
Funny you should mention that. :) I was thinking about writing something up about the trip. It will be fun to get pictures of the airports and the people and their airplanes along the way.

stingray said:
How about mounting a cam-corder to the glareshield and making it a movie.
Click to expand...
Hadn't really thought about it, but not a bad idea. :)
 
wow look away for a few days and look what happens. when you make it to Iowa you'll have to let me know. i see you are going to Marfa, TX. No grass there, just dirt! Take a glider ride from Burt while visiting Dave Taylor (I assume)
 
Never landed at Roy E. Ray (5R7) but have flown near it often (last weekend, in fact).

They have skydiving pretty much every weekend. The jumpers from there often participate in the local airshows/fly-ins.

The Mobile EAA chapter (416) is based there, too. They use to be fairly active, with a good turnout for area fly-ins, but I haven't been on the coast since Katrina so I don't know what their level of activity is lately.
 
Steve said:
They have skydiving pretty much every weekend. The jumpers from there often participate in the local airshows/fly-ins.

The Mobile EAA chapter (416) is based there, too. They use to be fairly active, with a good turnout for area fly-ins, but I haven't been on the coast since Katrina so I don't know what their level of activity is lately.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information Steve. It sounds like a fun place to visit and is a definite stop for me now. I'll call first to see if they have any significant residual damage before I land there...hadn't thought about the possible Katrina damage.
 
Are you still planning on making up to Platte Valley? Like I mentioned on the Bellananc website... I live down in Colorado Springs, but I fly up that way rather often, and will likely be up there a fair amount in May. I learned to fly taildraggers up there in an L-16, and had a blast doing it. They also have a WWI plane museum which i have not had the satisfaction of seeing yet...

Let me know if your still planning on coming up this way.
 
Hi Jim. Welcome to the PoA forum! :)

skimanjim said:
Are you still planning on making up to Platte Valley?
Click to expand...
Yes, that is definitely one of my stops and I hope to check out the museum there. Then I'll fly on to Erie and stay there for a few days or so. My son just moved to within a mile of the Erie airport, so KEIK is the perfect airport to park the Citabria at for a few days.

One of the gentleman from the Citabria forum will be having some work done on his Scout at the Erie airport and I hope to meet him and check out his Scout. If his Scout is flyable by then, he said he'd fly me into a short strip near the mountains that a Scout can get out of, but not a Citabria. I'm hoping to be able to experience that.

One airport that you can't leave out on your trip is the airport at St. Francis, KS (KSYF). It has three grass runways and one paved. It's only about a two-block walk into town from there. There is a campground adjacent to the airport with running water. They have active cropdusting going on there and host a famous annual Stearman fly-in. Stephen Coonts mentioned attending the fly-in in his book The Cannibal Queen.

skimanjim said:
Like I mentioned on the Bellanca website... I live down in Colorado Springs, but I fly up that way rather often, and will likely be up there a fair amount in May. I learned to fly taildraggers up there in an L-16, and had a blast doing it. They also have a WWI plane museum which i have not had the satisfaction of seeing yet...

Let me know if your still planning on coming up this way.
Click to expand...
Will do! :)

Again, welcome to the forum Jim. :yes: BTW, there are several other pilots here from the Denver/Colorado Springs area.
 
I heard the Roy E. Ray jump pilot on the radio on Sunday, so I know they're open. Most of the damage to airports was further west Diamondhead near Bay St. Louis is open, but their fuel farm is gone.

If wx pushes you further north of the coast, Prentiss, MS, M43, had 100LL for $3.05 this week.


Diana said:
Thanks for the information Steve. It sounds like a fun place to visit and is a definite stop for me now. I'll call first to see if they have any significant residual damage before I land there...hadn't thought about the possible Katrina damage.
Click to expand...
 
Diana said:
BTW, there are several other pilots here from the Denver/Colorado Springs area.
Click to expand...
I would be one of them. Let me know when you're in the area Diana, I'd still love to meet you. :yes:
 
Steve said:
I heard the Roy E. Ray jump pilot on the radio on Sunday, so I know they're open.
Click to expand...
That's good news! I'm looking forward to visiting the place. Thanks for the info.

Steve said:
If wx pushes you further north of the coast, Prentiss, MS, M43, had 100LL for $3.05 this week.
Click to expand...
That's good to know. Not a bad price on fuel.
 
Everskyward said:
I would be one of them. Let me know when you're in the area Diana, I'd still love to meet you. :yes:
Click to expand...
I hope we can finally get together this time! :yes: There is also another lady pilot out that way that I hope to meet. Her name is Marijke and she flies a Citabria. I think she is based out of Longmont.
 
stingray said:
Ken wouldn't it be easier for her to change the routing on the lower MI airports and hit GDW I think it was last, then head up and over the lake from there. Then back down Eastern WI to Pioneer Field?

Dan
Click to expand...


Does anyone know if you can actually land at Pioneer Airport?? And how you get permission?
 
Call the Pioneer Airport Office 920-426-4867 for information.

They do local rides when the weather is good in their vintage aircraft so you'll have to coordinate with those operations.

Also, there are a large number of special events ongoing during the flying season at the Airventure Museum that often include concurrent activities on Pioneer Field.

http://www.airventuremuseum.org/flightops/pioneerairport/#P46_2087

I asked around once about flying in in a C210 and was told I'd have to get the airport manager's permission and possibly demonstrate my short field skills on the main runways at OSH before getting the ok. I doubt that would be an issue with a Citabria. The grass rwy iz 2200 x 80 ft.

skimanjim said:
Does anyone know if you can actually land at Pioneer Airport?? And how you get permission?
Click to expand...
 
CapeCodJay said:
You want some much missed acro time in the Citabria Mari :goofy:
Click to expand...
:D Jason, you raise a good point. :yes: I've been indecisive about bringing the parachutes. At 14 pounds apiece, I am thinking that I could pack more shoes instead of the parachute (I can't wait for Anthony to respond to this comment). :D Besides, I pack like a girl and the Citabria will be FULL of crap and I'd have to dump it all out on the tarmac first before I could go upside down.

Speaking of packing, I need to find a good small (one-man) tent for sleeping under the wing for those nights when I can't find a ride into town or sleep in the FBO. Any suggestions? I have tried taking the seat cushions out in the Citabria and experimented with ways to try to lay down in the Citabria to sleep in it all night, and it looks like sleeping upright is the only way it can be done. There is a placard for the cable on the back seat, so it won't fold down all the way. I plan to do some flying with different people on the trip, so I don't want to take the back seat completely out.
 
Diana, my awesome AOPA Mentor! Wow! You are going to be pretty close in Iowa - it would be fun to come down to see you if I can steal away from work!!! I'll get my cell phone number to you and you can call to let me know when you'll be there!!! That is going to be one awesome adventure for you! And we'll all be excited to hear about it!
Happy Flying!
 
Hey Linda! It's nice to see you back here. I understand that you've been really busy lately.

Linda said:
Diana, my awesome AOPA Mentor!
Click to expand...
Well, aren't you sweet! It's been a pleasure working with you. :yes: We need more enthusiastic and positive pilots like you in the aviation world.

Linda said:
You are going to be pretty close in Iowa - it would be fun to come down to see you if I can steal away from work!!! I'll get my cell phone number to you and you can call to let me know when you'll be there!!!
Click to expand...
Will do! If we can't connect in May, then I hope to fly up to visit you sometime this summer. :)

BTW, congratulations on passing your written!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top