Looking for local fields

[Bman.]

Hey all-

Now that I am newly minted PPL, I am looking for places to fly and new things to try out. I have been looking at some at some strips out near the lake we go to all the time and it appears that almost all of the turf strips are 2500' ~ 2700'. I would consider these strips but I wonder how much leeway I should really have for takeoff clearance in practice.... not theory.

I use the performance and takeoff data from the POH and to clear a 50' obstacle on a hot muggy day like today (mid to low 90's) and I see that I need 2100' at 2400# (assuming no headwind). So in theory - it should be no problem to hit 70% of my liftoff speed in half the runway distance and no problem clearing the 50' obstacle (or better since it was 2100' and I have 2600' to work with).

However, using the 'grain of salt' regarding the POH performance numbers, I am still curious to know what one thought process is in determining if such a runway is acceptable. Mine (with no experience in the matter) is 1) wait for a nice cool day 2) Go solo (lower gross weight) 3) Check with the private airfield owner and get information about who and what is flying out of the field and lastly 4) Go out to my home field and see what I can normally accomplish for short / soft field takeoff and landings.

I did a grass 2600' strip a few weeks ago and it was great. Temperatures about the same. But I still question if there is more I should be considering and what my tolerances should with regard to safety.

I see a ton of private strips around here that are 2200 ~ 2700' and surely they aren't all flying in to their fields at the edge of the envelope and likely flying in on something similar to the PA-28-181 I am flying.

Benjamin

 

[RyanB]

It seems you don't have a grasp on what your plane will do in the set of conditions that you have laid out. I humbly suggest that you fly out of less marginal airfields in a variety of conditions and weights until you grasp the capabilities of the aircraft and yourself; safely acquired experience is very important for a "newly=minted" PPL.

Definitely be cautious, one thing to keep in mind is the numbers you see in your POH are the numbers that were ran when that airplane came off the assembly line when it was new. Typically speaking, if its a 70's, 80's, or even a 90's model aircraft, don't expect to always get the numbers you see in your POH. If it says short field take off distance is 2200' under a given wx condition plan for a 3000' takeoff run etc. Be conservative.

 

[denverpilot]

A CFI I'm flying with has this advice. It's VERY conservative, but I understand what he's saying...

Multiply all the POH performance numbers for runway length by 200% (2x) in a brand new type and be wary of any runway shorter than that, at first.

You KNOW you can do it in twice the distance as a test pilot in a brand new airplane, or at least you should be able to, and then work your way down from there with experience.

Nibble at your envelope edges, don't take a huge bite all at once. Book numbers are often very optimistic. Practice on longer runways with accurate markings until you know you're well inside the limits.

Then you'll have that day where you land on the grass and it's wet and the brakes don't do ANYTHING but lock the tire and you're still sliding... Heh.

The other important point is you said you found PRIVATE strips. Those all need prior permission to land.

And also if you're renting, check your club and rental agreements and insurance to see if "unimproved" strips are allowed/covered. Many rental places around here, they're 100% banned for insurance reasons, not FAA reasons.

You may also want to talk to a CFI about calculating a go/no-go point for the takeoff roll. If you pass point X without attaining a certain speed, it's time to stop the takeoff. Changes with "runway" condition, too.

The PPL just doesn't cover everything you need to know to be safe in all conditions. Conservatively open up your envelope and be prepared to consult with a CFI. Most would happily head over with you to a short field after doing a little landing work to make sure your aircraft control is up to speed enough to do it, and then let you do some landings at the short, maybe grass, or dirt, field, to get a feel for just how "tight" it may or may not be.

They can also help with how to inspect such a surface for problems before landing... Grass and dirt can be safe one day, and waterlogged and have a giant pothole in the middle of the strip, the next... All it takes is a rainstorm and poor drainage...

 

[Bman.]

Thanks guys - You are 100% correct, no rush at all. I have no where to be and no reason to fly other than for the flying sake. This is the reason I haven't ventured out too far. I was simply asking because I see tons of of strips this length in the region and I always wonder who is going in / out of these fields on a regular basis.

You are also correct on me not knowing exactly how the plane will perform under a specific set of conditions and really the basis for the question. I only have 80 hours or so - and what I realize is that I have more to learn than I ever did. It's one thing to do a stack of short / soft fields at my local airfield and say "yep, I made that 50' obstacle, no problem".. but it's another thing when the field is truly the long / short - especially when it comes to soft field.

Fortunately, there are a few short / soft fields in the area that are open to the public and I will grab my CFI and go. Again, there is no rush so I will go get some practice. I am not trying to close in on the envelope for sure - just curious to know what the approach is to start nibbling away at it without getting remotely close.

This is a very similar question as the weather. It's has always been really evident when it was a 'no go' decision as a student. And to this day - if I have to even question it, I just scrap the flight for another day. Of course like today and for the next week - there is a chance for thunderstorms with general summertime convection (not frontal boundaries) just about every day. I have resigned to the fact there wont be any flying until the temps drop and the chances of thunderstorms goes away. It would seem like on days like today, one second it looks fine to go for a flight, 15 minutes later you could be dodging left, right and eventually one may get trapped. That question still remains, what's my threshold... surely not just flying when conditions are 'clear and a million' but that's where they are right now (especially with any convection). When I plan a 400nm trip just for the fun of it and review the brief, there seems to always be a chance of a thunderstorm along the route unless there is an area of high pressure 800nm wide and mild temps. I would never leave my home field at that rate. Yeah, again it sounds like more discussion is needed with the CFI about longer range go / no go decision making. Fact is, the required long and short XC's don't truly prepare one for the decisions to go beyond the 150 trips I made during training.

Fully understand, this is a license to learn. That's what I am going for.
Thanks for the input guys.

Benjamin