My new pin

[steingar]

I keep a set of sectionals attached to a board out in the hall, and every time I land a new airport, I put a pin in it. I got a new one yesterday, for the first time in a long while. 1G1, Elyria, which I landed to go see a cousin who lives in Eastern Cleveland.

In a way I put this in the exact wrong forum. I flew right over the strip without seeing it, something I haven't done since I was a student pilot. It is really, really easy to loose in the trees if you don't know what you're looking for. There was little more at 1G1 than a self-serve fuel pump. One other guy landed while I was there to pick up fuel. The FBO was closed on a holiday with the most beautiful weather we've seen in awhile. No where to sit, or off load spent liquid fuel. The place looked dodgy, and the neighborhood around it not much better. I doubt I will be returning.

I made a really good decision taking off. The apron and everything else (what there is of it) lies at one end of the strip. I thought about taking off downwind, so I didn't have to back-taxi on the runway (no taxi ways, at least none running the runway length). But I thought about the high density altitude (the temp was in the mid-nineties, with lots of humidity), the heavy loading of the aircraft (I had just filled it with gas), and the relatively short (3K feet) runway. I did the back taxi, and was very glad of it. Even taking off into the wind, the takeoff was suspenseful. I really, really, don't like trees in the windshield.

It was so hot, I came into my downwind at my home drome at about 5K feet after overflying the nearby class Charlie. Pulled power, put in a notch of flaps, and put it into a slip. I was on the glideslope on base. Gotta love Cherokees. Landed downwind, but with 5K feet of runway I wasn't too worried about overshooting. Actually got blown right where I wanted to be.

 

[azure]

Sounds like a good decision Steingar. I don't think twice about back-taxiing when I need to, though I announce my intentions well in advance and keep my head on a swivel. I really don't like downwind takeoffs. But I'm puzzled about one thing: you were going to the east side of Cleveland but you landed at 1G1? Why not CGF, or even BKL (swallowing hard at the ramp fees)?

Unless you meant Western Cleveland...

Just curious.

 

[steingar]

Sounds like a good decision Steingar. I don't think twice about back-taxiing when I need to, though I announce my intentions well in advance and keep my head on a swivel. I really don't like downwind takeoffs. But I'm puzzled about one thing: you were going to the east side of Cleveland but you landed at 1G1? Why not CGF, or even BKL (swallowing hard at the ramp fees)?

Unless you meant Western Cleveland...

Just curious.

I did indeed mean western Cleveland, and wrote East like an idiot. One of my greatest failings is I do that in the air once in awhile.

I land at CGF all the time to go see my brother. There is a bigger airport near 1G1, LPR, that I will probably land next time go up. 1G1 sounded more like my style, but I do like a chair and a loo at minimum.

I know what you mean about back-taxiing. I've landed routinely at one other airport where you had to back-taxi to take off (with the unlikely moniker of DUH) and when I flew in, I looked very, very carefully for aircraft on the runway. I've done loads of downwind take-offs from there, but its never gotten all that suspenseful, probably because the wx is usually not that hot up there. Not like it was yesterday.

 

[azure]

I did indeed mean western Cleveland, and wrote East like an idiot. One of my greatest failings is I do that in the air once in awhile.

Hey, don't we all?

I land at CGF all the time to go see my brother. There is a bigger airport near 1G1, LPR, that I will probably land next time go up. 1G1 sounded more like my style, but I do like a chair and a loo at minimum.

I thought of mentioning LPR since I've been there, and recall that it had a 5000 ft rwy and lots of services. I figured the likely reason you chose 1G1 was the differential in fuel prices... something like $0.65/gal according to Airnav. I'll cross it off my list of places to visit.

I know what you mean about back-taxiing. I've landed routinely at one other airport where you had to back-taxi to take off (with the unlikely moniker of DUH) and when I flew in, I looked very, very carefully for aircraft on the runway. I've done loads of downwind take-offs from there, but its never gotten all that suspenseful, probably because the wx is usually not that hot up there. Not like it was yesterday.

Yep, Toledo Suburban, good example, especially since it's pretty busy. I was there once last summer. Another is 57D just north of Detroit, my usual fueling place since KVLL rips us off. They're finally putting in a parallel taxiway at 57D this year -- very much needed since there is a lot of traffic going in and out to the fuel pumps, and it's a long back taxi to take off on 9.

 

[steingar]

DUH really doesn't have much to recommend it, I only landed there because my mother lived nearby. Actually, a buddy used to brag that he'd never been to Michigan. I insisted we land at DUH on a trip up there (the friend meeting us had requested we land there) and was pleased to tell him, after he had deplaned, that he was in Lambertville Michigan. That was fun.

The one bright spot of flying up to DUH was flying over the river past the downtown, or what qualifies for it in Toledo. Very pretty. These days I land at Metcalf when I go up there. Still not much to recommend it. Metcalf, that is, not Toledo. Now that I think about it, not much to recommend Toledo, either. I just happen to have friends there.

 

[timwinters]

I actually rented a hangar at 1G1 for a few months last year while building in the area (in Lorain) but then I built more projects farther east (Brunswick, Seven Hills, Brook Park, Geneva, Cuyahoga Falls, & Macedonia) so I moved my "field hangar" to 1G5 (Medina).

But, really, while I was at 1G1, I quite enjoyed it there. It's a quiet little field for sure but the fuel prices were reasonable, and they had both an avionics shop and a "regular" A&P shop. So they definitely had everything that I needed. Really, it's the type of place that I wouldn't mind being based at. The neighborhood is indeed questionable but I don't think they ever have any issues at the field.

The combination to the office/toilets is CTAF (IIRC) and the combination to the gate is the street address (I believe the sign out front has it listed). I met some really interesting people there.

I also spent a little time at LOR, but still too much time since I found them to be a pretty arrogant bunch. They had the attitude that if you ain't burnin' kerosene you weren't worth their time.

Macedonia had a pretty good bunch of folks running it.

By the way, 1G1 is privately owned by a CLE local who now spends most of his time in Florida. And, yes, the mx isn't the best.

 

[azure]

DUH really doesn't have much to recommend it, I only landed there because my mother lived nearby. Actually, a buddy used to brag that he'd never been to Michigan. I insisted we land at DUH on a trip up there (the friend meeting us had requested we land there) and was pleased to tell him, after he had deplaned, that he was in Lambertville Michigan. That was fun.

Yeah, you're just barely over the state line at DUH. I'm not sure how close it is to the line, but it has to be less than 5 miles.

The one thing they do have to recommend them is an authorized Cessna center -- I went there to pick up a hubcap for 8JT when mine disappeared a couple of months after I bought the plane.

The one bright spot of flying up to DUH was flying over the river past the downtown, or what qualifies for it in Toledo. Very pretty. These days I land at Metcalf when I go up there. Still not much to recommend it. Metcalf, that is, not Toledo. Now that I think about it, not much to recommend Toledo, either. I just happen to have friends there.

Yep, so do I, though I've never visited them by plane. The last time I landed at TOL was on one of my student solo XCs, and I've yet to land at Metcalf.

I just realized that there's a public field within 50 nm that I've never landed at, Custer Field (TTF). I've never had any reason to, but I guess I probably should log a landing there this summer. Just because it's there.

 

[steingar]

Actually, I like landing at TOL because at least I can get a crew car, which is more than I can say about DUH or Metcalf.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

I just realized that there's a public field within 50 nm that I've never landed at, Custer Field (TTF). I've never had any reason to, but I guess I probably should log a landing there this summer. Just because it's there.

That's the least you could do seeing as how they repaved the runway last summer just for you...:wink2: