Seaplane strip at dry field

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

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My dad flew to hooks field in Houston today.
I looked at it on the map and noticed it has 3 runways.

2 normal and one specifically for seaplanes.
It isn't on the water though....

I have never seen anything like this before.

Has anyone landed there?
How do they keep it filled?


This is just wild.

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I have seen sea plane strips at airports. Fairbanks is one example, they have a long hard runway for big stuff, one shorter one for most GA stuff, one gravel strip that turns into a ski strip in winter, plus the sea plane area. All runways run in the same general direction.
 
Yeah, I know a couple different guys who started with a pond on their land and dug a long ditch to extend it into a "runway"
 
Saw one at a towered airport in Louisiana(can't remember which one). I'm guessing the same as a retention pond.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
My dad flew to hooks field in Houston today.
I looked at it on the map and noticed it has 3 runways.

2 normal and one specifically for seaplanes.
It isn't on the water though....

I have never seen anything like this before.

Has anyone landed there?
How do they keep it filled?


This is just wild.

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Click to expand...

Its been there for decades. There used to be an amphib 172 that a local CFI did seaplane endorsements at the field. I started my initial training out of that field on land planes back in the 90's.

Its just a big ditch with a clay bottom. They can use a water well to fill it when runoff is insufficient. The ditch/runway also serves as a source of fire suppression water for local FD to draft from. Until about 20 years ago the surrounding area was decidedly rural, but has been encroached upon in recent decades.
 
Dang, I wish I had read this earlier. I landed DWH for an overnight last night. I saw a bunch of pilots in the restaurant. I also had a fantastic meal at Barngrill in Tomball, TX.
 
How does one call it? If there is a 35L 35R and this 35 water strip...
"Cessna blah blah turning base for ...?"
 
35W.

That's what I've seen at other places.
 
I spent an hour watching a 172 there one day and taking photos!

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Yeah I saw it on airnav.
Didn't know if the pilot calls "35 whiskey" or "wet" or "double you"
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Yeah I saw it on airnav.
Didn't know if the pilot calls "35 whiskey" or "wet" or "double you"
Click to expand...

As opposed to 35 Lima and 35 Romeo? Ha ha, it's 35 water, but depending on where you are it may be whiskey, and it better be wet.
 
Tower refers to it as Sea Lane North or South during operations.

There are also some drainage pipes that flow from various spots on the field into the sea lane.
 
It would be really cool to have a waterway at one's local airport. It would be an excellent way for a seaplane instructor to give instruction, especially in an amphib. You could do both water and land operations without ever leaving the pattern.
 
Juneau has one at the airport. New Iberia 1ousiana has one.
 
There is a local airport here with parallel grass and water runways.

Frazier Lake Airpark (Hollister), CA (1C9).

http://frazierlake.com/location/1C9-from-NW

The airport is on the bottom of the frame. The other one at the top is Hollister (KCVH), which has gliders and lots of classics.

There is no paved runway. The pavement is the parallel taxiway.
 
Do the amphibs do touch and gos, or are they all full stop taxi (paddle?) backs?
 
Chatham, MA (KCQX) used to have a seaplane base in the adjacent lake. I just looked on Airnav, the waterway is permanently closed. :sad:
 
Several years ago, we had a float plane (Cessna 140) land on the grass off the edge of the runway after the fire department had hosed it down. The owner had just bought it and brought it in to convert it back to wheels.
 
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