Do You Collect Grass Strips?

[Vlad]

Hancock NY. No ruts surface albeit uncut grass which takes a bit of attention till full stop.







Phillipsburg NJ 2NJ5. I flew on top of this little field for years and never seen any activity nor airplanes. Once I noticed the runway grass was moved so I circled over and made a couple passes. Two ladies came out of the house and started dragging a white long mat at the end of the runway. I thought it's an X but it was a "welcome mat". Then they waived. I landed and learned that this farm field is for sale. No airplanes have been here for 10+ years since the owner/pilot died. His plane was sold and now they are auctioning the airfield. There is no interest.









Old Orchard NY.






Greene 4N7 near Binghampton NY. Wide smooth runway with well tendered grass.





Reportedly great restaurant on the field I haven't tasted the food yet.





A short walk from the airfield there is an ice cream stand. Another two more minutes walk and there is a gas station with a food mart. With tables inside enough to accommodate at least 3 RV crews.








Westmoreland NY.

[jrs14855]

Vlad-
You forgot the instructions. Breakfast at Hancock is on SUNDAY. Not a grass strip but breakfast on Monday at Penn Yan NY. Possibly the oldest breakfast fly-in in the US.

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by jrs14855

Vlad-
You forgot the instructions. Breakfast at Hancock is on SUNDAY. Not a grass strip but breakfast on Monday at Penn Yan NY. Possibly the oldest breakfast fly-in in the US.

Instructions? Where are they Jim? I don't have a google installed in my computer. I was at Hancock on Sun May 22nd and didn't smell any food.

[jrs14855]

Upstate list still shows breakfast every Sun May thru Oct. ????

[Vlad]

Fresh installment from past month.


NY1 Kline Kill. Very good surface. They have Big Breakfast in June.





NK17 August Field. A lot of interesting things are at that island airport. An outhouse with plumbing and running water is one of them.








1H1 Airlane Enterprises by Syracuse NY. Very tricky field. It looks inviting from the air but after touchdown you continue bouncing till full stop. If you go don't come hot, work your throttle, stick and brakes on rollout. Very uneven I wouldn't recommend for RVs with training wheel.








9B8 Salmon River, CT. Wins monthly contest easy come easy go.

[Vlad]

This little airfield is sandwiched between the hills in a Pennsylvania valley. Almost a backcountry strip. Short with no overruns. Its caretaker is Paul Nulton. Paul won an Oshkosh award in early 1990ies and was featured in a Kit Plane magazine twenty something years ago. The worn issues are still in his hangar but when I asked him to borrow the magazines for a week he respectfully declined. Understood.

I found the field last year and shot several approaches. The glideslope was too steep and and with the winds blowing in all directions I chickened out . This year I came again. Found the strip freshly mowed and a working tractor nearby. Winds calm. So I landed and was met by two very friendly gentlemen who thanked me for coming and shook my hand.








Paul Nulton showed me the vicinity. He said very rare an aircraft is coming to here. If it comes his hard work as an airfield keeper is justified.





There is a swimming hole nearby and a nice family owned grocery store.





Paul's ultralight is in the hangar and he hadn't flown it for years. He said he crash landed it and don't have motivation to fix and fly again.





In two weeks I called Paul and came again to give him a ride. It was a challenge to take off heavy. We bailed out with right turn through the valley couldn't climb straight. Paul was operating the controls from the right seat for more then an hour. Without any chart he showed me so much within 50 NM radius I was shocked. There is at least a dozen small uncharted fields operated by farmers. Paul was pleasantly surprised by RV performance he never heard of Vans aircrafts. Imagine if he rides with Captain John! Here we are the Men in Black.





This is Paul the Champion of the Races year of 1963!





Later I gave a ride to Paul's son Wade. Both Nultons are natural pilots the life just got on their way to pilot certificate. Good job guys the spy will be back in September...

[Vlad]

8 miles north of Lycoming factory along Trout Run brook there is a 1,500' airstrip. Purchased and developed by a legendary man, a WWII vet and a Cold War flyer Jeffrey Fink. With Mr Fink Sr gone west years ago the airfield is maintained by his youngest son.



You can see him down in the middle of Trout Run granting permission to land.





That's how approach to this field was explained by late Mr Fink to his flying friends. You fly toward this mountain till you get scared then turn right and fly to that mountain till get scared. After that you turn right again and land. So true it took me three tries to nail correct speed and slope. Field is nice but trees on both sides of the 1,500 runway eat couple feet of landing distance.








Fink the Junior is a super friendly gentleman. Briefed me on local spots and departure. The creek is quite shallow. Tons of crawfish.





I am not the only swimmer there. See that orange bellied turtle?





Great talk great walk great time! Thank you Sir!

[Bill Boyd]

Originally Posted by Vlad

Instructions? Where are they Jim? I don't have a google installed in my computer. I was at Hancock on Sun May 22nd and didn't smell any food.

I did not realize what a stud you are, Vlad. Anyone who can find their navel anymore without "a google installed in their computer" is, like, Survivorman, dude This takes more cajones than flying Alaskan glaciers in 60 knot headwinds.

Come see us sometime. I just mowed.

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by Bill Boyd

I did not realize what a stud you are, Vlad. Anyone who can find their navel anymore without "a google installed in their computer" is, like, Survivorman, dude This takes more cajones than flying Alaskan glaciers in 60 knot headwinds.

Come see us sometime. I just mowed.

Bill, you speak so not bookish English I had to enlist a linguist pilot to interpret some of your words. Your grammar, however, is surprisingly correct per Soviet textbooks circa 1988. In the meantime the herbarium list is getting thicker and thicker. 36 new grass strips are conquered within 20 days from July 29th to August 16th on a mega trip. Some of them have a lot of grass and some barely a stem or two. Let me introduce you to Russian Flat M42. The newest and roughest field I've ever been.





Fort Peck 37S of the most intricate layout.





7S7 Valier/Lake Francis the most picturesque (and soft) airfield.

[Bill Boyd]

Originally Posted by Vlad

Bill, you speak so not bookish English I had to enlist a linguist pilot to interpret some of your words. Your grammar, however, is surprisingly correct per Soviet textbooks circa 1988. In the meantime the herbarium list is getting thicker and thicker. 36 new grass strips are conquered within 20 days from July 29th to August 16th on a mega trip. Some of them have a lot of grass and some barely a stem or two. Let me introduce you to Russian Flat M42. The newest and roughest field I've ever been.





Fort Peck 37S of the most intricate layout.





7S7 Valier/Lake Francis the most picturesque (and soft) airfield.

I am heartened to hear my English grammar comports with official Soviet doctrinal expectations of the perestroika era. Evidently my primary school masters took a page or two from official Party handbook of linguistics of the 60's - 70's. Let me try some 'meme-English' on you, Vlad (after the example of Russian comedian Smirnoff, of Russian Reversal fame)

In Russian Flat, automatic roughness experiences you!