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Do You Collect Grass/Un-Improved Strips?

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Vlad

Well Known Member
I do. Would be nice to know who lands own RV on grass strips. I hope we don't head to "geared" arguments there are wise and respectable members here who are not comfy with grass fields for various reasons.

Do you remember your first grass landing? How it was? How many strips you have landed your RV on? Which one is your favorite? List them rate them :)

I gathered a good collection. Grass is something I missed in my previous life. I am ready to open my logbooks on green bookmarks and count them. Can you? :D




GRASS.jpg
 
I don't collect grass runways, I build them :)

Honestly, it would be a task to go back and count them. I'd guess more than half of all my destinations have been grass. If you eliminate my primary training, then probably more than half my landings are grass.

My next "adventure vacation" will be to seek out back country strips !

(This winter's project is to switch the tyres up to 380's)
 
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I don't collect grass strips either, but the best I've ever landed on was at the TripleTreeFlyin. It was like landing on a carpet.
 
Go Grass

Yep, I land at a lot of grass runways. That's why I built a taildragger. I don't usually taxi down the sand roads :) but I have no problems with most grass/dirt/gravel strips.

Of course, my Taylorcraft was raised on grass strips and it really is easier to land in the sod than a hard surface in a taildragger.

By the way, Nice calendar :D
 
100s of grass landings as my home airport has 3 grass and 1 paved runways. Love tickling the wheels in the grass on a perfect wheel landing. Of coarse every one of them is in my C140. Zero grass landings in my RV.
 
Grass strips are the reason I built mine with the little wheel in back. Too many grass stips to count for N941WR.
 
For me, a long grass runway is something to savor. Most of my grass landings are in the sub-2k club (with obstacles).

Any nice long good grass runways people would recommend ?
 
Do you remember your first grass landing?


My first flight out of phase one and first grass landing was to Sleepy Eye Minnesota. It was perfectly smooth and I did 3 or 4 full stops. Big Fun.

Favorite so far is at my friend Jack's back yard strip in Mocksville NC.

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Grass strip

My favorite is my own, not the best but still my favorite.

The smoothest Ive landed on recently is LKLT Letnany 5L/23R Praha Like a billard table.

Rob
 
Home base is grass

W52 in Battle Ground, WA. I am now in the process of converting to 380/150 x 5 main tires and contemplating upgrade nose gear mods.

Vlad, you are welcome to visit and stay with us any time. We have two spare bedrooms as our kids are grown. I would love to talk to you about your travels as it is my dream to tour the US by (winged) RV also.

BTW, there is a large "Russian" community in our area, although almost all are careful to tell me they are "from Ukraine." Is there some regional friction (or worse) there?

Larry Tompkins
N544WB RV-6A
W52 Goheen Field
 
Hundreds of landings in my 9A on my home base grass strip. All together the 9A has landed on 26 grass/gravel/natural surface strips.

My favourite would be Langley Park in Perth Australia which is a recreational park right next to the CBD which was turned into an airfield for a weekend fly in last year.

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Many of you may have seen this in a thread from last year but if you missed it here is an excellent video of an RV7 landing at Langley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3jLpb-8F7w&feature=related

Fin
9A
Subs Paid 2012
 
Would be nice to know who lands own RV on grass strips.

I do. New Mexico isn't known for it's "grass" so more like dirt, gravel, weed, and "plowed path" strips for me. However; I really, really enjoyed the "real grass" up in Idaho this past summer. I'd spent 100% of my time on grass and small town strips if I could.
 
What is this "grass" of which you speak? I thought there were only two types of runways, paved and dirt....

Greg
 
I'm sure I missed some but here is a list of the ones I remember:

Wilsons - E40
Pea Patch Aerodrome - 61GA
Long Island - NC26
Capitol Airport - 02C
Williamsport - SC86
Hop-Along - 12VA
Baldwin Municipal Airport - 7D3
Hawks Meadow - 07NC
Triple Tree - SC00
Laneys - N92
Bradford Field - NC05
Mallard's Landing - GA04
 
I do. New Mexico isn't known for it's "grass" so more like dirt, gravel, weed, and "plowed path" strips for me...

Yep, not many grass strips in New Mexico and the SW. I bet I have landed on fewer than 10 in my life.

Now, dirt and gravel with ruts, wash-outs, yep. County roads, pastures -- plenty of that.

My RV friend Tom Benedict's place is an exception as to condition. Beautiful smooth dirt strip.

Benedict.jpg
 
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The majority (98%) of my flying back in the UK was off of grass.

It was considered that an airport having tarmac thought itself to be an 'International'. therefore officious, unfriendly and expensive. I'd agree with that.

Grass, the only way to go flying.
 
Like many here, there's no way I could count them all....back when I learned to fly in a J-3, we never used the pavement at Anoka County (KANE) - it wore out tires too quickly! We used the huge under run area - it was as big as any old-fashioned "airfield" in the early part of aviation's history, and we used it in any direction.

Better than that though, the area north of the airport for ten or twenty miles was used extensively for sod farms - I can't begin to count the number of "practice" engine-outs that ended up as a touch and go on the sod - the farmers never seemed to mind, and we could fly from one field to the next, touching down on virgin grass....

Paul
 
My favourite would be Langley Park in Perth Australia which is a recreational park right next to the CBD which was turned into an airfield for a weekend fly in last year.

Hey, my hometown. I was there on the day, but only as a spectator. However, if they ever hold another fly-in, mine may be the first RV-12 to ever land there. :)
 
Jim,
Question about NK17. Did you call somebody for permission to land?

I tagged along with couple of guys in Cubs who know the operator. You probably should call otherwise. Great place. A hangar full of float planes plus old cars and motor bikes.
 
49clipper

Too many to count. I live on a grass strip and my record to date (for shortness) is 900'. tight, but doable in my RV-6. Been landing on grass for 35+ yrs.
 
...My RV friend Tom Benedict's place is an exception as to condition. Beautiful smooth dirt strip.

Benedict.jpg

I've been honored with Tom and Lyn's hospitality several times on x-countries in the 170. There is some grass on NM20, but you need to be careful not to land or take of on (in?) it, especially if the cattle have been on it recently...:eek:
 
Just Mallards Landing GA04 for me, but it does have a fun whooptie about 1/3 of the way down, when landing to the east... Did about my 5th rv landing ever there and couldn't figure out why I dropped it so hard till I turned around and saw the hill.... No big deal after that, just land before the hill...
 
Vlad, it sounds like it is time to move the little wheel to the back! You know you want to! Just do it. Oh, it will slow down your hour accumulation and may put off your engine overhaul.
 
Hudson Valley

Garnsey B04, August NK17 on the island and Argyle 1C3.

You missed Chapin Vlad - should have dropped in to say hello.

Jim Sharkey
 
OK, I want to add Augusta Field to my bucket list.

BTW: NK17 is a "two-for". It is both a grass strip and qualifies as an island.
 
Those who have gone before...

Short answer, YES...
In fact some of us were collecting grass(and less friendly surfaces) strips and galavanting all over the country in an RV well before this website (and the RV9) existed :)

Here's one of my favorites:


http://www.airnav.com/airport/U72
V/R
Smokey
 
Vernonia, OR

I have landed on many dirt strips but my first with real grass was 05S with Mike Seager in the right seat. I am guessing I am not the only one.
 
Many miles ago...

That's very nice picture Smokey. Where is your famous Bandit now? I fly X-country a lot and may meet him some day. :)
Hi Vlad,
I sold the Bandit to a fellow Fighter bro who re-sold it to his boss (SQ commander) El Bandito had 1500 amazing hours on her when she left for Chesapeake VA. Still there today. "Killer" the current owner is continuing the tradition.

Hope to cross paths someday...
V/R
Smokey

PS: I only put 1000 hours on my Rocket, but it had more states, many more ID and MT backcountry strips, Baja Mexico, Northern Canada, and the Turks and Caicos in her travel log. My little X just passed 400 fun hours and I still enjoy it. From the looks of it you are headed the same direction!
 
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Too many to count and remember over the years. Some favorites include Beaumont, KS (07S) where you taxi down the road in to town to the Beaumont Hotel for a good breakfast. Cedar Knoll in Geneva, FL (01FL) for their third Saturday of the month fly-in breakfast. This one is only 20 NM from my home and is a really great fly-in.
Gaston's White River Resort in Lakeview, AR (3M0) is a great spot for a stop for lunch or stay and partake of some world class brown trout fishing.
However, my all time favorite is the Ringneck Ranch, in Tipton, KS. This is a private strip at the home of an old friend. I have decades of fond memories flying in for pheasant hunting in the fall, 4th of July festivities with old friends, and Y2K New Years Eve with good friends figuring we could hunker down and stay there if the world really did quit working at midnight!:D I've flown in there in my old Tri-Pacer, various Cessna's, my old Bonanza, my RV-10, and even made a "photo op" low pass in landing configuration in a biz jet in a prior life. This place is heaven for an old Kansas boy!
spc5rn.jpg

160pw8k.jpg
 
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in the heart of America

868rm and I both fly out of private grass strips in the middle of 67 wind turbines. Nothing sweeter than the RV parked in the back yard.:D
 
WI69 is our home field, Air Troy Estates, Just east of East Troy Municipal. We built our home out here in 1993 and moved in in February 1994 Air Troy is a 1700 ft. grass strip with some runoff on each end. I don't fly anymore and sold our RV-7A a few years back, but we enjoy everyday living here. I build wooden boats now instead of airplanes.

My first grass landing solo (did a few during training days with an instructor) was at Capitol Drive Airport in Brookfield, WI. I was flying backin my Cherokee from a funeral flyover for Dale Crites, Founder of Waukesha County Airport (where I learned to fly). I was windy that day and I decided it was time to land on the grass strip and use more favorable winds. I had always been apprehensive about landing on grass and didn't like it much during my student days. Dale told me it was the best because it was more forgiving than pavement. I'd like to think he was with me in spirit that day as I greased it in and really began to enjoy grass.

That new found love for grass encouraged us to buy our lot and build our home at Air Troy. Our hangar home has been the perfect place to live, fly, and just plain enjoy life.

We also did Beaumont Kansas and had lunch at the Hotel. We flew in in the early 90's with our Cherokee.

beaumont.jpg


Coming in for a landing in my RV-7A at Air troy.

p1200004a.jpg


Roberta :):):)
 
Too many to count and remember over the years. Some favorites include Beaumont, KS (07S) where you taxi down the road in to town to the Beaumont Hotel for a good breakfast. Cedar Knoll in Geneva, FL (01FL) for their third Saturday of the month fly-in breakfast. This one is only 20 NM from my home and is a really great fly-in.
Gaston's White River Resort in Lakeview, AR (3M0) is a great spot for a stop for lunch or stay and partake of some world class brown trout fishing.
However, my all time favorite is the Ringneck Ranch, in Tipton, KS. This is a private strip at the home of an old friend. I have decades of fond memories flying in for pheasant hunting in the fall, 4th of July festivities with old friends, and Y2K New Years Eve with good friends figuring we could hunker down and stay there if the world really did quit working at midnight!:D I've flown in there in my old Tri-Pacer, various Cessna's, my old Bonanza, my RV-10, and even made a "photo op" low pass in landing configuration in a biz jet in a prior life. This place is heaven for an old Kansas boy!
b5jx9e.jpg

160pw8k.jpg




These are sweet pictures David!




I visited 18 different grass/turf fields with my RV as of the end of 2012. On some of them I landed several times. Closing the season with Solberg 51N. Rated 6 :)



solberggrass.jpg





solberg1.jpg
 
grass

Vlad-
Soldberg(sp) is one of the oldest airports in NJ that is still active. Princeton is the oldest, 101 years old. You are in my old back yard, 5 years a mile from Teterboro, two years in Princeton, five in Atlantic City.
 
Not in the desert....

I envy you, all of you. Here in the desert region of southern California, we don't actually have any. We often use the desert equivalent...dirt strips. I guess they are the smuggler's version of what you guys are used to. Don't get me wrong, I get satisfaction every time the Phoenix settles down softly and I can feel the dirt "give" just a little. Same can be said for that feeling when the gear "planes out" on top just before you leap into the sky. My favorite would have to be L90, a two runway dirt strip in the middle of Anza Borrego State Park. The longer runway is for newbies...well complex aircraft too. The shorter strip is for everyone else and just like all of the strips in the Sonoran or Mojave deserts, crosswinds build fast and it gives you the utmost satisfaction to just call yourself a pilot after landing here.
 
Vlad, 2012 is not over yet, find another one.


Jump over to pa Vlad, these are all grass or have grass
Kzer
8n1
9n7 my base
O8n the smoothest grass ever
Bermudian valley
Kampel
Pa62
They are all close to each other in rv speed, if you stop by 9n7 look for a blue Pitts, my name is Mark we'll take you to a nice lunch spot.
 
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