[RV8R999]

Just moved to an airpark in southern Florida (FD38). The 4000ft grass runway looks and feels like a putting green and is simply beautiful. The taxi ways however leave much to be desired.

The area just beyond my hangar has some really soft bare sandy areas which are really tough to taxi through. I was in the 1700 rpm range to power through it the other day and worry about bringing the tail up.

For those who live at airparks with grass taxi-ways what advice can you give for repair of soft sandy areas? Plant grass, sod, add clay???

Thanks!

 

[az_gila]

Just moved to an airpark in southern Florida (FD38). The 4000ft grass runway looks and feels like a putting green and is simply beautiful. The taxi ways however leave much to be desired.

The area just beyond my hangar has some really soft bare sandy areas which are really tough to taxi through. I was in the 1700 rpm range to power through it the other day and worry about bringing the tail up.

For those who live at airparks with grass taxi-ways what advice can you give for repair of soft sandy areas? Plant grass, sod, add clay???

Thanks!

Dig it up and replace it with an AB layer -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_course

Your local town/county should have a specification and depth requirement suitable for your area.

With asphalt expect over $2 per sq. ft.

Edit - above is still correct, but I thought you wanted an upgrade from grass - my mistake...

 

[RV8R999]

Thanks for the info Gil.

 

[dpansier]

In addition to digging up the area and planting new grass here's a few other options to consider:

Turf Stone, used by Golf courses where they have heavy cart traffic.
http://www.belgard.biz/shapes-turfstone.htm
http://www.westerninterlock.com/products/paving-stones/turf-stone

Not as nice looking but will do the job, Pierced Steel Plank, the military used tons of this.
http://www.calumetindustries.com/?page_id=176

 

[RV8R999]

The turf stone idea is interesting. thx!

 

[John Tierney]

Turf Reinforcement

If you want to keep grass but reinforce the subsoil (sand) you have basically two options. Either remove the sand down to 6" or 8" and replace with crushed aggregate/stone/coral, or install a geotextile product to reinforce the sand and keep it from pushing side-to-side.
An erosion control contractor/supplier could probably recommend the appropriate material for your area. Some products that come to mind are North American Green C-350 or Pyramat, both reinforce the soil while allowing grass to grow, but there are a lot of options depending on conditions. Perhaps you could find a local civil engineer that would give some advice in exchange for a ride in an airplane.