rvator51

rvator51

Well Known Member
For you lucky guys/gals who get to live at an airpark with your RVs, which do you prefer: grass runways or paved runways and why do you prefer them?
It would seem a grass runway would require a lot of maintenance compared to a paved runway, but not sure if that is true.
 
Paved. I have a 6A and am scared of dirt potholes/gophers, etc and tip over-tis on grass. Paved runways do not get soft after snow/rain.
 
I've had lots on both types of parks.

Grass is nice, but does require lots of maintenance to keep in shape. Water bills, mowers, weeds, gophers, people walking their dogs and horses on it. But something about it was pretty nice.

Paved is less daily maintenance, but there is still snow plowing, crack sealing, weeds along the edges, painting, kids drag racing on it, AND the big one is future repaving(try to get 25 people to set aside money for $$$ upkeep)
 
rvator51 said:
For you lucky guys/gals who get to live at an airpark with your RVs, which do you prefer: grass runways or paved runways and why do you prefer them?
It would seem a grass runway would require a lot of maintenance compared to a paved runway, but not sure if that is true.
Click to expand...

Yeah...like you're going to be able to find grass out there in the middle of Arizona???? :D :D
 
hydroguy2 said:
I've had lots on both types of parks.

Grass is nice, but does require lots of maintenance to keep in shape. Water bills, mowers, weeds, gophers, people walking their dogs and horses on it. But something about it was pretty nice.

Paved is less daily maintenance, but there is still snow plowing, crack sealing, weeds along the edges, painting, kids drag racing on it, AND the big one is future repaving(try to get 25 people to set aside money for $$$ upkeep)
Click to expand...
That's what reserves are for. The association bills the member every month and sets the money aside.
 
I prefer pavement. It is much better for all seasons and weather conditions. While some grass strips can be a joy to land on, most are not that smooth. A lot depends on the soil conditions and on the part of the country you are in. Here in Texas we have hot and dry summers and they are murder on grass strips unless they are irrigated. Our soils are not the best either and grasses tend to grow in clumps. I used to be based on a grass strip in northern New York many years ago and it was unusable for a good part of the year due to wet soil. During the spring thaw it turned into a quagmire. Somebody would always get on it to soon and leave deep ruts that hardened when it dried out.

Your airplane will also require more maintenance if you always fly off grass due to the added stress on the gear from the roughness and the sand and dirt that gets into the bearings and brakes. The only thing that will last longer are the tires. Taxiing thru grass on a nice dewy morning will leave your plane covered in bugs as soon as you as you start moving....Just my take on it!

Martin Sutter
building and flying RV's since 1988
EAA Technical Counselor
 
We want to fly too often....

....to live on a non-paved strip, in my opinion. So, we only considered paved airparks while looking for our next airpark home. And, I'm very glad that our present home is on a paved strip considering the frequent (and often heavy) rains and my lifestyle of flying commutes to work.

If I saw flying as a purely recreational pursuit, I might prefer the romance of flying off a grass strip.
 
Michael White said:
Yeah...like you're going to be able to find grass out there in the middle of Arizona???? :D :D
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Hi Moose,
Good point! We own a lot at an airpark with a grass runway in TX. Interested in the pros/cons of a paved runway versus a grass runway since we fly a lot.
 
We have both...

Paved and parallel grass. Strictly speaking for RV's, the paved would be the obvious choice but they are expensive to install and you better have a pool in the HOA for repairs, sealing, and eventually repaving. As others have mentioned, grass is a maintenance issue. A properly maintained grass runway can be just as smooth, or almost, as a paved runway. I know several in the area that are well maintained and are very flyable even in the wettest of winters.
I do use the grass from time to time. Since it is directly aside and parallel to the paved, if I come in a bit too hot, I can slide over to the grass and it will arrest the landing much better than pavement. On our relatively short 2000' runway, that is a nice option to have.
Not related to RV's, I use the paved to take off with my Bucker, and the grass to land. Much easier on the old gear and less wear and tear.
 
We are getting set to build an airpark home here in middle Georgia. Our lot sits adjacent to the 3000 ft turf runway. The runway is wide and flat and a joy to land on with no drainage issues. I fly a -9 and enjoy grass strips. The only times I don't like grass is if there are hills and undulations along the length.
 
Kirk,

It is called Plane Living Skypark in Peach county, Ga. It is in a very nice country location with pecan and peach orchards all around. There is a fruit packing establishment across the street which is popular with tourists and locals. It has a gift shop and really good restaurant with homemade peach cobler a la mode..mmm.
I think all the runway lots are sold but there are still many lots available with r/w access. The development was ready for houses when the economy collapsed so things are slow to get going and there are only about 3 or 4 houses so far.

www.planelivingskypark.com
 
bsacks05 said:
We are getting set to build an airpark home here in middle Georgia. Our lot sits adjacent to the 3000 ft turf runway. The runway is wide and flat and a joy to land on with no drainage issues. I fly a -9 and enjoy grass strips. The only times I don't like grass is if there are hills and undulations along the length.
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Or when it rains a lot.

Lately, it is taking 5 or 6 days for all the water to soak in or run off, there is so much of it. The sky is breaking up today and the sun is poking through but I know I won't be able to fly even this week end. It simply is too wet.

I prefer a hard surface but no one around here wants to pay for it. The cost these days for 2200' of paving would be over a 100 grand so we live with the grass and do a lot of mowing in the summer months. It does look nice most of the year....sort of like flying with the Peace of Cake pilots of 1939.
 
Wow looks very nice Bruce:)
Might have to stop in sometime and take a gander




bsacks05 said:
Kirk,

It is called Plane Living Skypark in Peach county, Ga. It is in a very nice country location with pecan and peach orchards all around. There is a fruit packing establishment across the street which is popular with tourists and locals. It has a gift shop and really good restaurant with homemade peach cobler a la mode..mmm.
I think all the runway lots are sold but there are still many lots available with r/w access. The development was ready for houses when the economy collapsed so things are slow to get going and there are only about 3 or 4 houses so far.

www.planelivingskypark.com
Click to expand...
 
We're not on an airpark, per se, but have 4 houses attached to a private 2000 ft turf strip in NW Georgia.

As far as maintenance goes, it gets mowed about once a week in the summer. Takes about an hour to cut 2000 ft X 40 feet wide (8 swaths from a 5 foot Ex-Mark mower - just over 3 miles:D). From Late Oct to April or May, it might need to be cut twice. This is to control the weeds and define the rwy edges, as the bermuda grass goes dormant in the cool weather. Grass cutting duties shared by about 4 people and it's no big deal.

The grass soaks up rainwater very quickly in the summer. It is usable within 24 hrs of all but the heaviest rains. Maybe 2 days in the winter after a slow soaker. Be careful not to drive on it when very wet to avoid ruts.
 
JDRhodes said:
We're not on an airpark, per se, but have 4 houses attached to a private 2000 ft turf strip in NW Georgia.

As far as maintenance goes, it gets mowed about once a week in the summer. Takes about an hour to cut 2000 ft X 40 feet wide (8 swaths from a 5 foot Ex-Mark mower - just over 3 miles:D). From Late Oct to April or May, it might need to be cut twice. This is to control the weeds and define the rwy edges, as the bermuda grass goes dormant in the cool weather. Grass cutting duties shared by about 4 people and it's no big deal.

The grass soaks up rainwater very quickly in the summer. It is usable within 24 hrs of all but the heaviest rains. Maybe 2 days in the winter after a slow soaker. Be careful not to drive on it when very wet to avoid ruts.
Click to expand...

Jeff, do you roll it? If so, how often?
 
Jeff's runway is nice to get in and out of. I checked it out on Google Earth before the first time I flew up. By running the cursor over the satellite picture I could tell that the elevation changed very little over the length of the runway. Maybe a coupla feet.

When our airpark home is finished, all RVers have an open invitation to drop in...even from as far away as PA, Kirk!
 
N941WR said:
Jeff, do you roll it? If so, how often?
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There is a sod farm next door with a roller. Borrowed it once before but didn't feel like it did any good. I'm a little afraid to "mash" it down too much as there is no crown and I don't want to create a depression for water to stand.

Dad and I have been talking about plowing the runway, raking, and re-planting to make it smoother. It's not bad now, but could be better - especially in winter when there's no thick mat of grass.

Would have to build a temp 9R / 27L to do that:D

I am amazed how much better our Maule handled the little bumps and imprefections than the RV. Guess that's what they're built for!
 
I routinely use both...

Hi Tom,

At our airpark in TX we have a nice paved strip. At the ranch in KS we have a manicured turf/grass strip. I have the bigger tires on my RV-4 so either/or seems to be no problem. However, if it has recently rained, the turf strip can be a problem. The bigger tires help but sinking into the soft dirt and the mud/dirt that gets into the wheel pants and sprays onto the underside of the wings is problematic. However on nice days, the turf landings are always more passenger pleasing and I like the feel of the mains settling onto the grass...

Rough strips, which any turf strip can get to be if not rolled or managed appropriately, is very hard on our RV-4's and any other model with the gear attached to the firewall and in fact if buying a used bird that has landed on turf most its life, I'd look for cracks on the front of the fuselage/firewall, and furthermore, the tailcone/tailwheel can take a beating if there is severe roughness.

So, in summary, either is better than nothing, airpark living ROCKS, but if I were to chose one for a steady diet, paved would be it!
 
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