Had an interesting experience this AM.
Needed to work an auto auction in Pensacola. Usually I go into KPNS, but a bit of looking found 83J, Coastal Airport, to be only 7 miles away. Hey, I like grass strips, so why not?
Did the usual preflght planning, which for me is a review of a sectional on Skyvector, the airport information on Airnav, and morning brief on Weathermeister.
As is my habit, I checked destination NOTAMs using the https://pilotweb.nas.faa.gov link on Airnav, and later, on Weathermeister.
Landed at 9AM, and was met by a person who insisted the airport had been closed for a month. He just shrugged off the the concept of no published NOTAM. He did want to know if I had seen "the X's". I had not, and told him so. He demanded I leave immediately. Having seen no safety issue, I did so.
There were in fact X's made of some thin strips, located in the tall grass in the overrun areas prior to the displaced thresholds. They were visible from overhead, but were invisible from anywhere in a normal pattern, probably because of the grass length.
Yes, I've filed a NASA ASRS form. I'm not sure I violated anything, give the lack of a closure NOTAM, and the improper marking, but hey, it can't hurt, and it strikes me as a good note to put in the system.
Comments?
POSTSCRIPT: Just checked the pilotweb.nas.ffa.gov site again. Airport closure NOTAM appears to have been posted at 1747 zulu... "!GNV 09/010 83J AD AIRPORT CLSD 1509011747-PERM"
Needed to work an auto auction in Pensacola. Usually I go into KPNS, but a bit of looking found 83J, Coastal Airport, to be only 7 miles away. Hey, I like grass strips, so why not?
Did the usual preflght planning, which for me is a review of a sectional on Skyvector, the airport information on Airnav, and morning brief on Weathermeister.
As is my habit, I checked destination NOTAMs using the https://pilotweb.nas.faa.gov link on Airnav, and later, on Weathermeister.
Landed at 9AM, and was met by a person who insisted the airport had been closed for a month. He just shrugged off the the concept of no published NOTAM. He did want to know if I had seen "the X's". I had not, and told him so. He demanded I leave immediately. Having seen no safety issue, I did so.
There were in fact X's made of some thin strips, located in the tall grass in the overrun areas prior to the displaced thresholds. They were visible from overhead, but were invisible from anywhere in a normal pattern, probably because of the grass length.
Yes, I've filed a NASA ASRS form. I'm not sure I violated anything, give the lack of a closure NOTAM, and the improper marking, but hey, it can't hurt, and it strikes me as a good note to put in the system.
Comments?
POSTSCRIPT: Just checked the pilotweb.nas.ffa.gov site again. Airport closure NOTAM appears to have been posted at 1747 zulu... "!GNV 09/010 83J AD AIRPORT CLSD 1509011747-PERM"
Last edited: