In October 2022, Stilson and his dad purchased 120 acres of land in southern Utah. From the outset, the intent was always to have a runway on the site.

“Location wise, we are about 10 minutes to the south of Beaver, Utah, up in the mountains [in the region of Fremont Indian State Park],” Stilson said. “We’ve named the land Fremont Ridge.”

The first priority for Stilson and his father—both pilots and joint owners of a Rans S-20 Raven—was establishing a place to land.

• READ MORE: Fort Worth Area Aviation Community Expands with Second Airpark

“This chunk of the property which we got had a flat, open area on top of this mesa,” Stilson said. “It was just big enough to be able to put a decent-sized runway, and it took about a month to clear all the sagebrush, cut out the runway, and put down [grass] seed. We started the process in late 2022, and the grass started sprouting up in the spring of 2023. The runway and base stuff have been ready to go for a little bit, but there’s still so much left to do.”

Stilson is hoping to put the grass strip on the map, both figuratively and literally. He said an upcoming priority is to get the runway noted on sectionals, in addition to finalizing plans to make the airport a bucket-list place for other pilots. 

“We put two small container cabins up there and plan to add more,” he said. “There are a lot of other amenities still on the way. We also plan to have a parking area, so people can park their plane once landing. Then we are going to be doing things like installing a pickleball court. The goal is to eventually…create a little pond and have some fishing up there,” and add a large grass field for soccer.

“Then we have 20 acres off the end of the runway that we may potentially turn into an airpark. People could either rent a cabin or just come park their plane and stay for a night. We would like to make it something special and a great pit stop for pilots who might be traveling through or looking to adventure in southern Utah.”

• READ MORE: New App Helps Pilots Connect, Find New Places to Explore

Stilson has slowly been letting the aviation community know about the airstrip. Even without amenities, the unique landing site has been eyed by a number of aviators as a place they want to visit. 

You may wonder: Can I fly into the airstrip? Once the airstrip is added to the sectional, Stilson plans to start allowing others to visit. 

According to Stilson, Utah’s laws make it an easier decision to open up the property for other pilots to enjoy.

“Utah has recreational laws that protect people who open their lands to people who want to recreate on them,” he said. “What I’ve been told is it’s almost smarter to rely on those laws than to try to create any sort of a liability waiver yourself, because these laws are already pretty bulletproof. The way to put it is, ‘land at your own discretion.’ If I put it on the pilot that they chose to land [here], then they take the liability.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not going to make it very clear what some of the risks that come along with landing at this strip. I think most backcountry pilots will have no issue at all,” he said. “The airstrip sits at roughly 7,000 feet, and it can get up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit up there. There’s a lot of risk with part of the runway that is essentially a no-go-around for most airplanes.”

• READ MORE: Development Underway for New 400-Acre Fort Smith Metro Area Airpark

Stilson has been intentional about making the roughly 2,300-foot airstrip as safe as he can. 

“If you don’t have climb performance, it’s going to be really hard,” he said. “I recommend people land the opposite way, which is also a little more challenging because it’s slightly downhill. But at least you have a go-around option. [When landing] you have to hug some mountains and your base-to-final [turn] can be a little interesting, since you have to clear a couple of trees. We are working on doing what we can to make it a little safer, just because it’s somewhat technical.”

The fact that the airstrip sits on a mesa presents another challenge.

“You get that aircraft carrier landing from the winds that can potentially drop you down very quickly if you’re not careful,” Stilson said. “There are definitely a few technicalities to consider. But I think they are not going to be a huge deal, especially because we installed a [SayWeather] system and a windsock. This was a no-brainer for me because I need pilots to be able to get the wind direction and speed, as well as the density altitude.” 

In an attempt to help keep backcountry aviation alive, Stilson said he created this runway to spark a sense of adventure.

“Southern Utah is perhaps one of the most magical places to explore as a backcountry pilot. I’m an avid member of the Utah Backcountry Pilots Association and strive to be a good steward of the beautiful state we live in,” he said. “I hope our small airstrip opens the door to pilots who want to experience the southwest in a unique way.”

The post Perfect Spot: Building an Airstrip on Fremont Ridge appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Lorie Robertson, chief development and marketing officer for Patriot Airpark, highlighted the development team’s goals for the project.

“Patriot Airpark is a beautiful 400-acre site that was formerly a cattle farm here in Pocola [Oklahoma],” said Robertson of the city located just west across the border from Fort Smith. “The property is being carefully transformed into an aviation community with a master development plan that includes hangar homes, traditional residences, commercial and retail spaces, and outdoor amenities. The geographic location in the middle of the country creates a perfect hub concept for pilots and businesspeople with interests (and family) in other states.

“The flight time is dramatically less when you start from the middle. Combined with the low cost of living in the region and the incredible cultural and outdoor adventure opportunities in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas, this is a fantastic place to live.

“Our typical hangar homes will be 5,000 square feet with 2,500 for the hangar and 2,500 or more of living space above or beside the hangar. Ideally, these will be ‘barndominium’ style homes built from red steel and metal siding, but traditional wood construction is also an option. Phase one includes 14 1-acre lots that are ready to go. We also have a construction company that can build homes according to the buyer’s specs, so they have a lot of flexibility with the design.”

Robertson, who previously spent many years in community and economic development, has been friends with Patriot Airpark’s founder, Alex Cardenas, for about 15 years. The two ran into each other one day at a local restaurant, where he asked her to come aboard and help provide additional lift to the fledgling project.

“Alex, the owner of the property, spent the last year and a half building a lake and other amenities,” she said. “The lake has a 1.5-mile trail around it, and several peninsulas that offer dry camping sites and picnic tables. It’s a really nice amenity that is great for camping, fishing, and kayaking, and it will complement our future RV park. Alex has invested considerable time and money to lock in the right outdoor amenities at Patriot Airpark. He has built a footgolf course [played with a soccer ball], cleared land for soccer fields, and started building mountain bike trails through the woods on the north side of the property.” 

Cardenas, a veteran and entrepreneur, already has moved to Patriot Airpark and is raising his family there. 

“We don’t want to overbuild the community,” Robertson said.  “We want to protect the rural lifestyle and the outdoor opportunities for adventure—the sports, the trails, the fishing, and everything that goes along with what makes Patriot Airpark special. In the initial concept plan, there are around 230 [lots]. Not all of those would be hangar homes, though. The property is naturally split by the orientation of the runway.

“Lots on the west side of the property will be aviation homesites, and the east side will be traditional single-family and multifamily residential. Airplane hangars are also a part of our master plan, as well as commercial, retail, and restaurant spaces that will bring homeowners together as a micro-community.” 

At Patriot Airpark, there is one newly constructed hangar, which is the site of a skydiving operation, Adventure Skydive Center. This is one of many businesses that the development team expects will be based on-site. The airport runway, recently designated by the FAA as OL42, has been established for more than 20 years and will soon host an exciting aviation event.

“We are hosting a National STOL Series qualifier event, Arklahoma STOL, on May 24-25,” she said. “This will be our first event, but our goal is to host the national finals [for the National STOL Series] next year, or at the latest, in 2026. We really want to bring that event here to the central United States.”

The National STOL event is expected to attract pilots from around the country as well as at least 1,000 aviation fans. Spectators are welcome to fly in before the competition starts. Choctaw Casino & Resort is less than five minutes away in Pocola, Oklahoma, and there will be a shuttle running to and from the hotel. Camping and RV spots are available before, during, and after the event through the holiday weekend. The event schedule and camping information can be found on the Arklahoma STOL website.  Registration for pilots is on the National STOL Series website.

Robertson advised that the interest in the area hasn’t been limited to attendees of the short takeoff and landing competition. Rather, Fort Smith and its surrounding communities have been the focus of aviation headlines for other reasons as well recently. 

“Within 15 minutes of Patriot Airpark, you have Fort Smith Regional Airport (KFSM) and Ebbing Air National Guard Base, which is home to the Arkansas Air National Guard. Ebbing was chosen by the U.S. Air Force to be the new site for the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program,” Roberterson said. “The Air Force estimates that as many as 1,000 families or more will be relocating to this region. The housing market is tight, so it’s great that Patriot Airpark is already established. We have real estate, and we are ready to build homes. We could start pouring foundations next week if we wanted to. Talk about impeccable timing.

“Everything seems to be falling into place—the development, the event, the amenities. It’s the perfect place and time to start this development because there’s nothing exactly like it in the market. We’re inviting prospective buyers to come on over to OL42 and ‘land where they’ll love to live!’”

The post Development Underway for New 400-Acre Fort Smith Metro Area Airpark appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

When Dawn and I bought our previous airplane, a 1953 Piper Pacer, we vowed to fly it at least ten hours a month, and indeed we clocked some 220 hours over 18 months of ownership. This time around, I’ve only flown our Stinson 40 hours since buying it in August. This is partly because Pacific Northwest winters, while much milder than in Minnesota, offer far fewer days that are flyable in a strictly VFR airplane. Secondly, I’ve been quite busy finishing our hangar apartment and that’s taken up the vast majority of my time when I’m not flying for work.

Still, I know there is nothing worse for an airplane—or a pilot!—than sitting on the ground, and so I’ve tried to take the Stinson for at least a short flight once every week or two to get the oil up to temp. Unfortunately for the last month it has been imprisoned in its hangar by an impressively solid 44-by-15-foot Higher Power hydraulic door frame, which we assembled and hoisted into place before we had power in the hangar to actually open it. The electrician finally showed up only yesterday after several weeks’ delay. In the interim, we have had some beautiful VFR days that hint at the coming of spring, and I’ve been rather frustrated at my inability to take my flightless bird aloft.

Yes, I have been flying the Boeing 737 plenty—a bit more than I’d like, actually. And I’ll admit, there have been periods of my life where airline flying scratched that itch I’ve had since childhood. It just doesn’t quite do the trick right now. This probably seems absurd to the multitude of young pilots just beginning their careers, casting about for any bit of flight time they can snag and dreaming of the prospect of getting their hands on anything that burns jet-A. I know this; I was that kid once. To me, it doesn’t seem so long ago.

When I started flying in 1994, I had just turned thirteen. Age and finances dictated that flight lessons were a once-a-month event, and I remember the intense yearning that accompanied each ground-bound interval. I thought about flying, talked about flying, literally dreamed about flying as I mowed lawns, shoveled driveways, and did odd jobs to scratch together the $58 that would buy an hour of dual in the Cessna 150. Every once in a while I came up short, and then there was an excruciating two-month flightless gap—and one of eleven weeks in which I tearfully contemplated quitting. As I got older and found steady work, though, the lessons became more frequent, especially in the run-up to my 16th and 17th birthdays. Nothing made me happier than being able to fly most every week. It was in this frame of mind that I chose to pursue a flying career.

At eighteen, I headed to the University of North Dakota and, unleashed by my sudden freedom to amass eye-watering student loans, seldom went three days without flying. I was in hog heaven for the first year or so. But I still remember the first time I woke up and realized, with a groan, that I had a flight scheduled for that morning. A lightbulb went off: So this is what it means to be a professional pilot. You don’t always want to fly, and you do it anyway. That realization was punctuated during my first summer of flight instructing in Southern California when I flew 400 hours in three months and had only a few days off.

Continuing to instruct during my senior year at UND, my logbook records a ten-day flightless gap from September 7 to 17, 2001. It seemed much longer, and flying felt very different thereafter. I knew that my career had just taken a drastic turn, and I steeled myself for an extended grind. In the two years after graduation, while instructing and flying Part 135 cargo, the only time I went more than two days without flying was a nine-day pause for my wedding and honeymoon. Freight dogging, in particular, was incredibly tough—in retrospect, the hardest and most dangerous flying I ever did. And yet my overarching memory of that period was how flying became completely commonplace: It was just what I did. Fascination was replaced by familiarity. I didn’t lose my love of flight, but its nature changed markedly. If taking wing no longer made my heart flutter, I found joy and comfort in looking down upon the unsuspecting world from my daily perch, and being truly and utterly at home.

Now being ground-bound held no measure of yearn- ing for me, for I always knew that I’d return to my home in the air soon enough. At the regional airlines, I bid schedules that created flightless gaps of weeks or even a month, the better to accommodate terrestrial pursuits like backcountry camping, motorcycling, and international travel. I got back into general aviation, started flying old taildraggers, and rediscovered the sort of flight that still makes my heart go pitter-patter (sea- planes, gliders, and skydiving do the trick, too). When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and was grounded from flying airliners while awaiting a special issuance medical, sport pilot rules still allowed me to fly a Piper J-3 Cub, which was a great comfort as I pondered the possibility of a life in which the sky was no longer home. My return to the flight deck after four months’ absence was a joyful affair, and I vowed never to take my privileged position for granted again.

And then, after I’d been hired at my current airline, Dawn and I decided to sell our home and the Pacer, buy a 42-foot sailboat, and run away to sea. I transferred to a highly seasonal fleet and base that allowed me to take lots of time off during the cruising season, and for the first time since I was 13, I voluntarily ventured no higher than sea level for months at a time. Bearded and shirtless, I’d look up from tropical anchorages to spy an airliner flying far overhead, and it’d seem like a relic from another lifetime. Every eight weeks or so I’d endure a brutal shave and dig my mildew-spotted uniform out of the hanging locker, and then I’d commute up to Atlanta to reacquaint myself with the pleasures of flying the Boeing 757. It was always slightly unsettling at first, but by leg two it would be like I’d never left.

That’s what it feels like right now, as our roaring Stinson lifts from the grass and claws its way above the towering firs, revealing a striking panorama: the tree- lined, deep-blue ribbon of Hood Canal, backed by the snow-blanketed breadth of the jagged Olympics. It’s been eight weeks, but Dawn and I and our faithful old Stinson are comfortably back in our home element. The Franklin growls steadily as we gain altitude, and the full glory of our adopted corner of the world—snow-capped volca- noes, rolling hills, an intricate maze of saltwater coves and passages, sleepy fishing villages, gleaming steel cities, and—over it all—a dark-green carpet of giant firs and cedars—unveils itself before our eyes. This, too, is home. Here I am content. Here, with my adventurous wife by my side and with a good old airplane in which to explore our fascinating world, my wandering heart is full.

This column first appeared in the June 2023/Issue 938 print edition of FLYING.

The post A Flightless Bird Returns to the Skies appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

To date, 19 homes have been constructed, with the first being built in 1997. Gordon Doherty was the community’s second resident. 

“An important consideration for me was Yoder Airpark’s connection to major highways and paved roads,” Doherty said. “It is a 15- to 30-minute drive to the amenities of a big city (restaurants, sports, and arts). Another consideration was the quality of the local schools. I wanted an airpark that had [a] good, old grassroots flying atmosphere.”

Largely, it is identical to the airpark of yesteryear. Its central feature, the 4,200-foot-long grass airstrip, has withstood the test of time.

“We have talked about paving the runway over the years,” Doherty said. “If you have a thunderstorm, you have to wait for it to dry out, which is usually four hours for less than an inch of rain. A paved strip is expensive to build and maintain for a private airport. Pretty much everyone has decided that ‘You know what? We like it just the way it is,’” 

In 2021, Don Yoder “flew west” at age 87. As a result of his death, the 135 acres to the south of the airport was held by his estate. Just like any other airport property in transition, there was uncertainty. 

Of highest concern was who would pick up the land and what would they do with it? As a point of reference, the population of the Wichita metro area has in recent years begun a brisk march westward, leaving much of the nearby land in the sights of developers.  

Zack Steffen and Aaron Young, both pilots and lifelong residents of the area, explained that a primary desiret of theirs was that the land be used for aviation purposes. So, the two former collegiate track teammates decided to run together with the grand airpark vision laid out before them.  

“The dream and the vision started on the north section of the airport,” said Steffen, a resident since 2017. “Then in 2001, Don purchased some land on the south side. At that time, he put the tunnel in under the runway, where the [Pawnee Prairie Park] Trail goes through. It’s a part of the Rails-to-Trails program, where they pulled up the railroad tracks and put gravel in. Now, it’s a nice running and biking path that goes all the way from Garden Plain into Wichita—just over 15 miles.” 

Both Steffen and Young’s goal is to bring more pilots into the fold at Yoder Airpark. In support of that, they subdivided the large property they purchased from Yoder’s estate. After working with the local jurisdiction, they settled on forming 14 lots, which average about 5 acres each. The first lots from this parcel were offered at the beginning of this year. 

“We purchased the property from Don’s estate and worked with his family to make the airpark dream a reality,” Young said. “We gave them our word that we would maintain his vision, so every single one of our lots has runway access. A part of our future work is actually extending the runway, so each has taxiway access to the runway. The south 1,800 feet of the runway has pilot-controlled lighting, so we have night operations, which is pretty unique for a grass strip. Once the runway is extended to 5,000 feet, nearly a mile long, that will be closer to 2,600 feet of lighted area.”

The duo said they had already sold half of the lots before officially unveiling the development to the public. 

“People so far have learned about us through word of mouth, basically, to date,” Young said. “People have bought lots then have told their friends about the airport. But we have pushed out some Facebook posts in some aviation groups, a few local and grass-flying oriented ones. Even though anyone can buy a lot here, we would love for there to be more pilots, people flying, and aviation activities. It’s always exciting when you see a neighbor taking off, even if it’s not you. It’s nice to have planes flying here.”

There is a diverse background of both aviators and aircraft at the airpark.

“I think the breadth of aviation enthusiasts we have at the airpark is amazing,” Steffen said, “going from the power paragliding enthusiasm to a neighbor that performs in air shows to private pilots like Aaron and myself to professional aviators. You have people here that range from tens of hours of flight time to tens of thousands of hours. To be able to talk to each other is great, and the community is really good about giving advice.” 

Yoder is one of roughly half a dozen airparks within a 20 nm radius of one another. And a key selling feature for the community is its proximity to the region’s largest public-use airport, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (KICT).

Like many other fly-in communities, an open hangar door is an invitation to stop by and chat. Yoder Airpark is no different, with residents taking great care to routinely check up on neighbors. The comingling includes these informal pop-in visits, as well as planned events, mixers, and fly-outs.

“We have hangar dinners here all the time, where somebody will volunteer to host at their house,” Steffen said. “There is also a social committee that plans different events and get-togethers for people in the HOA. One of the fun things we are planning is a progressive dinner, where each house has a different appetizer, drink, main course, or dessert. A couple of households will go together for that, which will be a lot of fun.”

This year, the group is planning to host several fly-ins, including the community’s largest annual celebration.

“We have the Fourth of July fly-in that happens each year, which has always been a tradition,” he said. “It is always the same day as the Garden Plain parade, so we have a pancake feed with a couple hundred people attending. We’ve had up to 40 planes come to that, and we do a flyover during the parade right as the national anthem plays. This event gets bigger every year, and we all look forward to it around here.”

The post The Second Life of Yoder Airpark appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Biritz, who is a 5,000-plus- hour pilot (he said he stopped counting “a long time ago”), said he sold the Florida airstrip in the early 2000s. He has since focused his attention on Silver Lake Airport (MI71) in Mears, Michigan. 

“When I was a young guy, I said that I always wanted to be in Florida during the wintertime and up here in Michigan during the summertime. Then, of course, time went on, and the prices went crazy in Florida, and I punched out of there in 2006,” Biritz said. “We moved here the following year. The airport was already here, and the runway was built. Then we started developing and selling off lots after we built a house.”

Biritz spent the entirety of his multi-decade career in aviation while flying various general aviation aircraft—for business and pleasure. As a result, he understands how the industry has changed in recent years. 

“I came to the conclusion that the aviation industry has changed quite a bit,” he said. “When I started both airstrips and got my DOT/FAA approval for both of them in 1990, there were a lot more aircraft and a lot more people flying. But there were not as many fly-in communities as there are now. A lot of them cropped up out of nowhere, even though there are less people flying.” 

Now, 34 years after he established the private grass strip, Biritz is working to improve it. He anticipates that this investment will lead others to focus their efforts on the airport. This work includes a runway extension, as well as the addition of more homesites.

“After we moved to Silver Lake Airport in 2007, we added two additional pieces of property to either side of the runway, which gave us a mile [to work with]. We are in the process of extending the 2,660-foot-long turf runway to one mile. I still have 40 acres to the east that is undeveloped, where I’ve been pulling topsoil from. We have what is called sandy loam soil here. So we have to grow topsoil to fill in the 15-foot rise in elevation from east to west, a large hole, and a 400-foot deep ravine. When it’s all said and done, I think that I am going to have one of the only privately owned airstrips that will be a mile long, which will be nice,” he said. 

Five hangar homes are currently under construction at the airport, with several other lots presently available. 

The airport, which is one hour due east of Oshkosh, Wisconsin by airplane via a straight flight over Lake Michigan, has an abundance of outdoor activities, both in the summer and the winter, Biritz added.

“Silver Lake Airport is centrally located on Michigan’s west coast and is a short flight from Chicago, Indianapolis, and Mackinac Island. Many activities are within minutes of the airport. The nearby area offers art festivals, concerts, petting zoos, and farm fresh markets with fresh fruit and vegetables, to name a few. There are also many bakeries, wineries, restaurants, charter boats, and fantastic salmon fishing. The area also offers more than 70 miles of paved bicycle paths. Additionally, the world-famous Silver Lake and Silver Lake Sand Dunes allow you to drive on the dunes and on the beach,” he said. 

Part-Time Opportunities

Regardless of the airport’s appeal to various aviation enthusiasts, Biritz understands that not everyone will be able to plant roots at Silver Lake Airport on a full- or part-time basis. So, he has added seasonal RV sites to the nearly 200-acre airport property. 

“And now what I also see transitioning is that I think that there is quite the opportunity for seasonal, temporary rentals at airports. I opened up three campsites recently and can put more here,” Biritz said. 

“Silver Lake Airport is the only private airport within 60 miles. I have already started the campground with two sites which are currently spoken for. I will be putting in 10 more this fall and eventually a total of 40. Each site will have two-and-a-half wooded acres for privacy. Next year I will have several dedicated for Airbnb. I will also be offering two yachts—one 36-foot Albin trawler and a 48-foot Viking motor yacht for residents to charter and or guests to use as a short-term rental,” he said.

The post Silver Lake Airport Aims to Go the Extra Mile appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Many young pilots get their private and commercial licenses without ever having flown off of unpaved runways or short ones, or ones that are just short for the density altitude, or ones with obstacles or mountains around,” Weigel said. “Instead, student instructors simulate these conditions on long, paved runways, going through the motions without ever experiencing the effects of real-world conditions.”  

• Soft and Short Field Operations: Relevant to Professional Pilots?

This week, Weigel flies to three grass strips to review the important short- and soft-field techniques a pilot can hone while visiting them.

The post Grass Strip Landings with a Pro appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

I expect this out of military aviators, at least those outside the C-130 and C-17 communities, but many saying this come from a civilian background. In many cases, these FOs note the schools they learned to fly at—and instructed at—prohibited off-pavement operations altogether, for both training and renting, as well as operations at runways less than 3,000 feet in length—and sometimes above a certain elevation. Now that I think about it, the last several FBOs from which I rented aircraft had those same restrictions.

• READ MORE: Anatomy of a Bomb Cyclone

I’m guessing this is all insurance-driven. You can most certainly operate a Cessna 172 safely off of a 2,000-foot grass strip, if you pay close attention to weight, field condition, and density altitude, and use good technique. But the accident statistics suggest not everyone does those things, and so the insurance companies charge more to cover those activities, at least among students and renters. At a time when insurance costs are already quite onerous, most schools forgo the extra expense.

Of course, both the private and commercial airman certification standards (ACS) still include soft-field takeoff and climb, soft-field approach and landing, short-field takeoff and maximum performance climb, and short-field approach and landing as required tasks. In the absence of actual soft and/or short fields, both the training and the checking is simulated—going through the appropriate motions on long, paved runways. Sounds about as exciting as kissing your sister.

I’m going to tell you two stories from my early career that demonstrate the difference between simulated training and real-world experience. The first occurred during the summer between my junior and senior year of high school, when I was a brand-new private pilot. I was working at a lumberyard with several friends my own age. We generally spent slow periods dreaming up ways to get in trouble. One Saturday, we hatched a plan to fly a Cessna 172 to Grand Casino Hinckley in Minnesota after work for dinner and some illicit underage gambling. Back then, the casino had a private strip, and we reasoned that nobody would check the IDs of patrons who flew in. We were right.

However, this involved putting four people into a Cessna 172. We were all pretty skinny back then, and I called the flight school and told them to leave the airplane at partial fuel since we’d be right at maximum gross weight. Mind you, I had never flown a 172 at max gross weight. I was also picking up the guys at a 2,500-foot grass strip with trees surrounding it. Plus, it had rained the previous evening. You can see where this is going.

• READ MORE: The Risks of Owning an Aircraft While Training

I did all the soft-field things I had been taught, at least until liftoff, and was feeling pretty good about myself when the 172’s haunting reed-vane stall warning went “woo” and woke me out of my stupor. I put the nose down and didn’t like what I saw one bit. We had drifted well to the left of the strip (hello, P-factor!), and some very big pine trees were flashing by mere feet from my left wingtip. The only smart thing I did that day was not panic and very gingerly nursed the airplane back to centerline while holding it in ground effect, even as the trees on the far end loomed. We cleared them by 20 feet or so, and we were halfway to pattern altitude before the near consequences of my stupidity broke through the adrenalin and I started shaking uncontrollably. My passengers were blissfully oblivious. I had nightmares about those trees off my wingtip for years, and even today the thought of them puts me into a cold sweat.

My second story takes place a few years later, as a brand-spanking-new 20-year old CFI in Southern California. I had an aircraft checkout scheduled with Mathias, a German renter who was planning to head out on a long cross country. Our checkouts included a mandatory stop at Big Bear Airport (KRBF), elevation 6,752 feet msl. Mind you, prior to my own checkout several weeks earlier, I had never been to an airport at more than 2,000 feet msl. That instructor had mentioned “only come up here with an [Piper] Archer (180 hp); don’t take a Warrior (160 hp)”—but the front desk had dispatched Mathias a Warrior instead of the Archer he reserved. I didn’t want to delay Mathias’ cross-country flight. It was a relatively cool day. Looking at the takeoff and climb charts, it looked like we should have the required performance…it just required a little interpolating off the right side of the chart.

Runway 26 at Big Bear is 5,850 feet long, and off the end is a small lagoon and then a causeway with power lines, and then Big Bear Lake. Well, we lifted off after maybe 3,000 feet—but by the time I realized the airplane wouldn’t climb out of ground effect, there was no runway left. I figured we’d have to fly under the power lines, but by getting down to a couple feet over the lagoon we were able to build enough speed to mush up and over them. Then we got back down into ground effect and flew the length of the lake that way, finally clearing the dam and diving down the canyon to San Bernardino. I later found out this particular Warrior had nearly 6,000 hours on the engine since its last overhaul and was probably making no more than 130 hp on a good day at sea level. Once again, young and dumb.

• READ MORE: How to See the World for Free and Occasionally Sleep in Airports

I’m aware that both of these stories could easily be construed as evidence in favor of a soft/short/high airport ban, perhaps even deletion of those specialized skills from the ACS. After all, why does someone headed for a career in the flight levels need to know how to land on anything other than pavement? With gobs of power and balanced-field calculations on every flight, there’s not really any such thing as a truly short field in most jets, operating into most of the airports on their regular dance card. To this I have two answers: First, my own post-9/11 career demonstrates that in this unstable industry, and your own path to the flight levels may take a few detours you didn’t anticipate. Secondly and more importantly, it is exactly because airline flying is so middle-of-the-envelope that one should use their time in light aircraft to gain skills and experiences further out in the margins.

Let’s not dismiss the importance of the fun factor. In the rush to get trained and up to 1,500 hours before the pilot shortage music stops, a lot of nascent professional pilots have burned out on flying. That’s really sad. I’m convinced that keeping the fun and adventure in training and time building is the best way to build a foundation for an enjoyable aviation career. And a lot of the neatest places to fly happen to be soft and/or short strips, sometimes in mountainous locales.

For my next video episode of V1 Rotate (July 21), I’m going to take you to three such airports in the Cascades range. I’ll show you some of the real-world techniques that will keep you safe when you venture off pavement, and we’ll have some fun exploring a really beautiful area of the country.

The post Soft and Short Field Operations: Relevant to Professional Pilots? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The couple’s development plans to turn the private airport into a residential fly-in community are unique for several reasons, starting with the fact it will be only the second of its kind in Utah, according to Pringle.

“We’ve had several people ask whether [fly-in communities] are common,” Alina Pringle said. “We tell them that it’s common across the United States, but in Utah there is only one other active airpark, and that’s down in the southern part of the state. So, in Utah we are basically going to be No. 2. It’s exciting! We are an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City, have a lot of ATV/UTV [all-terrain vehicle/utility terrain vehicle] trails right in our backyard and are about an hour away from the ski resorts.” 

The airport itself has been around for some time. Mark Pringle first broke ground at the facility in 2002. At first, there were six hangars and a gravel runway. Since then, 12 additional hangars have been built, along with a paved runway.

Not only will the airpark’s next phase include the residential component, but significant investment is also going into the aviation community’s central feature. 

“Our runway is currently pretty short—it’s 2,600-foot long,” said Alina. “Smaller aircraft and light sport aircraft that Mark has built for years [as the owner of Rocky Mountain Kitplanes], and some larger aircraft are open to come in as well. But it does limit it a bit. We have the plans done to lengthen and widen the runway, and it will be a 5,200-foot-long runway that’s about 60 feet wide.” 

For those who love to land on grass, like so many of the West Desert Aviators club do, the airpark will cater to that as well. They are working to have the only grass runway in the state, Alina noted. Additionally, West Desert is only an hour from backcountry flying, and the aviation ecosystem in Utah is quite conducive to that type of flying. 

“Here, you’re about an hour away from the remote strips,” she said. “Utah is a great supporter of backcountry flying. So, we have a flight school that is located here on the field already, West Desert Flight, that teaches primary training, as well taildragger endorsements and backcountry training.” 

When Mark Pringle asked the owner of West Desert Flight about some of the close Utah airstrips that he recommends, he jokingly responded, “Those are secrets you have to come and take my course [to learn].” But he followed up by noting that several of the best places to fly to in the area include Cedar Mountain, Mexican Mountain, Ibex, Mineral Canyon, and Happy Canyon.

With thoughts returning to West Desert Airpark, Alina outlined her and Mark’s current plans for the airport’s future, as well as the on-field residential subdivision. 

“We’ve worked hand in hand with Fairfield Town to show that we want the same thing as them,” she said. “And about three years ago we hit pay dirt, then went door-to-door to make sure everyone was on board with an airpark. We have had the land for the runway and the residential development, but it was just last June that the town approved the new rezone that allows for residential development here.

“We have about 30 acres, which we will develop into residential. We are looking at having 26 lots with a clubhouse. So far, we are still forming our [homeowners association] rules. But basically we don’t want there to be too many rules—just enough to keep everybody friends. We will have a certain required size for the home, but it won’t be huge. 

“We also currently have 28 hangar buildings here at the airport and are adding on rental hangars, as well as owned hangars now. We are full with a wait list, and so are all of the other airports in Utah. In fact, one of the closest airports to us is on a three- to seven-year wait list, depending on the airplane that you have.” 

With a longer runway, Alina anticipates there being an even larger group of potential residents from which to draw. 

“We anticipate there being a wide range of owners here at West Desert Airpark, which is what we prefer,” she said. “Our biggest focus is going to be, ‘Do you love aviation?’ Whether that’s flying a Mooney, an aerobatic aircraft, or whether it’s a STOL Rans or a Cub. I want the questions and conversations to be about where you went, what you flew, and how fun it is.” 

The hope is for the development’s clubhouse to be a natural place for neighbors to talk with one another, enjoying some hangar flying and good fun. 

“Our plans currently include a clubhouse,” Alina said. “There is no water out here. It’s the desert and it’s West Desert Airpark, right? And there are no recreation centers around. So, the idea is to have a gathering area at the approach end of the runway with a patio where you can watch the planes land. There will be a little pool. Itt won’t be huge but somewhere where we have a water feature. Having a pool, possibly a hot tub, and a patio at the clubhouse is what we are thinking.” 

In closing, she pointed out there’s a question frequently asked by aviators: How soon can I move in?

“If everything goes according to plan, the new runway will be functional by summer of 2024,” Alina said. “And that’s about the same time that we are looking at residential construction, about a year out, although we will start selling subdivided lots sooner. The smallest that we have subdivided so far is a little over three quarters of an acre, and the rest are a little over an acre.”

The post Remote Desert Airfield Turns Its Focus to Residential Living appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“I used to fly a little experimental [airplane] out of here,” Rodriguez-Botet said. “All I would do was cut the hay field whenever I wanted to fly, which was not very often because I was flying air ambulances. Come back about six years ago, I finally retired from civilian work, and I decided that I would make this into a real runway. So, I started working on it, removing some tree stumps and building a 1,500-foot-long runway and got it registered with the FAA, got the FCC Unicom frequency license and all of that legal stuff up to speed.”

When he realized he wasn’t getting visitors because he made the runway too short, his work also included improving and extending the sole turf runway, which is now 2,480 feet long. Rodriguez-Botet even added hangars to the property. All that the airport was missing was a name. 

“My granddaughter, Selenne, is from Puerto Rico and knew Spanish, so I was teaching her English,” he said. “She was 5 or so years old, so our game was that when we were driving around and would see an animal, she would say what it was. If we saw a cat, she would say, ‘gato, cat, meow.’ So, Spanish, English, then the sound. So, a cow was ‘vaca, cow, moo.’

“One morning, we were outside looking at the cows on my field, and I asked her what they were. Instead of saying ‘vaca, cow, moo,’ she started dancing the twist and saying ‘vaca, moo,’ ‘vaca, moo!’ Then I said, ‘That’s the name for the airport!’ So that’s where Vaca Moo came from.” 

He has done all of this, and other work, at the airport alone. Taking care of the runway, which he aims to redo every three or four years, has been a great point of pride for Rodriguez-Botet. 

“I flew to many grass runway airports and noticed that one of the biggest safety issues and headaches for pilots trying to leave were planes trying to back-taxi while others wanted to take off on the same 80-foot-wide runway,” he said. “You either had to wait for a long time or had to get in the middle of a plane taking off and pray they didn’t rip off part of your wing as they went by. I also asked a few of the pilots what they would do to make that runway better, and they laughed and said a taxiway. So, I solved that here with the taxiway.”

According to Rodriguez-Botet, the airport’s grass runway is flat, smooth, has clear approaches on both ends, and features an adjacent 2,500-foot-by-50-foot grass taxiway.

He takes his job as an airport owner seriously. And as a natural host, he has welcomed people at Vaca Moo from all over the country. 

“When I was building out the airport, I knew that I was going to be retiring from the Air Force Reserve soon and wouldn’t have anything to do,” he said. “And what do pilots like to do? They like to be around other pilots. So, I said that I am going to make this really, really nice so people come and visit, camp, and all of that stuff.

“I’ve had people come from Georgia, Florida, Mexico, and other places. I’ll take them and drive them to [Ben Wheeler], which is about a mile away, to have lunch, or we will start the barbeque. Other people have had to stay here because of bad weather. They are flying by and land. I’ll stick them in one of my hangars, and I don’t charge anything for anything. Everything is free here at this airport. They may leave their airplane in the hangar for a week, and I’ll drive them home, then they come back whenever they can to pick up their plane.”

Sometimes forecasted inclement weather also draws visitors to Vaca Moo Airport (TA37), located about an hour southeast of downtown Dallas. 

“Every year during hurricane season, I like to invite people to bring their planes here,” Rodriguez-Botet said. “It’s far away from the coast, so we don’t have the strong winds from the hurricane—even though we do get some of the rain. We will accommodate them in the hangars, and once those are full, tie down the rest. Again, it’s all free and that’s my thing.”

In addition to the short-term visitors that have stayed at Vaca Moo over the years, several people presently live at the airport. There are six rental units, all of which are 1,552 square feet, with two bathrooms and two bedrooms. These abodes could serve as a basis for Rodriguez-Botet’s visions for how the property may evolve in the coming years, now that he finally retired from the Air Force Reserve after 38 years of service. 

Regardless of how the airport evolves, he intends for it to keep the same intimate vibe that it has now. 

“I would love to sell lots here, but I don’t want to do it like at other airparks,” he said. “I have 65 acres here and could take 25 acres of 5-acre lots, or something like that. Or if I could sell half of the airport to someone else, that would be a big help because it’s a lot of work for just one person. It’s just me and I do everything. I’ve got a few people that come and help every few months for a few hours, though. But I would be happy to sell half of the airport to someone to get more active hands here. That’s what I see in the next few years, selling half of it or maybe selling to three or four people. Keeping it small, so it’s controllable, and everybody has the same mindset. It’s my dream.” 

While owning and operating the airport is a passion for the airline transport rated pilot with thousands of hours, he also enjoys sharing aviation with others above all. 

“This sounds weird from a pilot with four decades experience,” Rodriguez-Botet said. “I like to fly, but I love to teach. Right now, I am finally getting my dream of having a full-motion flight simulator. That way, people who are wanting to learn, we can do their first flight in it if the weather is bad, if not in the plane. It will lower my costs of showing aviation to more people.”

Pilots can keep up to date with Vaca Moo Airport by following its Facebook page.

The post Vaca Moo Airport: A Little Facility with Texas-Sized Heart appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Exploring the Kodiak’s key elements reveals what it would be like for you to sit in the left seat for this original take on the backcountry star—as part of FLYING’s We Fly series.

As instructors, we’ve all held the certificates for a long time, with me obtaining mine 30 years ago this week, in April 1993, Luy in 1994, and Chabbert about 25 years ago. We agreed that even though Chabbert and I no longer delivered instruction on a daily basis, we both still fully enjoyed the rewards of being able to continue teaching when the opportunity presented itself. To let go of our precious CFI cards would be too much to take, no matter the work we must go through to renew inside our jam-packed schedules. 

Want to fly along? 

The post We Fly: Kodiak 100 in Training appeared first on FLYING Magazine.