They represent some of our most precious resources in aviation, and a collection of more than 11,000 volunteers coordinated by the RAF have helped maintain them and promote them to the flying community.

Join FLYING’s editor-in-chief Julie Boatman as she flies in with a work crew in a Daher Kodiak 100 to experience the camaraderie and satisfaction that participating in such an important effort can bring.

Look for the full story in our feature in the latest issue of FLYING, Issue 944 for December 2023/January 2024. Subscribers will receive it in their mailbox or inbox soon.

The post We Fly: The RAF at 20 Years Into Moose Creek appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

My frustrated instructor directed me to a nearby grass strip. “This might help,” he said, noting that “grass is more forgiving.” He was right. Despite a slight crosswind, my first turf landing was straight and smooth. The natural surface seemed to embrace the airplane’s wheels rather than repel them like asphalt did.

• FAA Acknowledges Some Pilots Prefer Operating ‘On the Grass’

Grass strips have also worked wonders over the years for nervous passengers, including my wife, whose attitude toward flying took a positive turn after our first visit to a turf field in upstate New York. While some of the effect might be psychological, there is no doubt that grass runways have an appealing feel that makes them attractive destinations. Below are a few inviting grass fields that are ideal for backcountry beginners.  

Lee Bottom Airport (64I)

Hanover, Indiana

Few grass runways are more inviting than this field on the Ohio River, roughly halfway between Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. For starters, the strip is just over 4,000 feet long and 100 feet wide, so pilots who are new to grass should feel comfortable there. The airport is also an example of what many pilots would like to see more often—an unpaved airport that has grown steadily and is open to the public. It hasn’t been easy, though. The airport was a gritty aircraft salvage yard and later the site of a lumber business before becoming a general aviation hub. A vintage video tells the story.

Smiley Creek Airport (U87)

Smiley Creek, Idaho

The generous size of this strip, 4,900 feet long and 150 feet wide, does not make it an easy destination. After all, the airport is nestled in mountains at an elevation of about 7,900 feet msl, so you should be up to date on mountain-flying skills and have a strong sense for how your aircraft will perform at high elevations and higher density altitude levels. Still, as mountain runways go, this one is not especially daunting, and the scenery seems well worth the extra flight-planning effort. The Idaho Division of Aeronautics publishes a guide to help pilots prepare for the trip.

Shelburne Airport (VT8)

Shelburne, Vermont

You could make a case for Shelburne as an ideal place for a student to learn to fly because it has the feel of a sleepy, old-fashioned country airport. However, it is just a few nautical miles from Burlington Airport (KBTV) and is tucked under the 1,500-foot floor of the big field’s Class C airspace. That gives learners plenty of opportunities to hone their radio skills by talking with ATC. For travelers to the Burlington area, Shelburne is a great alternative to the airlines.

Sunbury Airport (71N)

Sunbury, Pennsylvania

On approach to Sunbury, you might wonder why there is a public airstrip on an island in the middle of the Susquehanna River. The answer: Because the mail must go through. According to the Northumberland County Historical Society, the U.S. Department of Commerce established an emergency landing field there in 1920 after poor visibility repeatedly forced airmail pilots to land on a farmer’s field on the island. The field’s 250-foot width makes it especially attractive today, but pilots should beware of groundhog holes on the runway’s southeast edge.

Columbia Airport (O22)

Columbia, California

Pilots who are new to landing on grass and might be a bit tentative about trying this airport’s 2,607-foot turf strip can opt for the 4,673-foot asphalt runway. Columbia is known for its fly-in camping facilities that lead to many aviation groups organizing events there. Visiting pilots can pitch tents at one of 20 campsites that include picnic tables and barbecues. You are also free to camp under your airplane’s wing. Airport officials say the $10-per-night camping fee includes the overnight aircraft tiedown charge.

The post Keep On the Grass: Five Turf Runways for Aspiring Backcountry Pilots appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

While long, wide runways can be a welcoming sight, short fields truly draw us in. Pilots love a challenge, and a turf strip roughly half the length of your home airport’s runway and carved out of a forest on a hillside can be an irresistible invitation.

Short runways can also give us pause. After years of flying off smoothly paved strips that are at least 4,000 feet long and 75 feet wide, a 1,500-foot gravel path that seems barely wider than your driveway might be too terrifying to consider. Still, we know that out-of-the-way airports with minimal runways often are gateways to memorable places and one-of-a-kind experiences. Pilots who want to get the most out of flying naturally include such destinations in their travel plans.

One good approach is to practice short-field technique often. Consider doing so with an instructor if you are especially rusty. I regularly fly into an airport with a 2,000-foot runway, which on many days can be enough of a challenge. But if I can make the turnoff at the halfway point without drama, I begin to feel my inner bush pilot emerging.

No matter how short your last landing was, though, there always seems to be another runway that is shorter still. So keep practicing and, to paraphrase Clint Eastwood in “Magnum Force,”’ know your limitations.

Below are some of the shortest runways listed in airport directories. We focused on airports that are open to the public, but included a couple of private-use strips that seem impossibly short.

Simko Field (1ID9)

Serving: Inkom, Idaho
Elevation AMSL: 5,640 feet
Shortest Runway: 1/19
Dimensions: 400 x 20 feet
Surface: Turf
Fun facts: This may be cheating, but when you search for “short runways in the U.S.,” this one typically tops the list. And while 400 feet might sound more like a patch than a runway, owner Tom Simko says he routinely flies his Rans S-7 light sport aircraft from here, often on skis. A significant slope means you take off downhill and land uphill.

Ousel Falls Airport (MT94)

Serving: Big Sky, Montana
Elevation AMSL: 6,600 feet
Shortest Runway: 5/23
Dimensions: 900 x 60 feet
Surface: Turf
Fun facts: This strip might look more like your neighbor’s backyard than your home airport. But it is close to Big Sky attractions including Lone Peak, resorts and the Ousel Falls Trail. If 900 feet is just too short, you could try Ennis-Big Sky Airport, which is 13 nm away and has a 7,600-foot runway.

Hinshaw Airport (N61)

Serving: Liberty, North Carolina
Elevation AMSL: 750 feet
Shortest Runway: 3/21
Dimensions: 1,400 x 100 feet
Surface: Turf
Fun facts: It seems like a rule of thumb that public airports have runways that are at least 1,500 feet long, but Hinshaw is an exception. The airport is three miles from the center of Liberty, which is known for the Liberty Antiques Festival, held April 29-30 and September 23-24.

Wilson Bar USFS Airstrip (C48)

Serving: Warren, Idaho
Elevation AMSL: 2,275 feet
Shortest Runway: 6/24
Dimensions: 1,500 x 50 feet
Surface: Turf/dirt
Fun facts: This U.S. Forest Service airport is located in the Nez Perce National Forest, which covers about 4 million acres. Designated wilderness areas within the park include the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Hells Canyon Wilderness, Gospel Hump Wilderness and Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The forest also includes the Penman Deposit, a former gold-mining hub.

Soldier Bar USFS Airport (85U)

Serving: Soldier Bar, Idaho
Elevation AMSL: 4,190 feet
Shortest Runway: 7/25
Dimensions: 1,650 x 15 feet
Surface: Dirt
Fun facts: According to Forest Service documents, the airport got its name from Private Harry Eagan, a soldier who was buried in the site after dying from wounds sustained in an 1879 battle with indigenous Shoshone fighters. Work on the airport began in 1932 and Bob Johnson of Johnson Flying Service was first to land there, flying a Travel Air. 

Camano Island Airfield (13W)

Serving: Stanwood, Washington
Elevation AMSL: 145 feet
Shortest Runway: 16/34
Dimensions: 1,750 x 24 feet
Surface: Asphalt
Fun facts: This field is home to P.Ponk Aviation, which is well known for engine conversions, landing gear modifications and other STC work on Cessnas, particularly 180s and 185s. Speaking of modifications, the company name is a twist on the founding family’s name, Knopp, spelled backward. 

Converse Airport (1I8)

Serving: Converse, Indiana
Elevation AMSL: 840 feet
Shortest Runway: 7/25
Dimensions: 1,800 x 40
Surface: Asphalt
Fun facts: Founded during World War II as a satellite airport for the former Bunker Hill naval Air Station, the field exhibits the octagonal shape that was ideal for airports at the time, allowing tor takeoffs and landings into the wind regardless of direction. 

Inter County Airport (31D)

Serving: McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Elevation AMSL: 1,250 feet
Shortest Runway: East/West
Dimensions: 1,800 x 120 feet
Surface: Turf
Fun facts: Just 22 nautical miles from Pittsburgh International Airport, this field is also clear of Pittsburgh’s class B airspace. Pilots landing there can visit McKeesport, named for David McKee, a Scottish settler who moved to the area in 1755.

Clearview Airpark (2W2)

Serving: Westminster, Maryland
Elevation AMSL: 798.6 feet
Shortest Runway: 14/32
Dimensions: 1,840 x 30 feet
Surface: Asphalt
Fun facts: There is an active flying club based at this airport with more than 60 and three aircraft. The group includes flight instructors for various levels of training including private pilot certificates and instrument ratings. Monthly club activities include cookouts, safety and educational seminars and movie nights.

Pacific City State Airport (KPFC)

Serving: Pacific City, Oregon
Elevation AMSL: 10 feet
Shortest Runway: 14/32
Dimensions: 1,860 x 30 feet
Surface: Asphalt
Fun facts: This may be the longest runway in this group, but experience tells us many pilots begin to feel queasy on anything shorter than 2,000 feet. We’ll still call it a short strip. Practicing ahead of time to hone your technique is worth the effort as beaches are walking distance from the airport.

The post America’s Shortest Runways appeared first on FLYING Magazine.