The company was founded 1980 by the late Jim Richmond who, after noticing how the Piper Super Cub was used for backcountry operations while on a trip in Alaska, modified and refined the design for better safety and performance.

Richmond was an accomplished pilot and engineer, and was dedicated to making machines that enabled pilots to reach unimproved areas for recreation. He died in November 2021 at the age of 67.

• READ MORE: CubCrafters Founder Jim Richmond Dies

A newly formed nonprofit organization aims to honor the legacy of the founder of CubCrafters aircraft by expanding access to backcountry flying.

Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation

“The new [Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation (JRBAF)] is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to expanding public backcountry aviation access as a legacy project in honor of Jim Richmond, the late founder of CubCrafters,” said Brad Damm, vice president of CubCrafters.

The new foundation is completely separate from CubCrafters, said Damm, who serves as its volunteer executive director.

• READ MORE: Latest CubCrafters Design Looks Back and Ahead

According to Damm, the creation of the new charitable organization has been in the works for several years.

“We’ve organized a solid nonprofit corporate structure, established a great board of directors, and applied for and received tax-exempt status from the IRS,” he said.

The membership fee for the foundation is $100 a year, which, according to Damm, covers the federal tax on the grand prize aircraft in its annual fundraising raffle.

“So the winner doesn’t have to pay tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket just to accept the prize,” he said. “The grand prize aircraft itself is pretty special. It is a Carbon Cub S/N 001—an aircraft with a direct connection to Jim Richmond himself.” 

According to Damm, the foundation has been designed to complement the work that similar groups, such as the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), Alaska Airmen, and Idaho Aviation Association do to support the backcountry pilot community.

“We are constantly blown away by the advocacy they accomplish, the volunteer hours they put in, and the overall scope of what those organizations do year in and year out,” he said. “[Our new foundation’s focus is on] expanding public aviation access to the backcountry by opening more high-quality destination locations for people to fly to, experience, and enjoy.”

Part of that is the foundation’s purchase of the historic 45 Ranch in Idaho and opening it to the public.

“The airstrip is on deeded land owned by the Jim Richmond Backcountry Aviation Foundation,” Damm said. “The new strip has always previously been closed to the public, but we’ve now changed that now and the public is welcome. Anyone is welcome to land and explore or enjoy the property. If you want to use the camp or rent one of the cabins, membership is required.”

Information about JRBAF membership may be found here.

The post New Organization Aims to Expand Backcountry Aviation Access appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“When the pandemic first hit, my company allowed me to work from home. My wife and I decided we wanted to live where eventually we would hope to retire, in Anacortes, just north of Seattle. We wanted to buy a home on an airpark, and I realized that a lot of that goal was impractical from a standpoint of the places that had airparks—either they were too expensive, inaccessible, or other challenges like that. We really couldn’t find something that would work for us where we wanted to live. But we eventually found a place not too far from an airport, here in this part of Washington,” Fay explained. 

“When my wife was first looking for places, she saw this community that had an Anacortes address on it. ‘I found an airpark home in Anacortes,’ she told me, but I knew that that didn’t exist. My guess was that it was actually in one of the San Juan Islands, which turned out to be the case. Out of curiosity, we flew out to take a look at the place that was for sale. While we didn’t buy it, it intrigued me that there was this island community that was basically enabled by the airpark.”

One potential limitation of the community for many operators, Fay noted, is its turf runway’s length. 

“I have an experimental Zenith 750 that’s setup for backcountry flying. My family and I built it, starting in 2017, and its first flight was in July of 2019. Center Island Airport (78WA) is a private airstrip with a grass field that’s 1,600 feet long. So, it’s pretty tight for typical GA airplanes, but for a plane that can take off and land in 150 feet, nominally, it’s plenty of room for my aircraft.”

A number of aviators have flocked to the island community with a population of less than one hundred. 

“Probably more than half of the people that live here are either pilots, aviation enthusiasts, or past pilots. As a result, we have a lot of people that fly into the island, and it is very active. Whenever I’m there (on a part-time basis), I will see planes flying in and out and it really just opens up an opportunity for the community that’s not available otherwise, with other modes of transport.”

Fay advised that flying into and out of the island community is the most efficient, and as an extension, cost-effective option for residents and visitors alike. 

“If you owned your airplane, especially an experimental like mine that’s relatively inexpensive to fly, getting up to the island from Anacortes costs maybe $10 round-trip. It’s a super short flight and then you’re there. A water taxi is almost $100 per person, round trip, after you account for tip and everything. If you have your own boat, it’s maybe $30 or $40 in fuel. But at any rate, we played around with the idea of moving there for a while and eventually found a cabin with a great water view and everything like that. We initially got it as a summer vacation home, so my wife and I could fly up there and spend some time.” 

The topography and resulting weather patterns surrounding the fly-in, boat-in community are unique, as well.

“We have weather in the San Juans, where you can be completely fogged in at the inland airports and then have no fog and bright sunlight at Friday Harbor, for instance. While at the same time, some of the islands will have fog around them and others won’t. The weather is variable and changes quickly—and is so local.” 

As a result, the community’s HOA (homeowners association) and pilots that fly there wanted a way to better anticipate the sporadic, dense fog that often plagues the area.

“We wanted to be able to know before we go and all of the state airports, we would probably leave for on the mainland side, have cameras onfield. Every 15 minutes or so, you get a new image from those cameras. When flying in the area, you are sure to check out those cameras, ForeFlight, and some of the other weather. But knowing what’s actually going on at the airport is the best way to tell whether you should make the trip or not,” Fay explained. 

“We knew that we wanted to include a weather station with cameras here at the airfield. The homeowners association board was ready to spend somewhere around $3,500 for a service that would just have one camera on the dock, without a weather station or anything like that. I realized that online, you can get a good HD camera for only like $40. Given that I’m in IT and do computer programming, I knew that you could get a Raspberry Pi Pico for about $6. With a little bit of Python code, you can download an image from the camera and immediately upload it to your website. It’s really not that complicated.” 

After some light coding and software work, Fay was able to match the quoted service at a fraction of the cost. The implemented visual weather station has been online for several months, yet its impact has already been apparent to those who fly to and from 78WA. 

“We first set up a trial for this service and it was absolutely so useful being able to see an image of the airport in near live time. Another positive aspect of having multiple cameras is seeing alternate viewpoints of the weather. For example, the camera on the dock doesn’t tell you what’s happening on the runway. But it maybe tells you more information as a pilot because if you can see the next island over, then you know it’s about a mile and half of visibility. If you can see the hills in between, you know it’s about two and a half miles. And if you can see the peak of Cypress Island, out in the distance, then you know that there’s eight miles of visibility. It really allows you to very quickly see what’s out there.”

Fay expects to soon upload his code to GitHub, so that other enterprising aviators can create a similar low-cost solution for their airfield’s weather reporting needs. 

The post Lifting the Fog on Landing on a San Juan Island Turf Strip appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“You have to go into it with the belief that it’s something that you truly want, and honestly believe it can do good for the general aviation community,” he added.

“I was looking all over for undeveloped land, to take the more ‘traditional’ route of developing a personal airstrip and hangar home. I quickly realized the amount of work, cost, and permitting that goes into converting what was maybe a corn field or undeveloped land, into a runway.”

Fortunately, Heddings found a suitable existing alternative for sale about 80 nm away from Ridgeland-Claude Dean Airport (3J1) [in South Carolina], which had been Heddings’ previous base of operations for his personal airplanes, as well as some of his company’s managed aircraft.

“During the search for land, I discovered Gaston Airport (2SC8). I called the listing agent and two days later hopped into the Piper Cub and set course for Gaston to meet the current owners and Realtor. The airport had been owned by the same individuals since 2006. Many years before that, it was owned and managed by the county.” he said.

After nearly two decades, the previous owners decided it was time to transition the airport into its next stage of life.

“I purchased the airport a week ago [mid-September 2022]. I had been working the purchase process for about a month and a half. The purchase process was very straightforward. During my initial viewing of the property, I was lucky enough to meet the previous owners. Unfortunately, they no longer fly, so I extended the invite to tag along with me anytime they would like. This way they can still stay active around the airport, since the airstrip meant a lot to him [one of the owners] and his stepfather.”

Heddings explained how he may have had a slight leg up on other prospective buyers for one particular reason.

“The previous owners had a few people look at the property. I feel they wanted the airport that they love so much to go to someone who would treat it right and to continue to build it to the potential that they saw in the property. I think that they saw that with me, especially since it was mentioned that the other individuals who looked at the airport drove in, while I was the only one who flew, which made the owners happy.”

Boasting a sole 3,500-by-100-foot lighted, turf runway, an 85-by-65-foot community hangar, and open acreage, Heddings said he recognized growth opportunities for the airport.

“There is a lot of potential at Gaston (2SC8) for it to be further developed and more active than it currently is. There are about three or four airplanes that are based on the airfield now. With the T-hangar additions and other plans that we have, I am hoping to have 20 to 25 aircraft based there within the next 12 months.”

Not only are new T-hangars presently planned, Heddings sees the long-term need for individually owned box hangars as well.

“In addition to creating new T-hangars, we are also sprucing up the community hangar,” Heddings said. “In the area that I refer to as the ‘lower 40,’ we plan to subdivide lots and offer long-term land leases for individuals to construct their own hangars.”

At the time of the interview, Heddings was just rounding out his first week owning the property. Some preparatory steps prior to the ownership transition helped him understand the strong need to undertake these action items.

“Before I made the purchase, I called the local surrounding airports and felt out how long it would take for one of my aircraft to get into a hangar at their airfield. The combined wait list for the three surrounding airports alone was nearly 100 people,” Heddings recalled.

“The other thing is hangar space at an affordable rate. Hangars are few and far between, so prices are skyrocketing at most airports. I hope to be able to keep hangar rent as low as possible, well below the standard prices in the surrounding area. My goal for the airport is to be self-sustaining, create a safe place for all aspects of general aviation and make people happy. If I can do that, I have accomplished my goal.”

Creating a net benefit to the general aviation community was one of Heddings’ key goals coming into this new ownership venture. Heddings is excited about his recent purchase not only for the positive impact it will have for him and his business, but for other pilots as well.

This recent purchase will allow Heddings to ensure his aircraft (a modified aerobatic J3 Cub and a 1961 Fouga CM.170 Magister) can be based where there is an appreciation for aviation. 

“Buying Gaston Airport and being able to have my say in what happens there, will make the airfield a sanctuary for general aviation activities,” Heddings said. “As a combat veteran and advocate for aviation, this purchase gives me a lot of opportunities to host various charity events, conduct tailwheel and aerobatic training, along with host fly-ins throughout the year.”

The post Investing in General Aviation appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Andrew Weaver, VA63’s namesake and caretaker, advised what has enabled the grass landing site to make many other airstrip owners green with envy. 

“As far as fertilizer, our poultry litter is pretty hot when it comes to nitrogen and phosphorus,” he said. “We have it tested every couple of years because we sell it to farmers in the area and like to have a litter test to show nutrient makeup for what we got. I use that and soil testing to get the application right and have actually been using very small amounts of poultry litter. That’s why you see the grass so lush and green the way it is.” 

So why does Weaver talk about his fertilizer composition? Those large, mysterious structures on the property are chicken barns. In addition to the 1946 Silvaire Luscombe 8A that Weaver flies, another 160,000 or so other birds call the property home. The square footage within the four buildings is dedicated to Weaver’s robust poultry farming operation, which paved the way for his ability to create an airstrip. 

“My wife and I both grew up in agriculture. Her parents were dairy farmers and my parents were poultry farmers,” Weaver said.. “After we got married and I got done with school, we started looking for a place to build a farm of our own. That search lasted probably six months until we found a spot that fit our liking. And of course, along with that, I was looking for a place where I could do what I wanted agriculturally—but also put together an airstrip at some point.”

As Weaver began building out his acreage, a section of the land stuck out to him. It would be the perfect place to fly from, he thought.

“In 2014, we built two chicken houses,” he said. “So along with that we had to take out quite a bit of topsoil to get down to grade where we could have pads sturdy enough to build those structures. We took out thousands of yards of topsoil and put it in a big pile. Then we pulled clay from another part of the property and spread out the topsoil nice and smooth [over that area],” he recalled. 

The first signs of an airstrip appeared after that work was completed. 

“I had about 750 feet of a runway that I couldn’t use,” Weaver said. “It was kind of tortuous because it was there and I mowed it, but I couldn’t use it for anything because it was too short.”

Weaver continued, “Fast forward to 2019: We had the opportunity to build two more chicken houses. In order to build the access road for those two structures, we came down, farther down along our fence line and pulled clay off of there to build the access road. We ended up with the last part of the airstrip, and all of this we kind of designed into our engineering plans. 

“Because of our chicken house projects, we ended up with a runway for basically free—minus the cost of grading and spreading the topsoil back over the top of it. That’s how the runway came to be.”

Seeding the Strip

His first attempt at seeding the airstrip, however, was a learning experience. 

“I tried to plant grass in 2014 on my little 750-foot section. I didn’t do a whole lot of research and went to the turf management store here locally. I told them what I wanted to do and they said, ‘Here, use this. This will work,’” Weaver explained. 

“I didn’t know a whole lot about it, so I got the dirt ready and spread my bluegrass seed. The afternoon that I did that, we had a thunderstorm that I think dumped two or three inches, and totally wiped all of my seed away.” 

Mother Nature won the first battle, but Weaver was determined and gave it another go. 

“A couple of weeks later I did the same thing and literally the next day the same thing happened,” he said. “So, I kind of gave up and let weeds grow but kept it mowed down nice because a friend of mine with a Just SuperStol liked to use it from time to time.”

Once his time was freed up after completing the property’s last chicken houses, Weaver decided to try his hand once again at turf management.

“I started doing a little more research because it really bugged me how my first attempts at growing grass turned out. So, I got on YouTube and found a couple of guys, some with lawn care businesses and others who are weekend warrior types with really nice lawns. They talked about different types of grass, different fertilizers, watering systems, and all kinds of stuff. I got neck deep into that and decided that bluegrass probably wasn’t for me because it doesn’t tolerate heat very well,” Weaver explained. 

With the help from his school-aged children, his wife, and a friend with heavy equipment, the soil was conditioned, and all the rocks were picked out of it. Now, the scene was set for Weaver’s third attempt at seeding the airstrip surface. 

“I think I used 22 bags of tall fescue seed and spread it all by hand with a little push spreader. Basically, I sectioned it all off with one of those three-hundred-foot tape measures and set a bag for each section. It took me three days to spread it all. We really lucked out…picked a week where it didn’t rain hardly at all.”

Weaver would then go on to explain the careful process of layering the surface with peanut hulls, which served as mulch, in addition to purposely watering and fertilizing the airstrip over the next few months. 

Even with the trials initially overcome, Weaver says that the joys of owning and operating his own airstrip has been well worth the efforts. Not only that, completing the runway was the culmination of a longtime wish inspired by a family member. 

“My [maternal] grandfather, Bob Shenk, is kind of a Luscombe aficionado here and actually has an airstrip just up the valley from me, against the mountain. And honestly, he’s the reason that I wanted to do this at some point. As a little kid he was an inspiration for me wanting to learn to fly and from a very young age wanting to own an airstrip.”

The post An Airport Powered by Chickens appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The origins of 7WI8 were also largely a derivative of the same person-to-person discussions. 

“I have been a pilot since 1992, so when we were shopping for property, the intent was always to buy something large enough that we could put an airstrip on,” Kevin said. “We had shopped around, probably all within an hour drive of this area where we are at right now. But we didn’t have that much luck.”

Eventually, the couple’s fortune turned, as Kevin explained. 

“And then, just through word of mouth we stumbled on a farmer that was looking to sell some acreage. We didn’t wait long; it was like the next day that we had an offer in and that was in 1996. There was always the intent to put in the runway and just have for ourselves.”

It wouldn’t be until nearly a decade later that the Slezewskis began the process of creating a formally recognized airstrip they hope will stand the test of time. 

“So, in 2003 we took the step to get approvals through the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics, the FAA, and get it on file with Door County, which is where we are located,” Kevin said. “We really wanted to cover all the bases, you know, so it wasn’t just a field that was subject to neighbors being unhappy [et cetera]. We wanted to make sure that we were covered on all the legal aspects of it.”

Their careful attention to legalities and other factors largely was the byproduct of a news story that was top of mind for most aviators.

“Back when we first built it, one of the things that was really prominent in the news was the destruction of Meigs Field,” Kevin said. “So that was one of the reasons that I kind of went to the nth degree with making sure all of the paperwork was in. People just aren’t building airports so much anymore. You might get a few private airstrips popping in, but if anything, airports are going away, unfortunately. It seems like so many are always under threat from towns [et cetera].”

Consequently, Kevin says his focus has continued to be on the airport’s future.

“I had the attitude about wanting our own airport, so my dedication has been to keep it in existence forever, even though I won’t be around forever,” he said. “I have certainly expressed my wishes to our kids, and we have written it into the deeded access that people get access to the runway to help protect it. We have taken a lot of steps that way. For me, passion and advocating for airports is how I’ve always felt about the airpark, since day one.” 

With their initial due diligence completed and paperwork so that they could eventually begin building out their private airfield, there was one unexpected hurdle that cropped up.

“We actually didn’t intend to put the airstrip in right away, but I just wanted to get everything approved. But then when we got the approval from the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics, they said you had nine months or something; there was some deadline on it. So [I said], I guess we are putting it in now,” he recalled. “It was one of those things where we thought we would plan for the years ahead but ended up really not being able to wait, because there was a deadline [from out of] the application.”

With this prompting approval, the couple set out to create what is now the sole turf runway on the property, which is registered at 2,000 feet long and 60 feet wide (surrounded by leased farmland). Being that there are trees at the approach end of Runway 3, there is a 400-foot displaced threshold.

Even with how much they enjoyed operating and flying from their own private airfield, the Slezewskis felt the desire to bring it to the public’s attention. 

“It wasn’t too long after that, that we decided to share this with people,” Kevin said. “We thought we would build a small airpark and never intended it to be a Spruce Creek or anything like that. It’s really peaceful where we are at, with virtually no road traffic, and it’s really our intent to keep the area that way. 

“It’s beautiful sitting out here in the evenings watching sunsets and we didn’t set out to build this big village. We just wanted to share it with a few people that have a passion for aviation.”

For the most part, their sharing has taken place outside the digital world. 

“I have had thoughts about putting a Facebook page together and being more public about it,” Kevin said. “But I think it generates just enough interest and people know about it by word of mouth. The neighbors here have all been fantastic. We don’t have a lot of activity going on, but neighbors have always asked, even before when we had the airpark. They would say things like, ‘Geez, when are we going to see more airplanes taking off?’ So, they were always excited about it, I think, and thought it was cool.”

Aside from his enthusiasm for telling others about airpark living, Kevin is quick to explain a popular scenic route in the area. This may be of special interest to the thousands of out-of-towners who will be “in the neighborhood” for Oshkosh at the end of July.

“It’s a little bit different here than a lot of places,” Kevin said. “I think that there are only three or four airparks in the whole state of Wisconsin. We are in Door County, which is a big tourist area. Right where we are is more focused on agriculture. But I think that Door County consists of more shoreline [about 300 miles] than any other in the United States.”

Colloquially, the area has been called “The Cape Cod of the Midwest.” 

“It’s really cool flying. The water is basically about three miles to the west [of us] and you can follow the coast of Door County up and around the peninsula. And then there’s Washington Island. It’s north off the tip and there is another airport to fly into there (2P2). Then you can come back down on the shores of Lake Michigan and there are shipwrecks that you can see underneath the water. It’s impressive, scenic flying and you are never far away from that here. You basically get up and see water all around you. It’s really a beautiful place to fly.”

The post Wisconsin Couple Hopes Its Small Airpark Stands the Test of Time appeared first on FLYING Magazine.