runway length question

[Coopdog]

Hey Folks,

After a twenty year hiatus, I'm looking to fly again. I'll start working on currency with a CFI in a 172 real soon.

I really love the appeal of the STOL airplanes. We have a row crop field surrounded by woods where I can squeeze a grass strip of about 1,300' from tree to tree where the trees are approaching 100' tall.

I know how big a field can look from the ground and how small it can look from the air. However, I think rekindling my love of flying will be greatly enhanced if I can walk out the backdoor to my plane vs driving 35 minutes to the airport.

Is it realistic to think I can utilize a grass strip of that length consistently and safely? I'm in Tennessee about 400' MSL. We generally don't have unusual wind compared to other places.

Thanks for the advice.

[Av8r3400]

The short answer is no.

The long answer is maybe. These are very high obstacles bordering a short runway. With time and practice can you do it? Yes. Do you want to?

This will require your A++ game every time. With that length runway and that height of trees, this will be a no-go around situation.

Look at this video. Link. This is my home-strip. It's 900' long. There are 50' trees on one end (500' away) and 25' trees on the other. This is landing over the tall trees.




Departure will be a non-event.

[Hockeystud87]

The short answer is no.

The long answer is maybe. These are very high obstacles bordering a short runway. With time and practice can you do it? Yes. Do you want to?

This will require your A++ game every time. With that length runway and that height of trees, this will be a no-go around situation.

Look at this video. Link. This is my home-strip. It's 900' long. There are 50' trees on one end (500' away) and 25' trees on the other. This is landing over the tall trees.




Departure will be a non-event.

Dang! Thats a neat little strip but man those obstacles make me cringe a little!

The strip would be no biggie if ya had a little less trees.

[N981MS]

My advice is no. But if you buy the land with trees and extend your runway...

Some here may say OK.

Everyone has their own level of risk they are willing to take.

I like to have some sort of option for if something goes wrong.

If the engine quits on take off on that strip or at an inopportune time on approach you will be out of luck.

You did not say what type of trees or if you have access to them. Here is a very nonconventional procedure: I go to a field that is 1000 feet with 50 foot pecan trees at one end and clear on the other. The trees are in rows with space for a Kitfox between them. On approach I aim for that space just in case. I have not needed it for overrun. I have never taken off toward the trees but I have started my take off roll up in the trees such that I am near rotation speed when I emerge from the tree line.

[Slyfox]

my advice is to give more room than you need, or runway. I say maybe you could do it in a couple years. the big word here is hiatus. in other words you haven't flown is years. dreams are dreams and this is where you need to leave this. yes the experienced pilot could do this. I consistently land mine within 500' on a regular basis. but I have over 2000 hrs in my kitfox. I say pass on this one.

[Dave S]

Cooper,


I believe the smart money is right on what has been said already and I would reinforce that.


First off, coming off a 20 year hiatus and testing a newly built kitfox - just plain no - IMHO. Most of us are not at the Jimmy Franklin skill level.



The shortest grass runway I have ever flown into is a 900 foot ultralight strip with no obstructions other than 12' corn on the end and slowly rising terrain on both ends; and that was after practicing on longer runways till I knew there was no doubt about getting in an out. Loading can mean a lot on a short strip; and, it will likely take more runway to accelerate on grass in any case.



A lack of clear space on the ends & sides of a runway basically means a person is screwed if there is one hickup (engine, wind, hawk-in-the-windshield, etc).

[n85ae]

That 1000' runway would be a LOT shorter with 100 ft. obstacles. In fact in the
video, I can already feel my cringe factor coming up, since it feels too close to
the trees. I'd probably fly it higher and aggressively slip. But the GoPro always
makes it appear that way.

Jeff

[Esser]

Beautiful place Larry

[Coopdog]

Thank you all for the helpful advice. And that video is worth a thousand words. I don't think I'll plan on my idea as a permanent solution. I don't want to takeoff and immedietly start worrying about landing there.

I may have found a much better solution. We have another field that is a very short drive. I can get 1500' between a row of trees and standard utility poles. It is open fields on either side of the obstacles. I may be able to take a section of the tree row out which would give me a 1500' runway with an extra 1000' threshold with no obstacles on one end. It's going to take a bit of grading though.

[Av8r3400]

That would appear to be a much better option.