Sunday, Nov 18, 2007
Dear Bill,
Yeah, I guess you are right about the privacy thing. A lot of people that have their own grass strips where they are the only users, and do so because they want to be left alone. They don't want the prying eyes of their neighbors, the FAA or anyone else. I think I am in that category to a certain extent. If I had to keep my airplanes at a public airport in a rented hangar, I would quit flying. I am very, very lucky to have my own place and I continually turn down requests to sell lots on the airport for people wanting something similar.
The alternative to the public airports are the fly-in communities, and some are great. Sadly, there are many that are just a hornets nest of politics and bad feelings between the various tenants. You know..."so and so is flying that damned biplane again, the one with no muffler, and it makes too much noise". I know of one such place where one of the property owners has quit flying and now complains about the noise of the other airplanes. Another property owner feeds the deer in his backyard in spite of the hazard they create to the landing airplanes. They can't get him to stop because there is nothing in the covenant prohibiting it. You can only have two dogs in this development but there is nothing said about feeding wandering deer! We don't have that problem here. We had a deer infestation a few years ago and we got a permit from the DNR to shoot them out of season and at night. Killed 57 of them the first year. Fed a lot of folks with tight budgets that year. Now the drought seems to have driven the deer deep into the swamps. We have seen very few on the runway this year. Anyway, thanks again for all of your hard work!
Take care,
[recipient]
Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2007 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: Turf Airport Study - Final Report
Dear [recipient],
Thanks for the comments. A chart relative to latitudes would be helpful --
there is a chart in the appendix, the one given to recipients during the questioning (the appendix depicting the survey, one of the last questions).
A chart of exact airport lat/longs, however, might be inconsistent with the promises of privacy I gave to each airport. I really don't think most would mind, but .... Were it not for privacy, a drill down from the geography to the answers for a particular airport would be super!
Best,
Bill
At 08:28 AM 11/18/2007, you wrote:
Dear Bill,
Wow! You have really gathered a lot of data. I am the owner of [airport], a 2700 ft. north/south turf airport in [part of] Georgia. Did you ever consider a chart depicting the location of the respondents? That would be a nice touch if you ever revise your research. Also, charts showing the airports in relation to the latitudes etc. would be a big help in getting the larger picture.
Anyway, thanks for all of your efforts.
Sincerely,
[recipient]
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Results Published
Summary report published to web and notification emails began on Nov 10, 2007.
Please feel free to leave comments.
Please feel free to leave comments.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
End of Survey Collection Period
On Sunday, August 26 the survey collection period was completed. The analysis phase has begun. Thanks to all for contributing. Results are hoped to be published by November, 2007.
Comments through Aug 26
Effective weed control that could be applied with fertilizer on bahia would be appreciated - inexpensively.
-------------------------
Will the study identify the best turf for use on runways and taxiways? Will the study identify maintenance methods for the care of the turf? Small turf runways are usually maintained by homeowner association/volunteers. Help in providing information to maintain these large areas of grass would be very helpful. Is the county agent a resource and if so what will they do?
(response: Generally, a study specifically targeted at relating turf airports/runways to turf science hasn't been done. So what I hope to achieve with this study is to lay a baseline for a larger study by answering some basic descriptions of turf airport management practices.
So the answer to most of your questions will certainly be general. But here goes.
"Will the study identify the best turf for use on runways and taxiways?". It may identify the most common turf species used on runways/taxiways by latitude. It may identify the perceived quality related to turf species. But just knowing the breakdown of the species of turf is new knowledge.
"Will the study identify maintenance methods for the care of the turf?" Here it may find a relationship between soil testing frequency and perceived quality. Just knowing the kinds of mowers used on the airports may prove helpful as well as knowing how many airports use irrigation systems (few do, as you can imagine).
"Is the county agent a resource and if so what will they do?" In our case, we live near the Univ. of Florida's Milton research campus. This campus has a Florida agricultural extension office and one of the researches visited our airport and offered suggestions. These included soil testing which we then sent to him for recommended actions. In our case, we applied lime which we had not done for at least 5 years, if ever! So it helped give information to the Homeowner Association to make a decision.
)
-----------------------
Answer by US Mail (letter). Owner planned runway with a strong base of 3" shale, 2" topsoil, Pensacola Bahia. Graded with a crown for drainage and drainage on either side
-------------------------
Will the study identify the best turf for use on runways and taxiways? Will the study identify maintenance methods for the care of the turf? Small turf runways are usually maintained by homeowner association/volunteers. Help in providing information to maintain these large areas of grass would be very helpful. Is the county agent a resource and if so what will they do?
(response: Generally, a study specifically targeted at relating turf airports/runways to turf science hasn't been done. So what I hope to achieve with this study is to lay a baseline for a larger study by answering some basic descriptions of turf airport management practices.
So the answer to most of your questions will certainly be general. But here goes.
"Will the study identify the best turf for use on runways and taxiways?". It may identify the most common turf species used on runways/taxiways by latitude. It may identify the perceived quality related to turf species. But just knowing the breakdown of the species of turf is new knowledge.
"Will the study identify maintenance methods for the care of the turf?" Here it may find a relationship between soil testing frequency and perceived quality. Just knowing the kinds of mowers used on the airports may prove helpful as well as knowing how many airports use irrigation systems (few do, as you can imagine).
"Is the county agent a resource and if so what will they do?" In our case, we live near the Univ. of Florida's Milton research campus. This campus has a Florida agricultural extension office and one of the researches visited our airport and offered suggestions. These included soil testing which we then sent to him for recommended actions. In our case, we applied lime which we had not done for at least 5 years, if ever! So it helped give information to the Homeowner Association to make a decision.
)
-----------------------
Answer by US Mail (letter). Owner planned runway with a strong base of 3" shale, 2" topsoil, Pensacola Bahia. Graded with a crown for drainage and drainage on either side
Monday, August 20, 2007
Comments through Aug 20
Since the State has dropped the private airport inspection program, the local governments are reluctant to approve new private airports. I would be interested to hear how many new airports have been approved without the backing of the State Aviation Department, and how many local governments feel they are alone and taking all the liability for new airports being approved. One tier of the aviation process has been eliminated. As old airports close, new airports will find it very difficult to be approved for a Conditional Use Permit
=====================
Our airfield is generally a club operation supported by the landowner and his property development company. The concerns we see are proper maintenance to maintain the condition of the main runway without increasing maintenance costs any more than necessary. We would enjoy any advice on mowing equipment, fertilization, pest control and leveling procedures to correct changes in the surface. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to your study.
=====================
Since I sold my Pitts, the runway doesn't have as much traffic and I have less inclination to irrigate, etc. My partner does still fly in and out and we do have moderate ultralight traffic. The soil for our runway came from a road realignment project and between the incredibly poor quality of the soil and several years of drought, it has been very difficult to get the turf runway we want. I do believe that we could use the soil on our runway as a herbicide, since even weeds don't like to grow on it! Making progress though!
======================
When runway built, deliberate crowning of runway for drainage. Pulls with chain/fence for grooming, helps with ant mounds. Uses Auburn University for free soil samples.
======================
We are in the process of getting bids for a sprinkler system to be installed in stages. Most of our problems are caused by lack of water.
======================
Burns grass off each February when dormant, finds it grows back better after that. Grass is mowed using a hay mower, hay picked up and bartered for mowing services with horse farm. No clippings left on runway, finds this helps quality of turf.
=====================
Our airfield is generally a club operation supported by the landowner and his property development company. The concerns we see are proper maintenance to maintain the condition of the main runway without increasing maintenance costs any more than necessary. We would enjoy any advice on mowing equipment, fertilization, pest control and leveling procedures to correct changes in the surface. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to your study.
=====================
Since I sold my Pitts, the runway doesn't have as much traffic and I have less inclination to irrigate, etc. My partner does still fly in and out and we do have moderate ultralight traffic. The soil for our runway came from a road realignment project and between the incredibly poor quality of the soil and several years of drought, it has been very difficult to get the turf runway we want. I do believe that we could use the soil on our runway as a herbicide, since even weeds don't like to grow on it! Making progress though!
======================
When runway built, deliberate crowning of runway for drainage. Pulls with chain/fence for grooming, helps with ant mounds. Uses Auburn University for free soil samples.
======================
We are in the process of getting bids for a sprinkler system to be installed in stages. Most of our problems are caused by lack of water.
======================
Burns grass off each February when dormant, finds it grows back better after that. Grass is mowed using a hay mower, hay picked up and bartered for mowing services with horse farm. No clippings left on runway, finds this helps quality of turf.
Final Email Solicitation
On or about August 17, sent nearly 200 emails to non-responders trying to solicit responses.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Second Mailing
On July 30, 2007, the postcard at left was sent to approximately 450 airports not yet responding.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
