A new airport

I have been over flying it for months/year waiting for it to open. The concrete was finished last Nov. I over flew it a week ago and the paint markings were in place. Nothing there except for acres of concrete. Good looking airport and very nice runway that is very smooth. It still had the X in place at the end of the runways last week and a tanker truck was watering the grass along the side of the runway when I was there.
These 2 pictures are from last winter.
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I landed at 8GK tonight for the first time. Amazing that it is a public use airport.
No one was there and saw no other planes. My dog and I walked all around, great place to do some walking.
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All lights are in place, just not in service yet.
I noticed they seem to know how to grow grass in Kentucky?
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Beautiful smooth night to fly. Did not need chalks and not a tie down in sight. Neat being here in the beginning.
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Airnav has the runway at 5000x75.

Interesting view on Google Earth (38.6794992,-84.9288981). The west 1500 feet is cutoff by an image splice. West image is from 2016. East image from 2022.
 
Airnav has the runway at 5000x75.

Interesting view on Google Earth (38.6794992,-84.9288981). The west 1500 feet is cutoff by an image splice. West image is from 2016. East image from 2022.
Yes it is interesting looking at different sat pictures. 2016 pictures the original road and farms were shown.
Only reason I made the comment on the length is because of what one story stated that FAA and Feds provided for 5000' and the State kicked in for 500'? Story was probably written before the first shovel was turned and it didn't work out that way.
Is there anyway to use our gps in the plane to figure that out? Because last night since no one was there I taxied the whole length of the runway on the taxiway and could stick a measuring wheel out the door! lol kidding.
 
I landed at 8GK tonight for the first time. Amazing that it is a public use airport.
No one was there and saw no other planes. My dog and I walked all around, great place to do some walking.

Is there a politician that lives nearby.??

When I lived in West Virginia there was a new runway built. Nothing there but the runway, no taxiway. Runway lights worked. Kind of in the middle of nowhere. Nice asphalt runway. Folks in the area told me it was built so the local US congressman would have a place to land next to his hometown.

I flew fire patrol in the area so I flew over it a few times a week. I never saw another plane there.
 
Is there a politician that lives nearby.??

When I lived in West Virginia there was a new runway built. Nothing there but the runway, no taxiway. Runway lights worked. Kind of in the middle of nowhere. Nice asphalt runway. Folks in the area told me it was built so the local US congressman would have a place to land next to his hometown.

I flew fire patrol in the area so I flew over it a few times a week. I never saw another plane there.
Probably...I think the main reason it got built was some guy named Jerry Carroll and others got the speedway built in 2000 nearby and you know many owners and drivers like to fly to the races.
Nascar took away our races in 2020, it was a big blow to the region.
Hopefully a flight school and FBO can open and keep it going.

It is impressive that they planted grass seed all along the runway, taxiway, and apron to protest it from erosion and framed all that new seed and topsoil with sod around the whole perimeter to protect the seed and top soil, miles of sod. And they are keeping it green as it has been dry around here.
For a while I expect it to be quiet there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Speedway
 
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Probably...I think the main reason it got built was some guy named Jerry Carroll and others got the speedway built in 2000 nearby and you know many owners and drivers like to fly to the races.
Nascar took away our races in 2020, it was a big blow to the region.
Hopefully a flight school and FBO can open and keep it going.

For a while I expect it to be quiet there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Speedway
Yeah, I'm sure the Speedway location (across the interstate, about two miles) had a lot to do with the airport's existence. There are races there, but no NASCAR.
 
Yeah, I'm sure the Speedway location (across the interstate, about two miles) had a lot to do with the airport's existence. There are races there, but no NASCAR.
I didn't know they still had some races?
  • The last couple years Ford parked 60-70K F150 waiting for chips at the track. Just recently I found the lots empty again. They have come and go, thousands of them parked inches away from one another. I came to the conclusion that white is the most popular color? Early 2020? some of the lots were full of hundreds of amazon semi trailers.
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    Cruiser enjoying the Kentucky bluegrass.
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