Adventures in finding short runways to land.

Skylarker

Filing Flight Plan
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skylarker
Hello All

Back in 2001 when I got my private I would always enjoy the challenge of Landing at the shortest runway possibly. Was always trained to be on the lookout for a place to land at all times in flight training.

Anytime I found a short runway I would always take my car and go investigate the strip if possible before attempting to land.
One place I never landed was a little strip in North Texas called Sudden Stop, lol.

Finding safe well maintained runways was a bit of a challenge in itself besides I did all of my flying and training in Class Bravo airspace at a fairly busy airport in Dallas, Texas so I always touched down right at the threshold and got my self off the runway at the first opportunity in consideration of a Jet that could be on final or who ever else was on final behind me.

Seems like proper enough etiquette to land short and get the hell of the runway at a busy airport, Besides its good training. You're landing short on a 8000 foot runway and treating it like a field with a engine failure.

I never could understand why pilots on final in a Cessna 150 would touch down and roll 3000 feet down the runway with so many other aircraft in the pattern and waiting to takeoff.

Anyhow.
 
Saving brakes.

Someone is receiving training.

The pancake breakfast is at the far end of the airport and its quicker than taxiing.

Who really knows.

I thought I was cool landing really short once then got off the runway right away. I think I sat there 15min waiting to taxi back against the busy airport traffic all coming my way to depart.
 
is there a question here or, just letting us know 20 years ago you landed on a short strip? I did a low pass over a 2300' strip today. in case anyone was wondering.
 
is there a question here or, just letting us know 20 years ago you landed on a short strip? I did a low pass over a 2300' strip today. in case anyone was wondering.
How low?
 
Hello All

Back in 2001 when I got my private I would always enjoy the challenge of Landing at the shortest runway possibly. Was always trained to be on the lookout for a place to land at all times in flight training.

Anytime I found a short runway I would always take my car and go investigate the strip if possible before attempting to land.
One place I never landed was a little strip in North Texas called Sudden Stop, lol.

Finding safe well maintained runways was a bit of a challenge in itself besides I did all of my flying and training in Class Bravo airspace at a fairly busy airport in Dallas, Texas so I always touched down right at the threshold and got my self off the runway at the first opportunity in consideration of a Jet that could be on final or who ever else was on final behind me.

Seems like proper enough etiquette to land short and get the hell of the runway at a busy airport, Besides its good training. You're landing short on a 8000 foot runway and treating it like a field with a engine failure.

I never could understand why pilots on final in a Cessna 150 would touch down and roll 3000 feet down the runway with so many other aircraft in the pattern and waiting to takeoff.

Anyhow.
That’s one of the great things about aviation: your way often isn’t the only right way. You say you don’t understand those that use more runway. Those pilots that use more runway probably don’t understand why you’re flying with added risk of coming up short, or stalling from a gust, or ragging on your brakes.
 
Some of my favorite runways are not paved and not straight.

My most favorite runways are not even runways, just an open place that a 206 might fit in.

When I came to New Mexico I was not comfortable landing on looong paved runways, and it tickled me to see folks landing 1/3 to 1/2 way down a 7000 foot runway.

Alaska, get on the brakes as soon as as hard as you can. In New Mexico, ''Get offa the brakes, you are costing me money.!!'' says the person signing the paychecks...
 
If I use more than about 800’ I’ve screwed up, and 800’ is longer than necessary. The way to make any runway longer is to not land 500’ downfield of the threshold.
 
You guys use brakes? What kind of challenge is that?? :)
 
Or where there isn’t a runway. It’s pretty fun to land where nobody has landed before.
 
Do tell!

I have friends with much bigger balls than me. I don’t get how casual these young guys are about wrecking $300K Cubs.
 
I noticed early on that I used the same techniques to land short runways as I did to land short on long ones. As to why would a 150 chew up thousands of feet on landing? Some folks such at speed control. I once took up 5K feet of a runway in a 150. Had a direct 24 knot crosswind (was trying to land before a T storm hit) and car in at full throttle and a screaming 100 miles an hour.
 
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