SkyHog
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
- Messages
- 18,431
- Location
- Castle Rock, CO
- Display Name
Display name:
Everything Offends Me
8th of 56, M10
Mountainair Municipal, Mountainair, NM (M10)
In the near 1 year since I've gotten my Private Pilots License, I have been to quite a few airports (for my short time), but every single one of them has been paved. There are a few dirt strips on my list of airports in New Mexico, but this one was the most daunting of them all. With a length of less than 2600 feet and at an elevation of 6492ft, and condition listed as poor, this airport was one that might have been crossed off my list if everything wasn't perfect.
I had cancelled this flight 3 times already, for a few different reasons. Strong cross wind once; Gusting winds another; low IFR on another. Today was perfect. Clear skies and high winds, almost perfectly down the runway. There was, of course, lots of turbulence and I had to modify my route because the Tijeras Canyon had a PIREP for severe turbulence. I didn't feel like dealing with severe turbulence, so I headed around south below the mountains (map included below).
Luckily, I had studied satellite photos of the area for a while to make sure I knew what the airport and its surroundings looked like. Let’s face it, to a pilot used to seeing at least 5000ft strips, 2578ft would be hard to spot, especially as dirt. The airport stuck out to me very easily, looking exactly as it did on the satellite photo. I wouldn't think it'd be that easy normally though.
So I was quite nervous as I approached the threshold. I decided to do a low pass to make sure the runway was nice and safe and was ready to abort at any time. Aside from a few ruts, the runway was actually in decent condition. I went around the pattern again and set up for what had to be a short field landing (in my head).
There was a nice sized rut at the approach end of the runway, so I decided to land beyond it, and I overshot my aiming point by about 200 ft. Still, I was down and slowing fast, much faster than on pavement. That dirt really worked to slow me down quickly. It was much rougher than it looked, with some tire ruts sunk pretty deep. Looks like some locals had taken to mud bogging with their trucks on the runway.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a decent exit point from the runway, as all exits were completely grown over with tall weeds, and I didn't feel like using my propeller as a weed whacker, so I turned around and back taxied to the beginning of the runway, preparing for takeoff.
I had marked mentally where I would need to be off by to consider this a successful takeoff and not abort. Surprisingly, I was off well before this point and climbing away from the airport. I didn't stay long, unfortunately, as there was no place to park, but I did it. I landed on a non-paved surface runway. Woohoo!
The video below is horrible. The camera turned towards the metal window support, and the battery died right before touchdown. Figures.
VIDEOS:
1) Approach and landing, runway 8
PICTURES:
1) Proposed vs Actual Routing, Tijeras Canyon is marked
MOUNTAINAIR QUICK FACTS:
Airport Elevation: 6492 Ft
Runways 8/26: 2578'x50ft, dirt (many gouges in surface, poor condition)
CTAF: 122.9
Nick's NOTAMS: This runway is SHORT. Unless you have a Piper Cub or something, I would avoid this airport in summer months. Avoid the deep gouges near the approach end of runway 8. No accessable exit off runway.
Mountainair Municipal, Mountainair, NM (M10)
In the near 1 year since I've gotten my Private Pilots License, I have been to quite a few airports (for my short time), but every single one of them has been paved. There are a few dirt strips on my list of airports in New Mexico, but this one was the most daunting of them all. With a length of less than 2600 feet and at an elevation of 6492ft, and condition listed as poor, this airport was one that might have been crossed off my list if everything wasn't perfect.
I had cancelled this flight 3 times already, for a few different reasons. Strong cross wind once; Gusting winds another; low IFR on another. Today was perfect. Clear skies and high winds, almost perfectly down the runway. There was, of course, lots of turbulence and I had to modify my route because the Tijeras Canyon had a PIREP for severe turbulence. I didn't feel like dealing with severe turbulence, so I headed around south below the mountains (map included below).
Luckily, I had studied satellite photos of the area for a while to make sure I knew what the airport and its surroundings looked like. Let’s face it, to a pilot used to seeing at least 5000ft strips, 2578ft would be hard to spot, especially as dirt. The airport stuck out to me very easily, looking exactly as it did on the satellite photo. I wouldn't think it'd be that easy normally though.
So I was quite nervous as I approached the threshold. I decided to do a low pass to make sure the runway was nice and safe and was ready to abort at any time. Aside from a few ruts, the runway was actually in decent condition. I went around the pattern again and set up for what had to be a short field landing (in my head).
There was a nice sized rut at the approach end of the runway, so I decided to land beyond it, and I overshot my aiming point by about 200 ft. Still, I was down and slowing fast, much faster than on pavement. That dirt really worked to slow me down quickly. It was much rougher than it looked, with some tire ruts sunk pretty deep. Looks like some locals had taken to mud bogging with their trucks on the runway.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a decent exit point from the runway, as all exits were completely grown over with tall weeds, and I didn't feel like using my propeller as a weed whacker, so I turned around and back taxied to the beginning of the runway, preparing for takeoff.
I had marked mentally where I would need to be off by to consider this a successful takeoff and not abort. Surprisingly, I was off well before this point and climbing away from the airport. I didn't stay long, unfortunately, as there was no place to park, but I did it. I landed on a non-paved surface runway. Woohoo!
The video below is horrible. The camera turned towards the metal window support, and the battery died right before touchdown. Figures.
VIDEOS:
1) Approach and landing, runway 8
PICTURES:
1) Proposed vs Actual Routing, Tijeras Canyon is marked
MOUNTAINAIR QUICK FACTS:
Airport Elevation: 6492 Ft
Runways 8/26: 2578'x50ft, dirt (many gouges in surface, poor condition)
CTAF: 122.9
Nick's NOTAMS: This runway is SHORT. Unless you have a Piper Cub or something, I would avoid this airport in summer months. Avoid the deep gouges near the approach end of runway 8. No accessable exit off runway.
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