East Coast Backcountry strips

Grum.Man

Grum.Man

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Sanford NC
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Grum.Man
I am a true outdoors man at heart and love watching the videos of the lucky guys out west doing back country flying into grass strips and camping or fishing. I have been wanting to start building an airplane for my self and can't decide what I want. I keep coming back to the Bearhawk for it's affordability, support, and decent cruise speed. But then it sinks in that there just aren't places on the East Coast that I am aware of to do similar flying to the guys out west. It makes me feel like the stol capabilities are kind of a waste for the trade off in airspeed. I like the RV concept but unless I build an RV10, the others just don't have the luggage space to carry a mountain bike, inflatable kayak, or fishing equipment and camping equipment.

So my question is, are there any hidden gems that I am not aware of for places to fly into and camp on the field near North Carolina? Ideally places within 3-4 hours flight time of central NC. All the good places to go are private or a public airport versus a secluded airstrip. I suppose in the end it doesn't much matter as there is currently no airplane that bridges the gap without getting into a plastic fantastic airplane that cost 50k just for the kit. Either way it would be interesting to hear what's out there from fellow pilots in the area.
 
Not much of what you describe is on the east coast. Some private strips might qualify. But you'd have to make friends with the owner or at the very least get permission to fly in.

There are plenty of public grass strips around though, and some of them allow camping. They're just not very "backcountry".
 
That's what I kinda figured. 99% of the grass strips over here do not require a STOL aircraft and there is no where high enough for density altitudes to be a major concern.
 
http://www.airnav.com/airport/I41 i live across the river from Newlon. They have a great campground, grass strip and quite a bit of skydiving activity. its not secluded by any means but it is right on the Ohio River.And there is a killer pizza place within walking distance. You can camp right on the river.

Wolf Run Lake farther north in Ohio is nice too. Not secluded asphalt strip right on a lake but all of the campers etc are on the other side of the lake
 
tree96 said:
http://www.airnav.com/airport/I41 i live across the river from Newlon. They have a great campground, grass strip and quite a bit of skydiving activity. its not secluded by any means but it is right on the Ohio River.And there is a killer pizza place within walking distance. You can camp right on the river.

Wolf Run Lake farther north in Ohio is nice too. Not secluded asphalt strip right on a lake but all of the campers etc are on the other side of the lake
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I'm pretty sure if you can walk to a pizza shop, it's not considered backcountry. :)

Cool airport, though.
 
Floats and skis are the only approximation to bush flying on the east coast.
 
There are many public grass strips in the Mid-Atlantic region, and some of those are good for camping. There are many more private strips that you will be invited to as you expand your network of backcountry pilot connections. I recommend you get connected on www.backcountrypilot.org and get hooked up with other BCPers from your area. Here are 2 videos I've made on quasi back country flying in the area. The private High Rock airport is one of the best places I've found for a camp out. It sits on the North Fork of the Potomac River, right between West Virginia and Maryland. There is a picnic table by the water and great spots to pitch a tent. I know the BCP folks stopped there as a group on a big X/C tour they made last summer. I have been there several times with others that know the owner. I don't know him well enough to fly in by myself yet, but I'm working on it.

Networking can open a lot of doors to some spectacular spots here on the East Coast, particularly now that the Recreational Aviation Foundation (www.raf.org) has shepherded passage of Recreational Use Statutes (RUS) in many eastern states. These laws wave the liability of property owners that make private lands available for public recreation. The RUS legislation was crafted to specifically include aviation as a recreational use. The RAF is also a good reference for backcountry flying options and I recommend joining them to further expand your backcountry flying options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrdPU0Xq5TU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3RBMcvE9OU
 
Brad Z said:
I'm pretty sure if you can walk to a pizza shop, it's not considered backcountry. :)

Cool airport, though.
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True. But I wouldn't eat anything I caught out of the Ohio River though....
 
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