For Diana, about 08MO

[SkyHog]

Hey Diana,

I have a question that I felt would not be for a PM, because I think others would be curious about the answer as well.

How do you mow your runways? Is it time consuming? Do you have to do anything special to NOTAM the runway closed or anything while you mow them?

How difficult was it to get permission to build the runways?

Sorry to bug - but I was looking at your listing on Airnav, and it looks pretty.

 

[Diana]

How do you mow your runways? Is it time consuming? Do you have to do anything special to NOTAM the runway closed or anything while you mow them?

How difficult was it to get permission to build the runways?

Sorry to bug - but I was looking at your listing on Airnav, and it looks pretty.

Thanks Nick, it's suffering from the effects of the drought, so there's a lot of brown grass out there right now.

Gee, another chance to post pictures of my John Deere! I'm glad you asked. I love that old tractor! Chug-a-chug-a-chug.

To mow everything including the runways, taxiways, tie down areas and around the hangar, barn, house and orchard takes about 8 hours a week. In the spring and early summer we do it every 6 days or so. Right now with the drought we barely do it all, just a few spots. Mowing the runways is therapeutic time well spent, listening to music, pondering, problem solving, day dreaming or occasionally dancing to a good beat when I get tired of sitting.

We fertilize the runways once a year.

Since it's a private strip, we don't NOTAM it out; don't know about public airports that have grass strips. My friends know to buzz me, errrr, make a low approach to get me to move out of the way so they can land.

When we’ve had a LOT of rain, most people know to call us before they come in to land.

I do have a NOTAM issued out of LLU when I open up the aerobatic practice area over the farm (and notify KC Center). I had to get a special waiver since a federal airway is nearby. Also I got a waiver for aerobatics for Terry and Rodger to practice their air show routine here down to 500 feet AGL.

No need to get special permission to build a runway on your own property in this area. This is our land, and there aren't any zoning issues. We just filled out some paper work to get it put on the sectional (so people could find it better). The FAA recommended right traffic for a few of the runway approaches, but we use standard left.

And just for Frank, I'm also including a picture of one of those giant hay bales next to the runway.

 

[SkyHog]

wow - that's very cool! Thanks for the info - I asked for no reason other than my own personal curiosity. Its gotta be awesome to have that setup.

 

[fgcason]

And just for Frank, I'm also including a picture of one of those giant hay bales next to the runway.

Diana, that tractor is way way too clean. But it does look very happy napping under the trees.

Bushhogs, you gotta love'em. Beats the smithereens out of cutting the runway with a really big lawn tractor.

Mowing runways, haying and flying. That's the best therapy a person can get.

 

[Bill]

And just for Frank, I'm also including a picture of one of those giant hay bales next to the runway.

Looks really nice, someday, when I have my own plane, I'd lije to come visit. I like the pics of the "hay girls" waving at the planes

 

[Diana]

wow - that's very cool! Thanks for the info - I asked for no reason other than my own personal curiosity. Its gotta be awesome to have that setup.

There are certainly drawbacks, like living on a dirt road, no decent hospital around for miles, nearest grocery store is 6 miles away, snakes in the house. Stuff like that. But, to us, it's worth it.

 

[Diana]

Diana, that tractor is way way too clean. But it does look very happy napping under the trees.

Actually Frank, it probably needs some preventative maintenance. When are you getting here?

I am constantly amazed at how well that old piece of machinery works. It's so old! And keeps on chugging along. Are the new John Deere tractors made that well?

Mowing runways, haying and flying. That's the best therapy a person can get.

Are you getting closer yet?

Speaking of lightening, I was thinking of you during that big, bad storm at OSH. Those lightening strikes were SO close. And here we were in our little nylon tent under the wing.

 

[Diana]

Looks really nice, someday, when I have my own plane, I'd lije to come visit. I like the pics of the "hay girls" waving at the planes

Bill, when you get your plane, you'll have to fly your family into the farm.

 

[Dean]

Diana,

How many acres do you have there, my in-laws have 80 acres in OK and my father-in-law wants to build me a runway so we can land at the house when we visit. He has enough room to do about 1800' with no obstacles at either end.

 

[Diana]

Diana,

How many acres do you have there, my in-laws have 80 acres in OK and my father-in-law wants to build me a runway so we can land at the house when we visit. He has enough room to do about 1800' with no obstacles at either end.

Not sure about the acres with just the runways; maybe 80 or so. We have 220 total.

The "no obstacle" part sounds great; wish we didn't have any. Is it flat, or does it have a grade to it?

Tom used to fly a 150 in here before he lengthend the runways. He ended up with branches in the wheels one hot day when he took off with his son years ago. We have since cut those trees down.

 

[fgcason]

Actually Frank, it probably needs some preventative maintenance. When are you getting here?

I've got the tools to take a lot, if not all of it, completely apart and put it together again. Short a few tools probably but I can certainly make a proper mess in the barn.

I am constantly amazed at how well that old piece of machinery works. It's so old! And keeps on chugging along. Are the new John Deere tractors made that well?

No clue about newer ones but in the early 80's I was haying with an old red John Deere from the mid 1950's. Last I heard, that old beater outlived the brand stinking new pretty top of the line Ford tractor. I guess the old one was too dumb to know it should have fallen apart years before and just kept going. I think it bailed the Energizer Bunny at some point in the early 90's.

Are you getting closer yet?

MUCH closer. Seems the schedule kind of, shall we say, got moved up a bit recently... I'm currently looking for land in the MT/ID area. (If anyone has a clue how to find reasonably cheap land please let me know)

Speaking of lightening, I was thinking of you during that big, bad storm at OSH. Those lightening strikes were SO close. And here we were in our little nylon tent under the wing.

BTDT borderline exposed on the CD. It's not close until you can feel the EMF pulse and see with your eyes closed.

 

[Dean]

[QUOTE=
The "no obstacle" part sounds great; wish we didn't have any. Is it flat, or does it have a grade to it?

Pretty flat, there may be two feet difference total.

What is the length of your runway?

 

[Diana]

What is the length of your runway?

This gives the dimensions:
http://www.airnav.com/airport/08MO

They are both on hills. The north/south hill is more of a grade. And we don't use all of the runway to land d/t obstacles on both ends. Well, the other one has obstacles, too.

Chip is going to put my latest video on his server tonight, so you will get a better idea of the short runway. Landing to the north we have to wait to touch down till we get beyond the big oak tree d/t the ditch. The crown is on the west third of the runway and the smoothest part is only about 10 feet wide (or less) and has some big bumps on it. It's hard to make an impressive looking and smooth landing (or take off actually) on that one. How's that for making excuses for my landing in the video.

 

[Dustin]

There are certainly drawbacks, like living on a dirt road, no decent hospital around for miles, nearest grocery store is 6 miles away, snakes in the house. Stuff like that. But, to us, it's worth it.

Dirt roads and out in the sticks I could live with. Snakes in the house, I would be jumping out of a window and screaming as I ran down the dirt road back to civilization. That's about what I do when I see a snake where I live.

 

[Diana]

Dirt roads and out in the sticks I could live with. Snakes in the house, I would be jumping out of a window and screaming as I ran down the dirt road back to civilization. That's about what I do when I see a snake where I live.

Dustin, nice to have you back here.

I think you have to let the snakes know about territory. This is my house, not their house. They usually learn too late.

How are those kids and how's the job?

 

[Bill]

Gee, another chance to post pictures of my John Deere! I'm glad you asked. I love that old tractor! Chug-a-chug-a-chug.

My grandfather, due to advancing age, just recently sold his late 50's Allis Chalmers B. He owned it since new, and I have fond memories as a kid going down to the farm and "helping" Buck by driving that tractor all over the farm. The flywheel had some bad spots, I learned the fine art of hand cranking the old girl. Good stuff, kids and tractors.

A similar B, for those that don't know tractors:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.oktractor.com/acdatapics/b_lrg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.oktractor.com/bdata.html&h=539&w=726&sz=109&tbnid=ToAwTnAyAyQJ:&tbnh=103&tbnw=139&hl=en&start=14&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dallis%2Bchalmers%2Bb%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

 

[Diana]

My grandfather, due to advancing age, just recently sold his late 50's Allis Chalmers B. He owned it since new, and I have fond memories as a kid going down to the farm and "helping" Buck by driving that tractor all over the farm. The flywheel had some bad spots, I learned the fine art of hand cranking the old girl. Good stuff, kids and tractors.

A similar B, for those that don't know tractors:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.oktractor.com/acdatapics/b_lrg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.oktractor.com/bdata.html&h=539&w=726&sz=109&tbnid=ToAwTnAyAyQJ:&tbnh=103&tbnw=139&hl=en&start=14&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dallis%2Bchalmers%2Bb%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

Oh, how I love tractor talk!

We had an old Allis, probably 1950ish. It had a belly mower. It also had tricycle gear. One day I was riding along and the nose wheel broke off and rolled away. Talk about a sudden stop!

Another time the tractor repair truck came to pick it up and the guy didn't realize the brakes were broken and it rolled back down off his truck after he got off of it. Oops. Now, I know I told them about those brakes when I called them to come get it.

 

[Bill]

Another time the tractor repair truck came to pick it up and the guy didn't realize the brakes were broken and it rolled back down off his truck after he got off of it.

That was another fun part of learning the B, it had no footbrake. There were two hand levers, one next to each rear fender, that you pulled to activate that wheel's brake.

A certain 12yr old boy went drifting right through Grandma's garden trying to figure out the brakes. Luckily, he killed the engine and dropped the clutch, stopping short of hitting the house.

Grandma mad, Buck (Grandpa) just laughed. Then we had remedial tractor driving 101 up in the barnyard. Never did that again.

 

[wsuffa]

Cost of £15.00 per square meter.

2000' (600 meter) runway, 25' (8 m) wide. 4800 square meters.

The current exchange rate is about 1.9 dollars per £. 72000 £ = $ 136,800.

Ouch.

 

[Diana]

Here's an interesting product for grass strips.

http://www.s2taviation.com/perfo.html

I'm thinking about using it for our driveway.

(The video is rather interesting, btw. )

Now, that's an interesting concept. Wonder how many times you have to roll it to make it flush with the surrounding ground?

Didn't the military do that when they set up "quicky" airfields, but with some kind of metal mesh?

I like the music in the video. Takes me back to the disco days.

 

[Dustin]

Dustin, nice to have you back here.

I think you have to let the snakes know about territory. This is my house, not their house. They usually learn too late.

How are those kids and how's the job?

It's nice to be back. I have been busy and unable to come on the boards as much as I would like. Tomorrow I have an interview with an academic advisor at CMSU. Looks like I will be going back to college as I am working weekends again. This leaves my weeks free, and I figure I might as well go for a BS in Safety Management.

As for the snakes, one in the house is doable, as long as he leaves before I return from running in hysterics down the road. If I see more than one in the house, it is theirs, I'll sleep outside, LOL.

Kids are fine. They are hard to keep up with and are growing fast. The 2 older ones will start school next week. The youngest still has 2 years before he starts Kindergarten. The job is a job. I am now working there on weekends, 8 hours Friday night, 16 Saturday, 16 Sunday. Makes for a long weekend, but gives me plenty of week days off.

I will try to come back to the boards as much as my schedule will allow.


Oh, yeah, almost forgot. I had to move back in with my mother due to the costs of daycare ($155 week) and the fact that I could not find daycare with any openings. I am now back in Warsaw, and driving up to MKC on Fridays and returning on Mondays.