NickDBrennan said:
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.