On Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 6:25:50 PM UTC-4, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:

Our field (I've flown there since the early '70's) tends to be "safer" taking off to the west (more options for..... whatever may happen)....
Landings tend to be, "Into the wind", thus maybe ~30% of the time AGAINST glider traffic takeoff direction.

Not an issue for us, or the "regulars" at our field.
"Major issue" for "power training flights/transients" coming into our public use airport at times. They seem to have issues dealing with "something new".

Then again, they think a 2200' paved runway is a "short runway"....... sigh.......

Similar to Charlie's comments- Blairstown NJ operations strongly favor taking off to the West (RWY 25). There is 2000 feet of farmland off the end of the runway, greatly improving the situation in the event of a PTT. The east end is populated by a fenced dog run and athletic fields, which are obviously much less desirable alternatives.

So, we tend to take off on 25 unless the winds are more than 10kts out of the NNW to East. The towplane normally lands on 07 because the approach is much clearer and the landing area is fully available (gliders are staged in the grass runway parallel to paved runway 25). The gliders land on whichever runway the winds favor; that decision is made by the instructors of the day.

The runways are appropriately marked (including hold-short lines on the taxiway which crosses the grass runway), but we do have to be vigilant for transient folks who don't "get" the fact that there are two, parallel runways. Local pilots (power and glider) tend to do a very good job of fitting in. Folks just passing through who haven't checked the AFD can be confused, especially because the gliders use a left pattern on 25 and right pattern on 07.

Confused?

P3