Marfa, TX

Burt, my curiosity has the better of me...whats the story on the private strip southeast of Marfa? Google Earth's ruler says 9000'- - must be one hell of a jet.

That's the McGuire ranch strip, about 5 miles south of Marfa Airport, one of the few ranch runways out here that's in good shape and barely wide enough for glider wingspans. Like many ranch airports, it is not on the El Paso sectional aero chart, by request. Texans like their privacy! I have permission to land and aerotow out (sometimes when giving a checkride!) It's a good alternate when an isolated T-storm (as in "The Sun Ship Game" film) is sitting on Marfa Muni Airport (KMRF.) Now look about 8 miles ESE at about 115 degrees and find the big WWII Marfa Army Air Field on the south side of highway 67/90, site of the "Sun Ship Game", the legendary camps and contests of the 60's and the World Soaring Championship at Marfa in 1970. Now part of a private ranch, it is un-landable. The many runways and that big wide ramp we flew off of (80 plus sailplanes in '69 and '70) are returning to nature but clearly visible on Google Earth. The huge wooden hangar seen in the SSGame film is long gone. Lots of soaring memories for me out on that old base, but we're making new memories now at the Marfa Muni Airport north of town. Garsh, I'm a lucky dog, ya-huh! (See the 1940 Disney cartoon "Goofy's Glider" for a complete understanding of that statement.)