The Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association Needs Your Help!

The "trick" here is to NOT designate or claim the turf or grass strip as a
separate runway from the paved portion - if you do that you run afoul of
an obscure FAA airport dimensional requirement that mandates minimum
spacing between "parallel runways" (500' as I recall). Rather, you
position should be that it's all the same runway - except that one side of
it is not paved.

Yes, that's what we do at Nashua, NH (KASH). We operate some tail
draggers on the grass adjacent to the 5000 ft paved rwy. The tower
treats both as a single rwy for spacing purposes. I love it when they
clear me for the grass and tell me that it's at my own risk. Like,
landing on the pavement isn't either :-).

Tony V.

Many thanks to all who have participated in this thread. I have
forwarded the thread in whole and private email response to Bob. I
suspect he'll be in touch with a few of you for more information during
the next few weeks.

Again, Thanks.

Chris O'Callaghan (OC)
Task Day Chair, Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association.

wrote:
M-ASA Needs Your Help

Bob Jackson
1/18/2005

Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association (M-ASA) Needs Your Help

Last week the Airport Manager at Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK)
closed down the turf strip which has been used by M-ASA for the past
40
years. The claim is that the grass strip does not meet FAA standards,
but thus far there is no clear cut definition of those standards. Bob
Jackson, President of M-ASA would appreciate hearing from the SSA
Membership about any other locations around the country where there
is
a turf runway parallel and adjacent to a paved runway. Currently,
similar situations are known to exist at Elmira, NY, Poughkeepsie,
NY,
and Dansville, VA. Bob feels that if he could learn more about these
and similar situations, he could then follow up to determine if the
circumstances are similar and, if so, what sort of arrangement they
have with the FAA. In addition, these examples will help when M-ASA
officials have meetings with the Airport Commission, the City, and
the
FAA. Please e-mail your comments to or phone
717-642-9886. Thanks for your help.

(You may also respond through the thread. I'll make sure relevant
information makes it to Bob. M-ASA's approximately 170 members
operate
out of facilities at FDK and a club-owned airport in Fairfield, PA
(W73). Between the two airports, we maintain a fleet of approximately
100 club and privately owned aircraft.)

The Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association.

What a wonderful concept...

Would that be Bermuda? The Azores? Madiera? Canaries?

;-)

Chris,

Practically every soaring site in Region II that I can think of fits
this description:

- Blairstown NJ (1N7)
- Middletown NY
- Kutztown PA
- New Garden PA
- Forrestal NJ (no longer an airport)

For what it's worth, there are several other "interesting"
configurations involving intersecting runways, overlapping approaches,
etc. If there's a "standard", I sure haven't seen it.
Erik Mann
SSA Governor NJ