armody

My Feedback: (10)

Hi y'all,

I just have a question which are the good choices when it comes to Runway? I flew few times on concrete but I did not like it and with little hard landing my deceased P51 Mustang had a bent landing gear. The club I fly it is dusty and grass is growing and ultimately it would be grass. Field is pretty good size, but I don't think anyone is gonna fly turbines out there.

I personally love grass, it provides a great cushion against hard landings. Now what are your choices? and we gotta go with what runway club has. Do planes different ones like warbirds, sport flyers, 3D, scale have got anything to do with runways provided grass runway is good for such and such planes, concrete is good this and so on. I'm sure this topic had been discussed before, just I wanna know the insight of experienced flyers over here so I can learn something new again Though I'm planeless, but mid of June I'd be getting the plane, and I'm working on Memorial day[:@].

No so much to do but "Happy Memorial Day to All"

Thanks


Mody

spadeng

The city park I fly at has a concrete runway, it is really nice, sure it scrapes the props, but the trick is not to land on the prop. The Grass arround is good and is my choice to land on if something goes awry in the air, loose gear etc that would make a hard landing. the grass gets long and critters like to dig holes in the dirt wich is hard on props and makes a bumpy take off. I guess what I am tryin to say is concrete is my first choice for a runway if all goes as planned and I always have a grass landing to choose if I feel the plane will get scuffed on landing

armody

My Feedback: (10)

I liked the way you expressed your choice, this is exactly what I want to know the choices of the flyers and their experiences. I'd like to learn from the posts of diversified choices of people.

Thanks

MetallicaJunkie

i prefer grass my self... and im fortunate that my local club has a nice grass runway

cfircav8r

My Feedback: (1)

Grass is always hard on landing gear. It is usually uneven and creates lots of load on the gear. Yes true tail draggers, that have a skid and no wheel, will do better on grass but they have large diameter narrow wheels. Most of the rest will fare better with concrete or asphalt over grass. Dirt is not hard on the gear if it is smooth and firm, however the dust is hard on everything else. Between concrete and asphalt, I prefer concrete as it doesn't heat up as much. You just have to ensure that the seams are smooth and don't start to buckle. Asphalt tends to be smoother, cheaper and is cheaper to repair, but it needs more maintenance and can give off a lot of heat in the summer.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

PROVIDED YOU ARE USING A MINIMUM OF 2 1/2" WHEELS, a WELL MAINTAINED grass runway is the way to go.

Once it is established, the maintenance is less than concrete.

If the club decides to change flying locations, what do they do about the runway ?? MOST land owners are going to require that the runway be removed ($$$$$$). If it is grass, no problem.

Taxes - a concrete runway means the property is now "improved" (higher taxes) - grass - the property is still "unimproved" (low taxes).

The only problem with a grass runway is planes using wheels smaller than 2 1/2".

Many of the electrics available today use 2" (or smaller) wheels. If the members fly a lot of electrics you may want to consider having an area next to the main runway covered in "Petromat" (oe something similar). This is a flexible covering that will allow planes with small wheels to successfully ROG and land. The product is held down by "turf staples", has a life expectancy of quite a few years and is easily repaired with a high quality duct tape (for the occasional rip/tear). The best part is that is is noticeably less expensive than concrete or asphalt and requires no maintenance.

bigtim

My Feedback: (13)

our club uses turf for the runway pinned down with spikes, works great,when we were forced to relocate the field we pulled the turf up and reused it for the new strip,over plastic sheeting to keep any weeds down.
I have only flown off concrete a couple of times seems to tear up wheels a bit, but I liked it,given a choice the turf works .

foodstick

the petrol mat is hard to beat...

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I like them all but if I had only one choice it would be grass as long as someone else mowed it and kept it nice and short!!! I fly off of a dry lake bed most the time these days or asphalt, it's been a long time sense I have had the pleasure of a nice smooth grass runway. Also depends on the planes I'm flying that day. Grass can be tough whith wheel pants!!

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Petra matt is the best. 1/4 the price of pavement,easy on planes, low maintenance,low rolling resistance..etc..etc. The Google Earth pic shows our whole site. The runway is 45'x500' plus taxi way and ramps.

David

Charlie P.

Snow is my favorite, followed by grass. Water is good but it requires a lot more prepration in the event of an engine stall or a dead stick (like as in a boat). TArmac is great for take-offs but landings can roll way too far. MAybe if I had a model with brakes?

Campgems

David, what is the life expectancy of the Ptrra mat. As I understand it, it is designed as an underlayment for asphalt. How does it stand up to the sun?

Our field is 11 years old now, and it has a 50 x 500 asphalt runway. We don't have the freezing and the problems that come with it, but or field does shift a bit, especially on one end. We have to do a slurry seal every couple years for maintenance, and lots of roundup around the premier to keep the weeds from growing. Our last resurface and repainting of the striping was done last year. We have to mow the area around the fieldfrom late November to mid June. The ground around our field is pocketed with ground squirrel holes, big enough to tear a wheel off a truck. If you run off the runway, you will probably need to replace the nylon screws holding down your landing gear. The squirrels love to dig under stuff, so the edge of our runway is plagued by the holes they dig. Teaches you to land on the runway though.

We have a big circle mid field with a X in it. If you make a greaser landing in the circle, it good for at least a couple ata-boys. Two in a row wins admiration from most of the old timers. Our FunFly last weekend had an impromptu contest of closest to the X on landing. The wind was gusting up to about 20 mph and by the time we got to that competition, it was a 90 degrees to the runway. Only the young and brave attempted it.

By the way. I've flown off grass a few times. and flown off our asphalt runway for the rest of the time. I've got to say , the Asphalt is my favorite. It changes you to a narrow landing zone, regardless of the way the wind is blowing. I think it makes you a bit better pilot. WOW this is going to open up a can of worms.

Don

jeffie8696

Itried to fly today with my Kadet Jr at the local grass field but all it did was mow the grass. However it has flown several times at the Aerohawks field off the matt with no problems at all.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Don, I have no photos that I recall of ground squirl bait cans some of the Merced club members came up with. Maybe I do as part of the background in a photo. Anyway, within a month we finally got rid of those nasty little critters. Tree huggers may not like the idea but it worked great.

fmw

Or no wheels at all. I prefer no landing gear at all on grass. As long as your planes are powerful enough to hand launch, gearless planes land on grass with no noseovers and they fly a little better without gear in the bargain. Tricycle gear on a grass runway is a recipe for nose overs. Hit a bump and over they go. I can make a perfect landing with my PZ T-28 and it will still nose overoften as soon as the front gear hits the grass.

RCFlyerDan

My Feedback: (54)

In Florida, we don't have nice grass. I belong to two different clubs. One is pavement, which I fly everything at, from my turbines, to 44% Giles. I prefer pavement with any plane that has retracts. The grass field is rough and sand gets into everything.

aghost

My Feedback: (13)

Campgems: Our club (ARKS, Amarillo, TX) has a 500' x 50' petromat runway. The original petromat runway was installed in early 1999. We replaced (and extended) it in October, 2004. This petromat is still in service and does not need replacing yet. Some of the pit area petromat lasted ten years. We have lots of sun during the summer and some snow, ice, and freezing temps in the winter, and wind all the time. The picture of our runway was taken in April, 2009, shortly after the runway was striped.

Maintenance is fairly minimal. Keep it staked down so the wind cannot pull it up. be careful mowing around it. Cover/repair prop strikes. Otherwise the cut will grow. We have used extra pieces of petromat with PVC cement to cover prop stikes.

Brian

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I like anything flat

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Don, this life of this is yet to be seen. We replaced our runway after 10 years. Only because we had some erosion problems under it. The taxi way and ramps are original from 13 years ago. They color gets a little grayer every year but it is still fine. Our 10 year old runway went to Lawton OK. RCKen hauled it down there, trimmed it up and his club still using it.
To give you an idea of cost. We spent $3300 in 2007 to replace the 43'x500' runway. This counts shipping and the 5,000 or so staples that hold it down. We got a break on the sales tax because we are on city owned property. Each roll is 15'x300'. It takes 4 men about 3 hours per roll. Many more hours were spent on the surface preparation. The flatter you can get it ,the better off you will be. There are many grades and sizes of this stuff. Ours is woven and tightly weaved. The taxi way and ramp are actually a lesser grade. That is why it is 12' wide and not 15' When we first made our purchase we bought the heavier because it had a higher UV rating. No doubt the sun is a big factor, but the taxi way has held up so well, I can't say the lesser would not have done the same job.

David

Villa

I love to make landings, maybe 6 per flight. I have tried hard surfaces but prefer grass. The landing gear I design can take it.

armody

My Feedback: (10)

Amazing experiences. George Bush park's Dick Scobee flying field is completely concrete, I somehow did not like it at all, I flew at Space City club Katy, it's grass, very nice and easy, I flew there as a guest 60 size trainer, never had a nose over. My club in Magnolia is newly established club, does have weeds, grass as well as ripples on the ground that make many planes nose over especially tail-draggers. I love grass runways personally, but I can also go on natural turf with no grass but no concrete.


Mody

RCER88

My Feedback: (25)

Well I have been flying for 20 plus years now and flown all over the country. I have flown in the desert off hard pack. I have flown off concrete.

I prefer a well maintained grass field. A properly setup, well balanced airplane can fly off grass with NO problems. 1/2a up to giant scale. I have planes with wheel pants and they go off grass ok. I fly planes with retracts off grass too. If the field is rolled a few times a year after a rain it will stay relatively flat. If the grass is mowed short it will allow the plane to taxi without any difficulty.

I have watched many ARF's come apart on grass fields because manufacturers do not reinforce the landing gear area. Even with a perfect landing. Ruined the pilot's whole day.

Like with many things in this hobby my personal preference is grass.

davidgeorge212

I am a member of two clubs, one has a 500 ft. paved runway and one has a 500 + ft. grass runway. I dont really prefer one over the other, they both have their positive and negative aspecst. But when I am at the feild with the grass runway, I bring out my smallest airplane which is a Ken Willard Cannon Shot that has a 15" wingspan. I set it down on the grass and start taxiing it out and then add power and take it right off the grass. A lot of people seemed surprised but it does not seem to have any problems at all taking off the grass. The plane only has 1" foam wheels

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

Ours is pavement and it is one that the city of Rawlins put in for us, Its very nice! Thanks Rawlins city council! But I also fly allot off a dirt runway out side of town. Cross winds are not a problem there because I can take off and land any direction! I still have not flown off grass and will try that soon!

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Grass is not a bad thing. It would be my second choice. Where the matt is better is the maintenance. We are a small club.There are 4-5 of us that mow 11 acres. If we don't get to it we can still fly off the matt and save the mowing for another day. The other thing is, you would be amazed how clean your planes will be flying off the matt.

david