Runway Smoothing

[John DeRosa]

Sky Soaring Membership,

You may have noticed that over the last decade or so the runway has become rougher. This roughness is especially noticeable between the mid-field windsock and the west threshold. Each spring we “roll” the field using use our heavy concrete filled roller towed behind the Ford tractor to help “flatten” the runway. This has had little to no effect over the previous few years.

The board’s flight chairman, and maintenance chairman, feels that this roughness has gotten to the point of being potentially hazardous to our aircraft and membership. The board has been working with a local individual to provide a quote for various solutions to this issue. Since August Dave Winters and John Lincoln have surveyed the runway’s rough areas, and worked with this contact to get ideas for remediation. The current idea is to strip, add topsoil, grade, and re-plant grass along a 40 foot wide area of the centerline of the runway. This would cost an estimated $17,230.

The work would not greatly impact the usability of the runway by using, as much as possible, other portions of the runway primarily along the northern edge. We want to start this work this fall to allow the newly planted grass to get a head start before spring.

The board would like your input on this expenditure and will speak to details at the upcoming membership meeting on Saturday October 21st.

Thank you, Sky Soaring Board of Directors

[John Phelan]

John D.

Is this 40’-wide area down the entire length of the runway or just the east end?  How many square feet of resurfacing are we talking about?  Is the Board getting competitive quotes on the work?  Thanks.

Best Regards,

John F. Phelan

From: SSI <webmaster@skysoaring.com>
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2023 9:34 PM
To: phelanjf@gmail.com
Subject: Runway Smoothing, By John DeRosa, [Sky Soaring]

[Art Silverman]

Just a thought….. Our members know that the center 40 feet is level, but a GA pilot who decides to practice landing on our field will not know this. Could there be a problem if a GA pilot land with one wheel on the level surface and the other wheel on the rough surface? Could there be a problem iIf our pilot (Glider or power) land on the level surface and turns onto the rough surface while going too fast?

Is it possible to level the spots between the ‘bumps’? Filling in the bumps will not make the surface level, but it will eliminate the bouncing.

[John Lincoln]

A couple clarifications. The length that is currently being evaluated is 1,400′ starting 200 feet west of the west threshold markers (roughly where the tow plane starts when towing) and ending abeam the east hangar. The width is 30′. However due to the need to “blend in” the highs and lows and the fact that there will be some “extra” material the effective width will be around 32 to 36 feet.

I have not gotten competitive quotes. I have gotten estimates in the last few years for regrading and replanting the runway from Eric Ponch and Chuck Polito. Those estimates have both been well over $100,000. With those prices I stopped investigating with them as I felt that the club could not and would not proceed with them on the regrading.

As to a GA pilot landing on our runway there is a possibility of trouble. It would be reasonable to X out our runway for some period while the grass is growing back in.

If we turn onto our regraded area when going to fast or any other reason I suppose we could damage the work or the plane. I would hope that our pilots would know of what we have done and plan their landings accordingly. After all we will still have the side of the runway for launching, and the side of the runway as well as the taxiway for landing.

“Filling” the “Bumps” isn’t a possibility. “Cutting” the “Bumps” off and filling the “holes” isn’t a possibility either because the “cutting” process doesn’t work with the amount of turf we have.

John Lincoln

[John Phelan]

So, about $0.34/Ft².  Sounds reasonable to me.

Best Regards,

John F. Phelan

From: SSI <webmaster@skysoaring.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2023 12:19 PM
To: phelanjf@gmail.com
Subject: Reply To: Runway Smoothing; By John Lincoln, [Sky Soaring]

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