AvCan Experts Tell Us Grass Runways are Bad

[Colonel]

There is a parallel to learning to ride
a motorcycle.  I tell people to stay off
the street, out of the traffic, and learn
to ride on the dirt/grass/gravel on a little
dirtbike.

You don't need a 500 or even 250cc 2-stroke -
a little 125cc 4-stroke is all you need.

Someone that learns to ride in the dirt
is so far ahead!  All he has to learn about
is gyro precession and traffic and off he
goes.  And he won't sh1t a brick when he
hits a patch of dirt on his street bike.

It's interesting that CYND, CYRP and CYSH
have parallel grass runways, to the pavement.
Use them!

[Barneydhc82]

After 62 years of flying, I've had to hang up my goggles but over those wonderful years of pure enjoyment interspersed  with moments of total terror..like trying to teach Neil how to fly off of a grass strip...most of my most enjoyable moments were flying off grass in a taildragger with NO brakes on the right side with a student in the left seat.


Many of today's puppy farm instructors can;t even think for themselves nor operate anything without a training wheel under the nose.


I first flew from a grass runway in July 1952 in a Fleet Canuck and ended my instructors career in 2003 flying with two great kids in a Fleet Canuck from a grass strip.


Blue skies and may the wind always be at your back
Barney

[Nark1]

It's the vagina-fication of our industry. It's following the general populace.
I shouldn't be surprised when a teenager holds open a door. Does something polite, etc...


Not the other way around.


Likewise, I was landing at my class D airport, around sunset. I asked tower if the grass strip was open (as it's often closed). I was the first one to use it all day.  I was also the First one to use it this season. (When it opened mid May).


Hey-Zeus Christo, I shouldn't have to teach the Captian on a damned Airbus how to fly without flight directors. (Equivalent to no automation).  He should be teaching me.

[Colonel]

That horrible, evil grass.

[img width=500 height=282]http://www.tripletreeaerodrome.com/myim ... c03425.jpg[/img]

A taildragger, radial-engine biplane on grass -
that pilot is a [b]BAD PERSON[/b] four different ways!

Hopefully TC will pull that evil person out
of his airplane after he stops, never to
commit the sin of aviation, ever again.

[Barneydhc82]

This evil person flew an AN2...round engine biplane taildragger ..from AK3, a grass strip so I guess I should be flogged.


Avcan bullshit


Barney

[pdw]

Seems everybody's come to the realization all at once that it's the grass stripping that had the greatest lessons. That's cool ...


It was the very first trip out to a strip that taught me enough to write a book, and after that to lots of them, even out to CYSH.


I recall even then the local FTU told us to stay away from them with their planes, and in no uncertain terms why, .. still do that. Had always used a  private 172 with a waiver for the instruction, so I could go anyway ... proceeding with caution of course ... after a few basic tips studied in preparing  for the flight test.


Which reminds me, for years I took a big CAT diesel highway tractor off-road with a tanker honey wagon down my 1km strip to access different corners of the 100 acres to spread it (good ol fresh country air) which of course depended on wind direction to try'n be as neighbourly as possible. On that old truck dash was a sticker partly-removed/left by the previous owner: [i]a big cat can be dangerous but a little pussy never hurt no one ... [/i]which sounds sorta like  .. [i]a little grass stripping never [/i][i]hurt no one [/i]

[Chris]

I feel kind of lucky, all of the places I've rented aircraft had no problem with me taking the planes to grass strips. Which is good, because there's a nice strip 1.5 km from my house where all sorts of aviation sins happen. Homebuilt biplanes, WW1 replicas, gliding, people flying upside down, people fixing their own planes...

[cgzro]

Grass is great fun but I never did like cleaning all the insects off the plane you get on some grass runways and some of our old trainers are very oily so you have a wonderful mix of grass and oil/insects to clean off after.


Got stuck in the mud once in a Jodel. Had to shut down, get out and push.. was a very messy experience ;)


But honestly, a cross wind on grass in a tail dragger is a non event compared to the equivalent ashfault experience.


Peter

[David MacRay]

Fixed your movie.
[quote author=Shiny link=topic=3748.msg10132#msg10132 date=1469659024]
Grass is a lot of fun and feels "natural" for an airplane to be on. That said there isn't a lot of places as nicely manicure as the Geneso example. Had a bad experience last year on one we were trying to get ready for the summer, not in a plane, but in a tractor. Found a new freakin' badger hole while I was mowing some grass. Good thing I was wearing the seatbelt. Hole was so big I could have crawled into it. Took a while to fill in and smooth out. Needless to say, all grass ain't equal.


In the avcanada topic, I might add that even the mighty Cat Driver had restrictions on people using grass, perhaps he has the same view as I do, as much as it might chafe him to admit.


Here's a sampling of grass runways nearby, see if you can spot the hazards. Its hard to tell given the angle of the gopro though.





I probably don't know what I'm talking about though.
[/quote]

I found out the difference between wet soft ground grass and regular dry stuff, twice with ground transport.

Once I missed an exit just after buying a nice 1986 or so K-20 blazer. Decided it was a great opportunity to drive through a much softer than I ever imagined ditch. "Oh oh, this is mud disguised as grass." Then once in my C-6500 2 wheel drive. Just pulled onto a median to park. Sunk to the axle.

Fourtunately both times being in YYC area, nice guys with a bit more traction showed up, got out a rope or chains then pulled me out.