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nd_rice
04-12-2009, 09:22 PM
So I had a great opportunity to make believe I was landing on a very long sandbar surrounded by water the other day. My destination was D29 (Drayton, ND). Well if you heard about the Red River flooding Fargo and Grand Forks, ND at all it all traveled up North and flooded Drayton. Everything in the area was flooded. When the airport came into sight all I could see was the asphalt of the runway above water. It looked like the water was at most five feet from all sides of the runway. So I was thinking it was like a VERY long and paved sandbar that was surrounded by water. Then I got to thinking is the Airport even open? When I talked to my briefer he didn't say it was closed. So was it open even though it's almost over run with water? Should I have called the airport manager to find out for myself? I didn't think it would be an issue before I departed. It was a flight just to look at all the flooding and little did I know the airport was in jeopardy too.

Well long story short I did not land there. I had a gal with me and it was her first time in a "small plane". So I made sure not to take any unnecessary risks. I was thinking through all the worst case scenarios about having to try to land in the flooded country side and how that could be no fun. If I had been by myself I would of landed there.

Just curious what everyone else thinks of that situation.

Steve Pierce
04-13-2009, 06:51 AM
I would say if there were no "X"s nor NOTAM it would be legal but you would have to make the determination but you would have to decide how safe it was. Wish we could distribute some of that rain down here. We have had wildfires that burned half of the airport because of our drought. We flew around Friday morning to survey the damage. http://picasaweb.google.com/Pierceaero/Fire# Aren't we lucky that we can take to the air an get such a perspective of the situation.

Bultaco Jim
04-13-2009, 11:59 PM
Welcome to my world. During the winter, and when the tide is high, my airport,(Shellville) sometimes has water on both sides right up to the asphalt. 50ft by 2700 ft surrounded by water. Very intimidating when I was learning to fly a shortwing taildragger! No wonder it's called the USS Shellville.
I think it was a good decision on your part. Do the iffy stuff when you're alone.
PS We had a B-17 land here today, escorted by our own P-40 and a P-51. What a great day to be at the airport!

Steve Pierce
04-14-2009, 06:20 AM
Come on Jim we need some cool photos with that post. :D

Hillbilly
04-14-2009, 09:27 AM
Yeah Jim, I'm with Steve- the best looking two prop powered fighters ever and you post no pics?
Gotta be some beers involved... :shock:

joewcasey
04-14-2009, 11:39 AM
I live in Pembina, 29 miles north of Drayton. I drive by there for work every day. Most of these airports around here are used primarily for ag flying, they do have managers and others who pretend to work there, but notams are hard to come by. Landing at Drayton would've been a non-event, just keep it on the pavement. It's definately in better shape than PMB, where the water is in both hangars and the road to the airport from the north is washed out. I have numerous pictures taken less than a week ago when the water was just a couple inches lower than it is now, but I don't have a program that will resize them to an acceptable size for the forum.
Just so others can get a perspective, the river is usually about 200 yards across, it's now 7 miles at its widest, which is just about Drayton. All the fuss that was made about Fargo on the news over the last couple weeks was with a river crest of right about 41ft, Drayton has already crested and Pembina is almost crested at 52.5ft. The Interstate, which is about 2-4 miles from the river depending on the point, will close at 54ft. FWIW.

Bultaco Jim
04-14-2009, 11:37 PM
You know, I did take a number of pictures. As soon as my computer expert (wife) gets back from L.A., I'll attempt to post. I had to see it to believe it, but it ended up being a non-issue,(B-17 on such a shortstrip). On landing he was taxiing normally at 70% of the runway with 5 knots of headwind. Later, when they left, the wind had grown to 8 or 9 and he was off at halfway. Took off and climbed to maybe 600ft, then cranked a 50 degree turn and lost altitude to aim right at us. Made a low pass most Mustangs wouldn't do, with a younger guy standing up in the upper gun port waving both arms.
I've seen maybe 5 B-17's in my life, but this one is my favorite,(Liberty Belle). We're going to put the tin back on the hanger roofs next week.

Curly
04-15-2009, 02:34 AM
That B17 pilot has been watching to many repeats of Maverick and Goose!
(Man I wish I had seen it! :D )

Jetfever
04-15-2009, 09:56 AM
Steve, Thanks for the wildfire/ airport photos. Hope you get some rain soon.

Is that a cigarette ash tray! on top of the 'Pacer instrument panel? I always wondered if these planes came with one. :D

I don't see any evidence on the glare shield of my '59, (fabric covered) but I'll look next time I'm under the panel.

I don't want an ash tray, but I have seen some cool "mods" in the back of Cessnas where the 'tray is turned into a place for a "retractable" headset plug.

JohnW
04-15-2009, 11:00 AM
Okay, there's a little "philosophy" about having an ashtray in an airplane that you are not SUPPOSED TO smoke in. It's why the airlines still HAVE ashtrays even though they no longer allow it...A smoker (and everyone else, for that matter) sometimes goes into "automatic mode", and can do so especially when under a certain amount of "anxiety", which many "non-regular" flyers experience sometimes and people have been known to "fire one up" even though in their forebrain they know they aren't "allowed" to. It's an "autopilot" thing (aka: "Blank Brain Syndrome"). Now what to you do if you DON'T have an ashtray and you are busted holding a lit ciggie? Toss it out the VistaVent??? Everybody's heard of "Ya don't spit into the wind". right? I think you'll agree that might require a little "consideration", eh? There's SUPPOSED to be an ashtray accessible to every "warm body" in the airplane. I've never once heard of anybody being written up for not having an ashtray (and several Maufacturers have left them out at different times), but even if you firmly believe you'll never experience someone lighting up even when they "know better", its a good thing to be able to get the Coffin Nail put out safely. Besides, its a good place to store spare fuses, and "parking meter change" and other non-combustible "littles".

Don't shoot me...I'm just the Messenger (and I'm not about to go FIND the requirement, itself. But it's there).

Bultaco Jim
04-18-2009, 05:59 PM
OK, Here's some B17 photos from Schellville.
Check out the website for Schellville http://www.napanet.net/~arbeau/usaah/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3651/3453903208_3d43abac74_b.jpg
Arrival. NOT the low pass of departure.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3302/3453089559_ddae16469a_b.jpg
Oh the sound

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3412/3453902134_4ce32411cf_b.jpg
Little Friends

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3584/3453087869_836a244b7d.jpg?v=0
The Mustang Based Here

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3298/3453091175_e3c71379db.jpg?v=0
Taxi

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/3453906726_783f0a6fbc.jpg?v=0
Parking

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3404/3453908042_a224712519.jpg?v=0
Shutdown

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3453094817_516df9ee7b_b.jpg
1937 Curtis. Only one in the world.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3599/3453910478_7332f6bbf5.jpg?v=0
Startup

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3600/3453913132_62bffc13b5.jpg?v=0
Just one end of airport. Schellville has 60 hangers and a1500ft cross-wind runway.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3573/3453100023_57741011b5_b.jpg
Chris Prevost, owner of P-40 and airport. (and AT-6 and two Stearmans)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/3453101233_4cd7d4c31d_b.jpg
Easy Takeoff

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3453101567_fe4ae6483e.jpg?v=0
Takeoff

Bultaco Jim
04-18-2009, 06:02 PM
Forgot to add the pretty Mustang
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/3453093699_67280728a2_b.jpg

joewcasey
04-18-2009, 07:51 PM
Beautiful pics, if you've never taken a ride on a B-17, I highly recommend it. Mine was years ago, and I can still feel the starter's torque in my feet in the radio room. Anyway, where did that PV-2 Harpoon in the backround come from? I don't suppose you know/have a pic of the N-number?

Bultaco Jim
04-18-2009, 10:43 PM
Joe, that plane has been sitting there for 20 years. Looks good from afar, but it's a bird condo now. OK, now Joe, tell me why you recognized it?
P.S. I'll try to get an N number and photo. My camera battery died as we were unloading these. I was lucky to get what I got. If I had any warning, I would have brought a video camera. I just happened to be at the airport doing the Pacer's annual. Done now, but my first experience punching and oiling struts! Last time too! There was an ugly moment when I considered switching the Colt's sealed ones over. The Angel on my other shoulder was bigger and more skilled.

Steve Pierce
04-19-2009, 06:41 AM
Nothing cooler than watching a radial engine start up much less 4. :)

joewcasey
04-19-2009, 11:28 AM
Hi Jim,

There used to be a firebomber company based at BYG, Buffalo, WY; Hirth Air Tankers. They had 2 PV-2's as tankers, and 3 others they had used as sprayers in the late 70's, early 80's. John died in his PV-2 in PA back in '97 (http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photo/Unti ... id=0610231 (http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled-(Hirth-Air/Lockheed-PV-2-Harpoon/0649431&tbl=&photo_nr=42&sok=&sort=&prev_id=0674733&next_id=0610231)), and his wife, Connie tried to keep the business going for another year or so. She brought the second PV-2 out to BYG in the summer of 98 and tried to make a go of it that last season. During that time, I got to take a ride on a practice drop, helped change brakes and spend time in awe of that amazing machine. She offered me the right seat for the summer, but due to my lack of ratings, I would've had to quit college to get the requirements and as it turned out, the airplane only flew a couple hours that summer anyway. Shortly thereafter the tanker was parked (http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photo/Unti ... id=1123177 (http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Lockheed-PV-2-Harpoon/1164083&tbl=&photo_nr=26&sok=&sort=&prev_id=1164522&next_id=1123177)), and another of Connie's Harpoons was brought out of 20 years of mothballs from Grand Island, NE. My dad, me, Jim McLaughlin and a couple others spent about 2.5 years restoring it. Then the airplane was flown to Pensacola and parked at the Navy Museum (http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photo/USA- ... id=1309442 (http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photo/USA---Navy/Lockheed-PV-2-Harpoon/1320970&tbl=&photo_nr=9&sok=&sort=&prev_id=1320971&next_id=1309442)) in exchange for 2 Convair 440's that Connie sold to an outfit in Africa, I think.

Bultaco Jim
04-19-2009, 10:58 PM
There had to be history. Most people wouldn't recognize one from that photo.

joewcasey
04-25-2009, 09:41 AM
Here are a few pictures of the flooding over the last few weeks.

joewcasey
04-25-2009, 09:43 AM
Just one more.

Steve Pierce
04-25-2009, 05:56 PM
After spending a week in Florida and it being 99 degrees here in Texas it is hard to imagine snow. :shock:

JohnW
04-25-2009, 06:06 PM
Yeah? It was EIGHTY-SIX at my place today. Too hot too fast (had a HIGH of 38F a couple days ago AND an overnight low LAST NIGHT of 32F!!!)! And it rained about TWO INCHES overnight. Just ain't civilized when it changes FIFTY FOUR DEGREES in twelve hours. If it was 75 all year long in the daytime, I wouldn't mind if it snowed four inches every night, all year long.

Larry Huntley
04-25-2009, 06:15 PM
Now I remember why I didn't move any further south. Larry ,in comfortable Dundee,NY



After spending a week in Florida and it being 99 degrees here in Texas it is hard to imagine snow. :shock:

Stephen
04-25-2009, 08:42 PM
When it reaches 86 degrees here in the NW (which is generally four or five times per decade), we have to stop all work for the day and replenish fluids.

Bultaco Jim
04-27-2009, 01:10 PM
I've taken two motorcycle trips up to Seattle, separated by two years, and both times it was 95-100 degrees. Needed to get back to California to cool off. Next time I visit up there, I'm bringing air-conditioning.