How to build a Kentucky grass runway

[Ramos]

As already mentioned, the most suitable type of ground cover will best be determined with help from local sources. As for ground prep, a lot depends on what you are starting with. However, when it is time to seed, if at all possible use a Brillion or Brillion type drill (seeder). It will do the best job of giving the grass seed good ground contact while smoothing and packing the surface. It will also break up small clods and help push down small rocks.

[beeryboats]

I moved from California to Indiana when my mother in laws husband died in his Bonanza here. I now take care of the 1800' x 100' strip. Still working on the Kitfox. But the grass here is a very wide leafed, coarse, and fast growing grass for the most part. They did a lot of work getting the runway back in shape after they bought the place in '97. Including rolling it with a big asphalt roller. It's still pretty smooth. I have had a couple visitors fly in with no complaints. If you want to fly/drive up from KY and get a taste of mowing a runway, I'll turn you loose with a mower.
Google:
Newby Landing
36II

[Bob Brocious]

I would kill for access to a D5! Y'all have some amazing toys to play with. My pasture is not flat, but it is pretty smooth. I'm looking for a disk I can use to help smooth it still more. A seed drill would help me get a better grass established.P1010376.jpg

It's in my AP's shop getting an annual at the Madison, Indiana airport.
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[Torch]

Nice looking air strip. My best friend flys a Swift out of Deer Run in Camplesburg. They have 3100 ft of nice sod. Are you familiar with Deer Run ? Kevin

[av8rps]

I built a 2450 x 75 runway on a 60 acre parcel of land I own here in central Wisconsin. I spent most of a summer on a Ford 8n with a grader blade and a drag, in addition I rented a small bull dozer and a large front end loader for a few bigger hills I had to take down. After doing twelve million circles with a drag with a couple bed springs behind it, it turned out super smooth. Planted it with rye, red fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. It's a great strip on a spectacular piece of land.

But ever since my discovery of bigger tires (and lake living and floats) I don't even mow it any more

Note, that Kitfox on my runway is Jim Shnowske's beautiful Speedster with Jim and Paul Buss (owner of a 912ul Avid Mark 4) standing next to it.

[rainbird]

I tried using a piece of fence as a drag if you pile a bunch of. fine dirt on it. It works good to fill in small holes. But it develops a Long Wave as you go down the runway. The problem is the cyclone fence has no cutting edge I added a heavy pipe to the leading edge and a steel catwalk grating to the back, longer waves. The drag has to be rigid and heavy so it shaves off the tops of the humps I like the idea of the truck frame with I beams welded across at different angles. The each angle cuts the hump in a different direction. Only problem being do you have enough Horse Power to pull it. One fellow I talked to built a drake wider than his tractor and about half as long with about five cutters set at different angles. This was mounted to the tractor s 3point hitch so with the draft control he could apply as much or little pressure as he wanted. It also could be lifted for manovering and transporting. I never saw this but he said it did an excellent job of making a large area flat.

[Wheels]

My dad built our runways at the CX Ranch. He used a conventional method he learned in the airforce during his days as an expeditionary airfield builder. He built strips across Europe. He put pipes under the airstrip bed and they were pre drilled to drain water off the strip during the rainy season. I have only seen one flood. The pipes go lateraly across the runway, I don't know how deep or the spacing, but the runway is never too soft to land on. I use a STRAIGT DISC plow to cut the sod every spring and relieve the pressure from the winter frost heaves. Then I roll it with a 500 Gal Propane tank filled with enough water to crush the frost heaves and stones back to where they came from. I can disassemble the roller and use it on any of the strips the the ranch by trailering it to the site. The agitation of a full tank can create a lot of pressure inside the tank so be careful when unscrewing the drain and fill plug. There should be two.