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View Full Version : In search of grass.....a fun day



Dave S
07-23-2013, 05:24 PM
A friend and I have been looking for a window of opportunity to do a short trip so we could exercise our planes on some neat and fun grass fields. Saturday July 20, 2013 dawned as the perfect day....so what are we going to do?...Talk or fly? Possibly the easiest decision that could be made by Kitfox and Sky Ranger owners became apparent!


My pal has considerable ultralight experience; and, our first destination, Cherry Grove in southern MN is, well, an ultra lite airpark. I have been making a habit of pretending the tar at my home 'port is 600 feet long when operating our Kitfox but haven't actually operated on a 3 block long grass strip before.....Kitfox handled it great.


The flight of two departed 21D at 12:37 Z to find the sky as soft and smooth as a person could ask for with the sun illuminating the incredibly green countryside. The sun became less apparent as we progressed towards Cherry Grove with increasing middle altitude clouds. What a great day to be out here! The moderate shade from the clouds kept the atmosphere from developing thermals so we could spend as much time sightseeing as possible without needing to constantly correct for those little rises and sinks as we went along. No need to burn gas at a rate that would only serve to get us back on the ground as quickly as possible either so we settled in at a cruise of 70-75 mph and enjoyed our commune with nature, the elements and scenery from an AGL of 1000 – 1500 feet.




My pal landed first at Cherry Grove and parked while I wandered off with the kitfox to the south a couple miles and then came back for an approach to 31. The approach was configured and stabilized for a short field descent and correct approach airspeed.....8 foot tall corn stops right at the beginning of the grass so some runway needs to be sacrificed in the name avoiding green stains and corn tassels on the undercarriage. Just before the wheels meet the wet grass is the point in time where it is genuinely apparent that the far end of the runway isn't all that far away....but the performance numbers don't lie and it fits just fine with a short roll out due to minimum touchdown speed and wet grass.


Cherry Grove has to be one of the smoothest grass strips out there where this picture doesn't do justice to the golf green like texture; however, as the photo looking towards the approach end shows, it is of a cozy length with its center being somewhat concave lengthwise and the corn clinging to the low rise you descend over on short final. Looking the opposite way down the departure end there is a flat field road and some soybeans immediately after with a single pole off to the right a bit but not in the way as an obstruction unless one turns towards it intentionally. Watching another person take off, if it were not for the wind sock, one would be hard pressed to see the site as an airport:rolleyes:



Who says you have to spend a lot on a hangar?...the ones at Cherry Grove, I am told, are all less than $500 each.....not fancy but really cheap..check it out.:D



Our second grass stop, KSYN, is a well used field, including 18/36 and 09/27 runways, each of us have been to many times which hosts a number of sport planes and gliders located 15 SM NW of Cherry Grove....not far but a pleasant hop. Being the good day it was, everyone was out...... kitfox, cubs, champs, gliders....




How can you beat a good day of flying? :)



Dave S
KF7 Trigear
912ULS Warp Drive


St Paul, MN

Pilot4Life
07-23-2013, 05:51 PM
That's exactly why I am yearning to buy/build! What a great day indeed. Great post...so motivating! Thank you Dave!

DesertFox4
07-23-2013, 06:42 PM
That little grass strip just has fun written all over it.
Kitfox tracks in the clover.
It seldom gets better.

There are a few days a year when I miss Minnesota. That looks like one of them.;)
Thanks Dave.:)

SkySteve
07-23-2013, 09:21 PM
Looks like the fun meter is pegged!