Clean-up progress at Deer Pasture Airfield

In Central Texas, if you don't keep an airstrip trimmed regularly, they tend to accumulate sprouting (and thorny) mesquite trees and armadillo holes. Also, hangars tend to be a magnet for old furniture, tractors, cars, lumber, equipment, sawdust, tumbleweeds, dirt, and all sorts of things that clutter up the floorspace. But lately, my brother Eddie and I are slowly gaining momentum toward having Deer Pasture Airfield (69TE) back to active status. We have been cleaning up the airstrip and hangar... a really big job. It has been about 5 years since we had anyone land there.

So, this past weekend, it was really nice to have our Taylorcraft friends, Doc and Mark fly-in to lend a hand. There were also two outsiders (non-Tcrafters) who flew in a Luscombe 8F and a Cessna 150 spam can.

The day was good all around. We got started cleaning on the Hangar around sun-up. Then we noticed a darkening sky like we haven't seen in over a month. Texas has been so HOT and DRY, it was a surprise to have a rain shower come through at about 7:00 am. I texted Mark and Doc that they might need to check weather. I heard from Mark around 8:15 that they had enough visibility and were about to head on up.

They arrived a bit after 9:30. By then, Eddie and I were already tuckered out. But having 4 airplanes with 5 helpers drop in gave us a new boost of energy. The guys gave us a hand with the Hangar cleaning and then started working on airplanes. My two sweet daughters spent the morning cleaning up the bathroom and the kitchen areas and had us a lunch of sandwiches laid out by mid-day. The rains came back off-and on all morning and early afternoon, giving us a much appreciated break from the 100F + temperatures as we have seen for more than a month now. By about 4:30, the skies cleared and the temperatures started back up into the high 90's. So the guys got started back home.

Major strides were made today. Again, Thanks Doc, Mark, Michael (Mark's grandson), Bob, and Frank. I sure appreciate you folks who are not afraid of hard work and who are so willing to help a friend. In return, I hope we can have some more good Taylorcraft times at Deer Pasture Airfield in the future.






















We got my new McCauley prop installed and ran the engine on my yellow Taylorcraft, N95598 for the first time in 4 years. All good... except the RH mag is going to have to be overhauled. This was the only bad news of the day, still I got the exhaust shroud re-installed and Mark/Doc installed new fuel hoses too. All steps in the right direction.










Frank tried out the feel of the front office on our Robin NR82H.































Mark's grandson Michael told me he's going into the 9th grade this fall. He flew left seat with Mark as co-pilot on both legs of their trip. It's great to see Mark sharing his old airplane passion with the next generation.












Frank Milard's Luscombe is painted in authentic scheme as used in the Mobil Oil company pipeline patrol days. His public display of affection gives me an uneasy Lusco-phobic sort of feeling.











The guys heading back to Bulverde, TX

Monocoupes and Other Light Monoplanes of 1928

Thinking ahead to this year's theme aircraft (the Monocoupe) for the 40th AAA/APM Fly-in at Antique Airfield, I wanted to share these interesting images from Aviation Magazines of 1928. That year, it seemed that many new aircraft manufacturers were looking to tap into a speculative market for sporty lightweight private airplanes.


Undeniably, the open-cockpit biplane designs had a solid hold on this market due to a proven safety record in the flying-minded public eye. So, attempting to sell monoplane designs was surely a risky venture. But by the late twenties, monoplanes had begun to prove themselves. It might have been the successful transatlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh in his Ryan "Spirit of St. Louis" that finally began to turn the tide of acceptance toward monoplanes. Whatever it was, some of these 1928 models stood the test of time; perhaps none more successfully than the Monocoupes.










Other 1928 Light Monoplanes

FAA to Study Airports

General Aviation Airports are under the FAA microscope, perhaps more now than ever before. See the recent article on the FAA.GOV website. They want to "classify airports according to the roles they support". The report is due in January 2012!! What can this mean for our beloved old airplanes? It could be a good thing! But it will take an active approach by YOU. If you value your local airfield and want to ensure its future, get involved in the dialog. Join the Alphabet groups and speak out on behalf of our kind of flying.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Coincidentally a related story also came out today on the internet news site "General Aviation News" about a recent report published by the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) Office of Aviation. In Chapter 4 of he report titled "2010-2030 IOWA AVIATION SYSTEM PLAN" the agency classifies the state's airports according to length of runway, available fuel, and services offered. Turf airports and paved airports with runways shorter than 3,000 feet in length are labeled as "Local Airports – These airports serve local aviation activity and have little or no services available. Included are airports with only turf runways and those airports that do not have the infrastructure or services to fill the Basic Service role." Other airport classifications are "Commercial", "General", and "Basic" Service airport facilities.

It appears that local, state, and federal agencies plan to use these classifications as a means for determining allocation of funds and presumably 'minimum requirements' to be imposed to help ensure that the transportation system will meet the needs of the foreseeable future. Airstrip owners and small airport owners need to pay attention whenever these agencies start talking about 'minimum requirements'. The IDOTs report already lists some recommended minimum targets for "Local" airports, such as
- 50 feet minimum runway width
- Posted contact information
- Security Plan
- Emergency Plan
- Land use definitions
- Height zoning

Such requirements, currently focused on public airports, stand to increase operating costs. They loom ominously over the skies of our favorite airfields. And as these classifications and labels take hold, it won't be long until private fields will also be affected. It is important for airport users to GET INVOLVED at every level (local, state, federal). Lets all stay abreast of this issue as it unfolds and work to minimize its impact.