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Hi Bob! And Everyone! AOPA has an excellent free booklet called "Establishing an Airport: The Basics". It covers most of the legal requirements and issues. The runway here is 1,780 msl and, although it's 2,400 ft. long, I have no problems getting my ercoupe (415 N93413) on and off in about 1,400 ft. However, on a 90 degree day, with full fuel, 300 pounds in the cockpit is the limit -- it takes a l-o-n-g way to clear that well-known 50' tree. Fortunately, my runway lies in a valley and the winds usually favor one end or the other and a nice headwind does help some. Of course, tail-draggers are much more at home on grass and don't need nearly as much runway as either my 'coupe or my wife's C-150. A small tractor along with a good mower and some kind of roller is almost a necessity to maintain the surface. Keeping the grass short and the tires on the planes a bit over-inflated helps shorten the takeoff roll. If you build your runway, it is a bit expensive by the time you get the runway built, grassed, and a hanger put up. You also could have trouble getting property insurance if you should mention it. The Tennessee Farm Bureau canceled me when they found out I had done so. But there are other insurance companies. And it's exceedingly nice to spend more time pre-flighting the plane than it takes getting to it. If you establish your runway, it's most important to keep your neighbors happy. Here, we host a fly in and picnic once a year and personally invite everyone around. Along with hamburgers, hot-dogs, and such, we give airplane rides, have an aerobatic show, and ask the medivac chopper to drop in if it's free. As a result, I've heard folks brag about having their own airport in the community. So far, I haven't heard of any complaints about those blanky-blank airplanes flying over. I hope that answers some of you questions about owning a private airport. If you feel I've left anything out and have other questions, please e-mail or call me. If any of you are in this area and would like to drop in, you are very welcome. Just give me a call first so I can be there to meet you. Roger Roach 423 348 7297 Northeast Tennessee Roach Farm Airport - 65TN [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) Cincinnati Sectional 36 20.052'N 82 39.710'W <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. ============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
