Runway markings--need ideas

Robert De Leon

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Jan 21, 2002, 4:23:51 PM1/21/02

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Our club has a grass turf runway... 200 ft. wide x 5000 ft.

We need to mark our displaced threshold at one end so that approach patterns
can be flown knowing where the runway end is in relation to the powerlines
and hangar that's 7-800ft. from where the threshold is.

It would be nice to see a line running across the turf that can be clearly
seen on the downwind leg and on final. If not that, then some kind of
markers on the runway sides that can help dictate the runway's starting
point.

Obviously the marker(s) must not present any kind of safety problem in the
event the glider lands a few feet short and rolls out across this boundary,
or near the runway's side.

Does anyone have any neat, safe, durable, visible ideas/devices that we
might employ?

Thanks...
Bob

Al

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Jan 21, 2002, 4:34:39 PM1/21/02

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mark it with fertilizer...

different grass colors will do the rest..
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John Wren

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Jan 21, 2002, 4:54:21 PM1/21/02

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Dig out a 2" deep trench to the dimensions you want and where you want the
markers to go. Fill with crushed white stone or we use 2x8 lumber painted
white.
--
John Wren

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Nyal Williams

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Jan 21, 2002, 5:12:27 PM1/21/02

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I'm aware of an airport that put three our four old tires on either side of
the runway, marking the outer edges of the threshold line. The tires are
painted yellow.

Who needs a threshold with 5000ft? We're jealous!

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Bill Daniels

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Jan 21, 2002, 5:35:03 PM1/21/02

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Plant wildflowers?

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JohnPegase

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Jan 21, 2002, 5:47:47 PM1/21/02

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Could spray a line with weedkiller. Saw a playing field with someone's name
etched into this way (vandals I assumed). And another with an I love you
message. Stood out very well from the air, and presumably from the upper
floors of the school next to it.

Could cut the grass much more often on the side to land on. They do that at one
club I fly at. It shows up okay. Cutting it right down to the ground would
work if you don't like the idea of leaving slightly longer grass behind it
(where gliders should not be landing anyway).

John Wright, 742

Steven VFR

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Jan 21, 2002, 8:04:47 PM1/21/02

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<<Who needs a threshold with 5000ft? We're jealous!>>

200ft x 5000ft? Plenty of room for landing, AND there's enough room to land
lots of planes side by side, on a 5000ft Wide runway)

Steve

Robert De Leon

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Jan 21, 2002, 11:13:25 PM1/21/02

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> From: stev...@aol.com (Steven VFR)
> Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
> Newsgroups: rec.aviation.soaring
> Date: 22 Jan 2002 01:04:47 GMT
> Subject: Re: Runway markings--need ideas

===========

We do land side-by-side on this runway. However, at the north end, we have
powerlines and a hangar that is just inside the lines and extends down the
runway.

For most of the year, our winds are southerly, so we land over these
obstacles. We want to make it very clear where the displaced threshold is,
and the active side of the 200 ft width. Our extreme right side is for
transiting gliders to the starting line which is almost mid-field. So with
gliders on down wind, and visiting transient aircraft, we want to make it
apparent to pilots where the runway threshold is, and which side of it is
active runway.

I think I'm going with the fertilizer suggestions. Least labor intensive
and it's earth friendly.

Bob

Atacdad

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Jan 22, 2002, 1:46:26 AM1/22/02

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Lime or chalk(gypsum) dust. You have to refresh it occasionally, but it
doesn't need watering or mowing and if you put it down in a wide enough
strip, it should be pretty visible. Its what they used to use for football
fields before they started spray painting.

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Roger Thomas

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Jan 22, 2002, 3:25:06 AM1/22/02

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Hi Bob

We have a grass glider field with concrete markers that are sunk
(level)into the ground. These markers are then painted white and are
highly visible from the air. The one runway is also slightly displaced
and we have l___l marking indicating the beginning of the usable
runway.

With it being concrete and level with the surrounding grass, if an
aircraft was to land short and run over the marker it does not cause a
problem.

Martin Gregorie

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Jan 22, 2002, 5:30:43 AM1/22/02

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On Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:23:51 -0600, Robert De Leon <del...@ev1.net>
wrote:

>Our club has a grass turf runway... 200 ft. wide x 5000 ft.
>
>We need to mark our displaced threshold at one end so that approach patterns
>can be flown knowing where the runway end is in relation to the powerlines
>and hangar that's 7-800ft. from where the threshold is.
>

In Europe its quite usual to see a steel cable strung along a power
line above the power cables and fitted with large, bright orange
plastic balls to highlight the cable location.

Any change of arranging to get that done where the lines are close to
the runway? You could point out to the power company that this could
well be cheaper than for them than the major power outage that will
result if the lines get hit.