In mid August I'm taking the family to meet some friends at Odell Lake for a couple days of fishing and relaxing. Planning on landing at Crescent Lake State, since it's only a few miles from the resort, and my friends will pick me up. It looks like there are tie down spots on the south end but that's about all I know about the strip. Has anybody landed there and fished at Odell? I here the Kokanee fishing is pretty awesome and some big Mac's too. If anybody has any local knowledge or information please share. Hopefully the fires and smoke won't screw up my plans. It looks like cheapest fuel is at Bend ($4.99) so I'll top off there on the way back to Spokane.

Airport is NOTAM closed.

!MMV 05/021 5S2 RWY 13/31 CLSD TO FIXED WING ACFT 1405061538-1410312359

I just called the Oregon department of aviation and they said the asphalt is buckled and in bad shape. No money to fix so it will stay closed for now. Looks like I'll have to land at Bend and get a car. Or, just get some amphibs on the 182. Glad you pointed that out because I likely wouldn't have noticed that until I called flight service the morning I planned to leave....

The other problem at Crescent Lake airstrip in late summer is the mushroom pickers. Bunch of tweakers, and unless you leave an armed guard, these assholes swarm out of the woods the minute you walk away from your airplane. Last two times in there, stopping to use the laundromat on the way home from BC, we walked around the bend to find a group around the airplane pulling at the door. Ended up flying down the hill to Sun River.

Gump

Shame though since there is MoGas, a store and broasted chicken right there. They had just re-paved it the previous year too. We need to get this one back open!

Maybe they should just get rid of the asphalt. That would be a nice improvement.

It used to be about 1/3 gravel, and the rest just shitty asphalt. They must have worked real hard to screw that up.

Gump

Last few times I flew over it looked like a large amount of sand had drifted over the runway in several places. Maybe it was pumice?? Or something else?? I don't know, but that's what it looked like?

CW

I see the airport is NOTAM'd Closed till Oct. Maybe for re-furbishment. Anyone have details?

piperpainter wrote:I see the airport is NOTAM'd Closed till Oct. Maybe for re-furbishment. Anyone have details?

Oregon Department of Aviation web site says Closed for reconstruction. https://www.oregon.gov/aviation/Pages/S ... ports.aspx

I have flown over it several times this summer. It looks like they tore up the asphalt on the southeast third of the runway and are making improvements on the northwest end. It will probably go from a 3900 foot runway to a 2000 foot runway.

We overflew 5S2 yesterday and it appears that the reconstruction is nearly complete. Brand new surface and fresh paint so I imagine it will be opening soon, but that is just conjecture on my part. There was still heavy equipment on and around the runway as of yesterday.

Sent an Email to Oregon Aeronautics this morning, this is the reply:



Thanks for your inquiry.

The Crescent Lake State Airport is currently closed (via NOTAM 08/016) until October 1 for construction, as a complete runway renovation is in process. Please refer to current NOTAMs for updates on the actual date it will be reopened for public use.

The airport is closed annually on November 1-May 1 due to snow and this information is published in the FAA Chart Supplement Northwest. We do not plow the airport.

The closure to fixed wing traffic was a couple years ago due to many cracks and larger fractures in the pavement caused by frost heave that created obvious unsafe conditions. But, that NOTAM was cancelled last year.

The project includes complete reconstruction of the runway and associated safety areas, drainage improvements, removal of tree growth within the primary surface, parking ramp improvements and relocation of the wind cone. In short, it will look like a brand new airport. The project is funded by aviation fuel tax.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me. Have a pleasant day.


DON HANKWITZ, C.M., ACE
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION
AIRPORT OPERATIONS & SAFTEY INSPECTOR


OFFICE 503-378-4176 CELL 503-580-0879

[email protected]
WEBSITE www.oregon.gov/aviation

3040 25th Street SE, Salem, OR 97302


When it reopens (soon), it will be a nice runway.