I landed here twice. Even with 29's it is rough. Saw a number of big tire planes on the field including the best paint scheme I've seen on a wagon, and it was on 31's.

Disclaimer for new or inexperienced pilots: the turf indicated in the photo is not an official runway. Recommend you land pavement first, then look/walk the turf to ensure you are comfortable with the length and condition.

Come on you Caldwell guys, get together and convince the airport manager he should "beautify" the north side of the runway, just don't tell him you plan on landing on the "beautification".

Almost every airport that I have landed at has this option.

Just don't mess up.

Akt

Amen Akt

Disclaimer for new or inexperienced pilots: the turf indicated in the photo is not an official runway. Recommend you land pavement first, then look/walk the turf to ensure you are comfortable with the length and condition.

Was pretty smooth when I landed here.

Landed here on a Sunday, after hours. Neither taxi service answered their phones. FBO after-hour number went to voicemail and I'm still waiting on the return phone call. Thought we might have to spend the night in the FBO but then a life flight pilot landed and gave us a lift to a hotel.

Run on up to Bonners Ferry, cheaper gas, friendlier people, has crew car!!
Dave and his crew are great, Pancake breakfast last Saturday of the month, Great hard icecream cone at the FBO
Has some pretty goodlookin help also!!
Great Group There!!
Walking distance to Restaurant and Mogas
Never have got any warm fuzzys @ Sandpoint!!
Pretty cheap rooms midweek at the casino, if you want to donate!!

What's the point of landing first on the pavement, and then walking back (on an active runway?!) and checking out the possible turf landing? I mean, you've already landed, right? I mean if it is a one time, just passing through type of landing. I say make the decision from the air, (and without drawing undo attention from anti grass landing nazi's) if not comfortable doing that then maybe just land on the pavement. How much air pressure you have in those 29's? Sounds like too much if others are saying it's not that rough. I don't expect any airports, "real" paved ones that is, to go out of their way with their limited operating budgets to change the way they are currently maintaining the grass between runways, either it's good enough or don't land there. Complaining about the roughness might just cause them to change the current "if you want, go for it" attitude to forbidding it. What's next, asking them to fill in the drainage ditches and move the lights, hell half the fun of making a on airport off airport landing is the challenge of missing that stuff. Of course I don't buy ANY Av gas so since I don't support them I don't expect much, just hopefully not a ass chewing.


You landed Sandpoint on the grass Barnstormer, right where I did a year or so ago. I got a royal ass chewing by the airport manager Actually he was very circumspect and friendly, but he finally got around to very firmly stating NO grass landings ever, period. Good for you, you got away with it, and I am the last person to care much about what the airport manager thinks, in my case I apologized and said I wouldn't do it again. And I haven't as I have not been there since

Bonners Ferry was my first choice but we had just escaped a storm at Porthill and it had the air churned up half way to Sandpoint. Even near the ground it was changing direction and velocity every half second. After two attempts I gave up on the thought of landing there.

First landing at Caldwell I had 15psi in the 29's, second I had 12. No detectable difference in roughness, although the landings were four days apart, and I'm getting old...,. What were we talking about?

I'll leave it to others to comment on your tire pressure, others with similar tire/plane setups. I am running 2.5
psi in my Airstreak 29's with the Rans S-7S, so a lot smaller plane of course. The ride is best described as CUSHY, so cushy I am giving the runway groundhogs and voles a pass for the rest of the year.... their mounds just don't matter anymore I realized a while back!