Wasting time on Google Earth and I found "Kinzue General Aviation Recreational Airport" 8 miles east of Fossil Oregon at 45 deg north, 120 deg 3 min. west. Appears to be about 4000 foot long and abandoned. Anyone know anything about this strip?

https://www.airnav.com/airport/OR89 lists contact info.
At https://skyvector.com/, type in OR89. Chart shows "KINZUA (Pvt), 3966 - 36, (Hazardous)"

It was owned by the Kinzua Lumber company when they had a saw mill and mill town in the valley just a half mile to the north. In 1953 they moved the mill to Heppner and tore down all the houses and other buildings. The airstrip is on a ridge top in a saddle. Very steep on the east end. That's why it says all landings must be made to the east and all take offs to the west.

Kinzua provided fire detection flights for the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Forest service when I worked there in the 1980s and 90s. before that the flights were made by a Kinzua pilot employee with a Cherokee 140 and used the Lexington airport. One of the ODF employees from Fossil told a story about being picked up by that pilot for a ride a long on the detection flight one day. While they were out on the flight a high intensity thunder storm dumped about 2 inches of rain that puddled in the low spot at the center of the runway.

They landed long to the east just past the puddle. The DOF employee got out and the pilot took off and hit the puddle and splashed water over the top of the 140 but got airborne and flew away.

I learned to fly in a Cherokee 140 at the Lexington airport and always wondered if that was the same plane.

Link to some history and old photos of Kinzua https://crookcountyhistorycenter.org/20 ... community/

Kinzua lumber mill in Heppner. Taken from my Cherokee 180 in 1986.

I heard about a person who landed a Piper Pacer there about 4 years ago. They told me the approach is between two small hillocks. Its's a bit of a ski jump with a flat spot at the top. The surface was fine for 8:50's. After touching down they applied full power to get to the top of the strip. There are some saplings growing up on the side, so watch the wing tips. There is cattle feeding and watering activity on and around the strip. The departure is a steep downhill and they had to taxi to the edge of the pad at the to to see down the strip to be sure there were no bovine obstructions.


I found this image somewhere on the internet.