South Dakota is taking public comments on the future of Custer State Park Airport. Please fill out and comment so we can keep this strip open.

https://www.keloland.com/keloland-com-o ... tate-park/

https://news.sd.gov/news?id=news_kb_art ... cb31&spa=1

Done

Having landed there many years ago, I have always hoped to make it back someday. Beautiful area away from the tourists. Sent my comments in also.

I commented as well. Hopefully i selected the correct choice of "oppose" since the topic is "airport decommissioning."

Done, drove through a couple of years ago and thought it would be a great stop on an aviation adventure. Hope it’s still there when the time comes.

Pete

Done. Looks like a really cool area. Know if the resort offers a shuttle or anything? Could be a good one to add to the RAF or FunForPilots maps if so

twofingers wrote:Done. Looks like a really cool area. Know if the resort offers a shuttle or anything? Could be a good one to add to the RAF or FunForPilots maps if so

I don't recall any resorts near the strip. Been a long time since I was there, maybe my memory is failing me.

I commented and also found checking the “oppose” box a little weird.

Complete. Been camping here for 23 years now. Access to the resort is an easy walk or any ranger or tourist will give you a ride.

Done. I was surprised to see that this is a paved strip. I am also curious about the rational for decommissioning the airport. This is pretty darned remote, so pressure from real estate development doesn't seem to be the problem. It might just be the cost of maintenance balanced against the amount of use the airport receives. On my last trip to Oshkosh from Washington State, I stopped at Custer Regional Airport (about 13.5 SM away) because this airport doesn't have any services. I needed fuel and ice, not a place to camp. There don't seem to be any trees, or water around this State Park airport, so it isn't a very attractive place to camp anyway (for me). Still, it would be sad to lose another strip in an interesting place.

Notams show the airfield closed now

That sucks.... any chance it's just conditional due to winter?

Notam is valid through 2025……so my guess would be that they quietly closed the place. Sucks

Wonder if there is any grounds to file a lawsuit against the individuals who closed it as well as legally force it back open?

NineThreeKilo wrote:Wonder if there is any grounds to file a lawsuit against the individuals who closed it as well as legally force it back open?

From Airnav.com:

"Airport Ownership and Management from official FAA records
Ownership: Publicly-owned
Owner: STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA
PIERRE, SD 57501
Manager: MATT SNYDER - CUSTER STATE PARK
13329 US HWY 16A
CUSTER, SD 57730-1525
Phone 605-255-4800"

If the state decided to close the airport, who are ou gonna sue?

the gov workers who decided to do it?

Got to be a few key peoples names on the notice

Unless they have immunity or something, the gov likes to use “the process” against private folks, makes sense their own process could be used the other way too, even if we don’t win.

I’d think if word got around the .gov water cooler that you’ll personally get dragged into court if you do this type of thing, less of said type of thing might occur?

Even if it was a bunch of the people who used to go there filing small claims suits

The Custer State Park Airport closure was finalized during the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks commission October meeting. Their reasoning was that it would require several million dollars of maintenance in the upcoming years and the cost would have to be carried by park entrance revenue. The majority of the public comments for the September and October meetings opposed closing the airport. The September and October meeting minutes on the commission website do have discussions from the topic. I've shared their final decision from the October meeting minutes.

Use it, support it, or lose it. It sounds like this airport was funded solely by the state, only had few recreational pilot visits per year and never had any federal support. If that is the case, and the state can't afford to maintain it, I don't know what kind of lawsuit could be filed to try and keep it open. If there were massive public support in South Dakota, there might have been a path to keeping it alive, but most of the supportive comments I saw (including my own) were from out of state. Looking at the airport on Google Earth, it isn't a very attractive location to me. No shade, no water, no services or fuel, a paved strip on a flat part of the vast Custer State Park. I've landed near there at Custer County when flying cross country to get fuel. Even if this airport stayed open, I wouldn't bother stopping there. There are too many nicer places that could be on the chopping block that I'd be willing to put some effort into fighting for. This one just doesn't seem to rise to the level of more than a written comment voicing support for it, and a shoulder shrug when it closed. I'm afraid this pilot won't mourn the loss.

Flyhound wrote:Use it, support it, or lose it. It sounds like this airport was funded solely by the state, only had few recreational pilot visits per year and never had any federal support. If that is the case, and the state can't afford to maintain it, I don't know what kind of lawsuit could be filed to try and keep it open. If there were massive public support in South Dakota, there might have been a path to keeping it alive, but most of the supportive comments I saw were from out of state. Looking at the airport on Google Earth, it isn't a very attractive location to me. No shade, no water, no services or fuel, a paved strip on a flat part of the vast Custer State Park. I've landed near there at Custer County when flying cross country to get fuel. Even if this airport stayed open, I wouldn't bother stopping there. There are too many nicer places that could be on the chopping block that I'd be willing to put some effort into fighting for. This one just doesn't seem to rise to the level of more than a written comment voicing support for it, and a shoulder shrug when it closed. I'm afraid this pilot won't mourn the loss.

First they came for 3V0, and I did not speak out
Because I was not in South Dakota.

Then they came for the remote strips without shade , and I did not speak out
Because I burn easily.

Then they came for the airports without services, and I did not speak out
Because I need services.

Then they came for my favorite strip
and there was no one left to speak for me.


Also how on earth is it multi millions to keep this literal “strip” open? I don’t buy it, there is NOTHING there, just leave it open and land at own risk, maybe let the RAF help keep it somewhat maintained

It sounds like you have found a cause worthy of your undivided attention 93K, have at it.