Commented on the international aspect:) Its been on my bucket list for a long time, Id hate to see it closed before I got there.

corefile wrote:I posted my comment as well... but I'm afraid it won't do much. Once officials get the idea of closing down an airstrip that only a small part of the population is using it I rarely see that get reversed - but maybe I'm jaded over what is going on with KRHV. Hope we can make a difference.

I understand your concern, and I'm sick (again) of what's happening with KRHV, but that situation really is different. Generations of San Jose politicians, beginning with Zoe Lofgren, have built their careers using lies to prey on the fear and resentment of some of the neighbors to KRHV--a perfect strategy for these times. It's about votes and donations from developers.

That's totally different from this Stovepipe situation. Stovepipe is the same park, run by the same superintendent, that recognized the Chicken Strip as a valuable asset. The "night sky viewing area" makes no sense to begin with, and runs contrary to the values and actions the NPS upheld when the NPS recognized the Chicken Strip. It's hard to imagine how the idea even made it into the proposal.

The deteriorating pavement at Stovepipe and Furnace Creek is an issue, though, because it has dollars attached to it. The heaves in Furnace Creek are big enough now to beat up small-tired aircraft pretty good. Stovepipe isn't far behind. Furnace Creek sees a fair amount of use. Just based on my own observations, I suspect that Stovepipe gets a lot more use than people think. The strip is actually so far away from the village that it's very difficult to see or hear aircraft using it. It's not used as much as Furnace Creek, but if some had maintained the visitor register there, I'd expect it to show a dozen visits per week during the fall and the spring, with less during the hot months. The NPS needs to optimize where it puts its money, and an airstrip that sees only a few operations a week is going to have a hard time competing for maintenance money. I've never done a work party on an asphalt strip, but I will definitely show up if there is one for Stovepipe and Furnace Creek.

Thanks to Whee for flagging this.

CAVU

CAVU hit the nail on the head pretty good. According to one of out state RAF reps, per there commentary that the NPS has shared, this is a funding driven issue. Budget does not exist to repair the pavement back to a better condition (not that it's that bad right now; I know of plenty of RV's and other type planes that have been there this year) and Furnace Creek is the priority when it comes to what if any runways get repaired. I view that as a failure of the NPS to budget for the infrastructure that they have under their care, but when it comes to priority, the airstrips are probably pretty close to the bottom. The NPS PR person has stated on the Facebook page that they do not receive any money from the FAA for maintaining these airfield; which again to me sounds like they haven't pursued the available pot of airfield grant money.

Additionally, they are under-stating the usage. Not sure if that's a deliberate tactic to dissuade the general public or not. Just two weeks ago on a Saturday I know that before noon there were 10 aircraft that visited the airfield. Whereas at some point in the justification for this closure action they cited only 40 operations per year!

Good to comment and please propose improvements. RAF I know is behind the idea of camping facilities at the airfield. RAF is also proposing as a cost mitigation to convert the airstrip to unpaved.

And to think, the folks that built these runways did so with minimal equipment, engineering, and budget and they have lasted a good long time. I feel it is very short sighted to think that a good investment repairs now would not be a long lasting solution.

I like the idea of the RAF helping to pick up the workload. I would likely make a trip out to assist if that does the trick.

Comments submitted, seriously bad idea to close the airport...

Troy Hamon wrote:Comments do make a difference. Comments need to address the core values of the park in a meaningful way. Access to parks for the public is a core issue worth protecting and it is one the NPS takes seriously.

I emphasized that the airstrip provides *low-impact* access.

hotrod180 wrote:

Troy Hamon wrote:Comments do make a difference. Comments need to address the core values of the park in a meaningful way. Access to parks for the public is a core issue worth protecting and it is one the NPS takes seriously.

I emphasized that the airstrip provides *low-impact* access.

The strip does provide good access to the dunes and a couple of spectacular canyons. If you can't get a lift up to the canyons, it's a strenuous bike ride or hike, but very much worth the effort. In my comments, I asked the NPS to consider requiring the concessionaire to provide a hiker shuttle. That would open up all kinds of possibilities and encourage people to get out of their cars.

Done!

Current Google Earth image shows strip in good condition.



This Google street view shows the logbook stand still there. I may fly down there today or tomorrow and place a new logbook and notice to pilots to comment.

The runway looks good on Google earth, but the image date is August 9, 2013, and the street view date is May 2012.

Here's my trip report from yesterday's visit.

Karen and I launched from Minden around 1115 Sunday morning. CAVU day with no wind. Overnight low in Minden was 18. Forecast high in Stovepipe Wells in the mid seventies. Dressed in five layers! Loaded a couple of mountain bikes and a picnic lunch.

Gorgeous flight down, with views of the snow-capped SIerras, and skimming the Sweetwater Mts.



Over the well-preserved, notoriously violent ghost town of Bodie, which inspired the following quote from a girl moving there with her family: "Goodbye God, we're going to Bodie!"



Crossing the White Mountains, southeast of Bishop, you spot Deep Springs reservoir. Whenever I fly over this pass, I think about remote Deep Springs College https://www.deepsprings.edu/ , a unique and highly selective free college whose grads usually go on to finish at the top universities. They focus on academics, self-governance, and manual labor, running a working cattle ranch among other things.



Over Chicken Strip and past Racetrack Playa.



Then the big, fast descent to Stovepipe Wells. Overflying the field to check the windsock, I spotted two planes on the ramp, made left traffic and landed on 05. The asphalt is definitely pretty badly cracked and will need to be resurfaced before too long. Still plenty good for my small-tired Cirrus.



The other two planes, a 206 (who was just leaving) and a Rotax 914 powered Raven taildragger, both from my neck of the woods.



As I recalled, the pilot registry log book was missing, and the other pilot, who visits SW two-three times a year, confirmed that it has been missing for years.



I installed a bound composition notebook and numbered the first ten pages. I drilled a hole and attached it to the pedestal with a chain. I installed a makeshift weather cover fabricated out of a food storage container and fence wire, then drilled a couple of water drain holes.







Then a gorgeous 170-B arrived. The young pilot had a great story about buying it from the lady who bought it new from the Cessna factory. She still comes over and visits it!



We then pedaled up to the Mosaic Canyon trailhead. It's a great hike with classic "mother nature's own concrete" aggregate and cool formations.





Arriving back at the airstrip, we found yet another plane, a 172 with two guys who were jogging to the sand dune viewing area just south.





The time it took to pack up was just right, as the sun slipped behind the mountains so we wouldn't take off into the glare. We were treated to a simultaneous sunset to the west, and moonrise to the east.



Sunset over Mono Lake.



All in all, a beautiful day of flying, punctuated with a lovely night landing back at Minden. If you haven't flown to Stovepipe Wells lately, you owe it to yourself. No matter which direction you arrive from, you'll be treated to some great scenery. There is a full restaurant, bar, and motel; as well as a gas station and general store. Sand dunes to the south and Mosaic Canyon just to the north.

The National Park Service comment period ends Christmas eve. I hope we can fill several pages of that visiting pilot logbook between now and then to show a busy level of activity.

Pierre

Great trip, I am a little jealous. That is such a cool 170B with the chicken on the door. Nice guy and a great story about the lady picking it up new from the factory.

Thanks for the report, and leaving a pilot register there. The NPS claims 40 operations pre year, and you saw 5 planes in 1 random day, numbers do not add up. Hopefully the NPS does not remove the log book when they see how many planes actually land there.

I got a reply from one of the RAF CA liaisons. She asked me to share it here.

We at the RAF are in touch with the National Park Service about this. The issue they are having is that both paved airports within the park (Stovepipe and Furnace Creek) are on large salt flats which contract and expand siginificantly every year, making maintenance a huge expense. With recent budget cuts, the park is no longer able to maintain the constant re-paving of both runways.

Furnace Creek, with its proximity to food and a hotel is currently a much more frequently used airport which is why the NPS is gauging public interest in Stopevipe - to see if it is worth keeping.

What we at the RAF proposed to NPS is instead of destroying the airport, to turn Stovepipe Wells into a well-maintained dirt strip and add the ability to camp directly at the airstrip. Right now, Stovepipe does not have a campground or any facilities for even tie downs. Turning it into dirt would allow for additional space for camping to airplanes as well as solve the park's paving budget issues.

This background I think is useful when folks make comments as the airstrip is not being destroyed in order to make room for stargazing as the call for comments seems to suggest. The park is looking to increase visitation, and a lot of voices saying that they will come to visit if the airstrip is unpaved and there is an opportunity to camp would be super helpful.

If you could help me spread this message on any and all forums and facebook groups, that would be awesome - I am not an active member of backcountry pilot so I haven't gotten there yet, but Ive been doing my best to spread this across social media posts that come across my desk - Ive gotten a lot of messages and emails about this so I haven;t been able to get everywhere yet.

Thank you!

Katerina Barilov - California State Liaison
Recreational Aviation Foundation
(408) 429-0087
[email protected] | theRAF.org

At this point, while I love the idea of adding camping facilities to SW airstrip, I am unconvinced of the funding issue and think SW should remain paved. In the NPS notice, they propose to pave the access road to Mosaic Canyon, which is over two miles long. If they have funds to rebuild and pave a previously never paved two plus mile long road, they should spend it on repaving the existing paved runway. I don't believe that runway has ever been repaved in the many years I've been visiting. A dirt strip requires frequent grading and other maintenance to keep it accessible to all but the big tire set.

BTW, at 3:30 PM yesterday, there were nine cars at the Mosaic Canyon trailhead parking area, including Volvo, Audi, Subaru, plus SUVs and pickups. The lack of pavement does not deter high usage. There would be no benefit to paving this instead of the runway.

Pierre

Great TR, Pierre! Thanks for the info and for fixing the log situation, and thanks to RAF for working this issue.

Good point about the paving of the Mosaic road. I have to question the suggestion that there are salty soils at Stovepipe. Sure, Furnace Creek is definitely built on a salt flat, but SPW is on an alluvial fan that's 100% gravel. There's probably some little bit of alkalinity leeching through the rock, but I suspect that the cracking is due to the toll that literally decades of extreme temperatures take on any kind of asphalt. It hasn't been resurfaced since I first flew there in 1996.

Another thought--the airstrip is more than just the surface itself. There's also existing drainage that's been engineered to protect the surface from periodic flash floods. You can see the long berm running parallel to the south edge of the runway. That's in good shape, requires little or no maintenance, and has protected the airstrip well for decades. What a shame it would be to lose this great access.

CAVU

Hi everyone!

RAF California State Liaison here! Thanks to Pierre for alerting me to this thread - I came over here to offer the update from "the horse's mouth" so to speak.

We are actively working on this issue with the park and our aim is to keep the strip open in any way possible. The more comments we can gather to indicate to NPS that there is significant interest in using this historic airfield, the better.

Additionally, as Dustin mentioned above, anyone who has any experience with FAA grant applications would be very helpful right now. If you have this experience and are willing to volunteer some advice that could help steer the park into the right direction in getting grant money, please reach out to me directly.

We have gotten a lot of respect from the NPS in the way the RAF and the public uses and maintains Chicken Strip, so we are hoping to continue to build on that relationship to show them that the backcountry flying community cares for and respects the airstrips it uses. We are exploring some alternative solutions which would enable us to maintain access if things go south and the channel of communication is open.

Right now the most helpful thing folks can do is to comment and spread the message about how visiting the park via airplane, as well as airplane camping is a popular and much needed resource for us to solve. We are actively formulating a formal response with bullet points that you can use to comment on the request that I will share once it is available.

- Katerina
[email protected]

*Edit for clarity: the option to turn it into a dirt strip I mentioned to Pierre earlier is a Plan B in the case that the park service will be unwilling or unable to repave the runway. It's an active situation and a sensitive relationship with the park service so we are evaluating all potential possibilities.

This CalTrans pub might be helpful. While a Federal airport might not qualfy, would a County leased airport be considered 'County Owned' and eligible for grants?

https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/aeronautics/documents/1016-state-dollars-for-your-airport-october-2019-a11y.pdf

This doc is an interesting read.

Thank you!

. . . and there actually is/should be a lot more money for airports there than most folks know, just waiting for release. The State has been diverting fuel taxes to the general fund for 30+ years. https://calpilots.org/calpilots-protects-airports-and-fuel-tax-dollars/