dogpilot wrote: One of the public impressions of aircraft landing someplace other than an airport is; your smuggling drugs. It is a rather strong opinion near the southern border (no problem up North, they just think the Frostbacks are fleeing the cold). .....

I'm pretty close (about 50 miles) to the Canadian border. The guy who runs the local FBO (a non-pilot and sometimes bone-head) told me he's seen aircraft land after dark, do a taxi-back, sit for a minute, then take off. Told me he called LE (can't recall border patrol, TSA, sheriff or just who) bacause he knew it was drug smuggling. He scoffed when I suggested that maybe it was just someone from another airport getting night current or getting in a night cross-country for his ticket, and that if I was a drug smuggler I'd land at a private strip or just throw the stuff out in-flight to cohorts on the ground.
I think oart of the problem is these damn cellphones. You can't pull over to take a leak or something without someone "helping" by calling 911 & reporting a crash or something. I've heard of seaplanes (flying boats more than floatplanes) landing on the water near a bridge or highway having drivers call 911 thinking it was a crash.

A few weeks back on a full moon I made a 11:00 pm landing on an old asphalt road out in the Mohave desert. Final took me over a couple of BNSF locomotives. After landing I made a U turn and taxied back close to the RxR tracks and shut down. The locomotives idled by and I waved they obviously saw me and could see me wave at them. I pulled my chair out of the plane and set it up next to the horiz stab (where I normally put my old rusty nails ) and sat down with my Ipad and some water, it was still 90 deg out at 11:00 pm.

I was waiting for my son to arrive at a salt mine (on the other side of the tracks) in one of our trucks and was going to fly him home for the weekend and leave the truck on the other side of the tracks. I have landed on this old barely used road several times in the past. The road I believe is owned by the county. I had made recent (minutes ago) contact with Son 1 and he knows the routine of where to park and such.

About an hour and a half later (12:30 am) headlights come speeding down the road to where at where I'm sitting, well it's a county sheriff to the rescue. I sat there for a few moments waiting for him to get out of his car, he didn't so I carefully approached and said hi, first thin he asked was "what are you doing here" not a dumb question in my mind. "Well" I proceeded to tell him about my Son and the truck and the salt mine we haul out of and such. "Got your ID" my driver license worked well.

He called my info into his dispatch and we talked a bit about the situation (also asked if I had any weapons which I did not) and that the guys on the locomotive thought I might need help (not they could tell I was not in distress) and how it was dark and it just rained and the road could have been washed out and such. I told him I'd been landing on this old road for years and keep good track of it's condition. At some point the radio went off and his dispatch affirmed that the plane belongs to the guy that gave the ID (me ) Apparently when he first pulled up he called in my N number.

Things he did do:
Checked my ID
Checked my N number
Talked to me
Asked if I had weapons
Told me to be careful
Believed my reason for being there

Things he didn't do:
Tell me I couldn't be there
Look in the plane, search
Threaten to report to the FAA or any other gov agency
Never asked for any other doc's

Things I did or didn't do:
Was honest
Didn't act threatening or arrogant/insulting
Leave any nails on the road

Son 1 came across the tracks about 30 mins later and we flew home without incident, Have not had any hate mail yet

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECF ... RT&ty=HTML

§ 212.51 Designation of roads, trails, and areas.
(a) General. Motor vehicle use on National Forest System roads, on National Forest System trails, and in areas on National Forest System lands shall be designated by vehicle class and, if appropriate, by time of year by the responsible official on administrative units or Ranger Districts of the National Forest System, provided that the following vehicles and uses are exempted from these designations:

(1) Aircraft;

(2) Watercraft;

(3) Over-snow vehicles (see § 212.81);

(4) Limited administrative use by the Forest Service;

(5) Use of any fire, military, emergency, or law enforcement vehicle for emergency purposes;

(6) Authorized use of any combat or combat support vehicle for national defense purposes;

(7) Law enforcement response to violations of law, including pursuit; and

(8) Motor vehicle use that is specifically authorized under a written authorization issued under Federal law or regulations.

(b) Motor vehicle use for dispersed camping or big game retrieval . In designating routes, the responsible official may include in the designation the limited use of motor vehicles within a specified distance of certain forest roads or trails where motor vehicle use is allowed, and if appropriate within specified time periods, solely for the purposes of dispersed camping or retrieval of a downed big game animal by an individual who has legally taken that animal.

[70 FR 68288, Nov. 9, 2005, as amended at 73 FR 74613, Dec. 9, 2008]

Just my 2 cents..
When I flipped my Cub a couple years ago, Avemco paid everything, even tho it was off airport. The adjuster told me that if I considered it a good place to land, Avemco would insure me to land there.

I did lie a little and told them that the "strip" had a name.. But he knew it was off airport. Hell they had to get a helicopter to get it down.. ha ha

Glidergeek wrote:A few weeks back on a full moon I made a 11:00 pm landing on an old asphalt road out in the Mohave desert. Final took me over a couple of BNSF locomotives. After landing I made a U turn and taxied back close to the RxR tracks and shut down. The locomotives idled by and I waved they obviously saw me and could see me wave at them. I pulled my chair out of the plane and set it up next to the horiz stab (where I normally put my old rusty nails ) and sat down with my Ipad and some water, it was still 90 deg out at 11:00 pm.

I was waiting for my son to arrive at a salt mine (on the other side of the tracks) in one of our trucks and was going to fly him home for the weekend and leave the truck on the other side of the tracks. I have landed on this old barely used road several times in the past. The road I believe is owned by the county. I had made recent (minutes ago) contact with Son 1 and he knows the routine of where to park and such.

About an hour and a half later (12:30 am) headlights come speeding down the road to where at where I'm sitting, well it's a county sheriff to the rescue. I sat there for a few moments waiting for him to get out of his car, he didn't so I carefully approached and said hi, first thin he asked was "what are you doing here" not a dumb question in my mind. "Well" I proceeded to tell him about my Son and the truck and the salt mine we haul out of and such. "Got your ID" my driver license worked well.

He called my info into his dispatch and we talked a bit about the situation (also asked if I had any weapons which I did not) and that the guys on the locomotive thought I might need help (not they could tell I was not in distress) and how it was dark and it just rained and the road could have been washed out and such. I told him I'd been landing on this old road for years and keep good track of it's condition. At some point the radio went off and his dispatch affirmed that the plane belongs to the guy that gave the ID (me ) Apparently when he first pulled up he called in my N number.

Things he did do:
Checked my ID
Checked my N number
Talked to me
Asked if I had weapons
Told me to be careful
Believed my reason for being there

Things he didn't do:
Tell me I couldn't be there
Look in the plane, search
Threaten to report to the FAA or any other gov agency
Never asked for any other doc's

Things I did or didn't do:
Was honest
Didn't act threatening or arrogant/insulting
Leave any nails on the road

Son 1 came across the tracks about 30 mins later and we flew home without incident, Have not had any hate mail yet

What the heck business was it of his if you had weapons? What would he have done if you did have one or three? Start infringing?

"What the heck business was it of his if you had weapons? What would he have done if you did have one or three? Start infringing?"

Here in Kalifornia an airplane is just like a car or truck as far as weapons (guns) go. I imagine if I had of come off like that, "it's none of your business" the outcome would have been much different.

Glidergeek wrote:"What the heck business was it of his if you had weapons? What would he have done if you did have one or three? Start infringing?"

Here in Kalifornia an airplane is just like a car or truck as far as weapons (guns) go. I imagine if I had of come off like that, "it's none of your business" the outcome would have been much different.

True. I thought it was another state. Too bad though. Whole lotta infringin' goin' on in Kalifornia.

What aktahoe and oregonmaule said. Times 2.

At least once a year my friend Bill gets reported as an airplane down in the lake by a tourist thats never seen a sea plane. He flys a Lake Amphib around Lake Chelan and the Columbia river. Does tons of splash and goes everytime he takes someone for a ride, which is often. Bill is a volunteer fire fighter and has a radio. When the call comes from dispatch about an aircraft down, he just responds and lets dispatch know it's just him.

Got a call via my fire pager that an aircraft had crashed near Wells dam on the Columbia. I thought it was a little weird Bill would land near the dam with all the powerlines and fast water. Turns out it wasn't him. A Mooney had an engine out and couldn't make the airport (5 miles away at 6000 feet, airport is at 1350) and decided to belly it onto an orchard access road by the dam. The pilot was fine, the Mooney is probably totalled.
When I got to the scene the Sheriff was there already, as well as out rescue truck. I don't think it took 20 minutes to release the scene and pilot. I gave him a ride back to the airport and he stated that the sheriff did not seem one bit concerned about any legal aspects of the crash once it was determined the pilot was ok.

I am proud to live in a little town. There are some asshats, but for the most part our LE and EMS responders are decent people.

I have landed on a couple farm roads on the east platue. I don't think anyone saw me, not a car or tractor for miles. I was curious as to what law enforcment would think of using section roads for landing, so I asked one of the Sheriffs I see at fire calls. He said he doubts anyone up there would bother to call them since there is a fair amount of AG work done with aircraft and if he saw it, he would have to check it out incase it was an emergency, but didn't think it was something he would even look into the legality of.
So, legal or not to use a county road (it would be in Douglas county) it seems if local LE is ok, then it is ok.

I have also seen several hangars way out in the wheat fields with no airstrip, just the county (dirt) road. I assume these guys are flying from the road. There is a place between KMWH and Mansfield WA that has a twin Beech in the yard and a Piper cub in the hangar. Never seen the Beech move, but it had to get there somehow and I didn't see a strip other than the chipsealed road.

I guess if any of you Californians want to play off airport on some really easy to land places, come visit Eastern Washington.

D.

Great discussion guys. I agree about the cell phones. That coupled with a growing lack of common sense and a society that doesn't get out to do much because they do it on a video game. People look for something to get worked up about. Something to sensationalize. Someone to sue. So, more laws, more rules, less common sense, more government protecting us from ourselves. All adds up to the if a tree falls in the Forrest statement as much as possible. Have fun but be looking over your shoulder and sitting on pins doing it. Enjoy what's left cause its gonna get worse. I don't think that a lawyer could keep straight or interpret all the laws anymore. What a shame. Like I also have said, if you piss off the wrong guy or they get a bur under they're saddle and want to get you...they will. Ill argue that with anyone that says if you just play by the rules and follow the law you'll be ok. Bull. Stay off theyre radar and you stand a chance.

"I am here to tell ya, that this fine young ladd is allowed to land on my 10,000 acre ranch anytime he sees fit".


"Heck...he can even bring his friends if he so chooses..."

Watch out for stray cars and stop signs, and have fun.



Gump

GumpAir wrote:Watch out for stray cars and stop signs, and have fun.



Gump

Isn't Oregon a great place?

Where is that?

Fields Station, OR

Just down from the Alvord Desert. Cool little place with a motel and best milkshakes in the world.

Gump

I've heard of a Rome Station & see that one on the chart south of Owyhee Reservoir down by the Alvord. Two different places I assume? Is Field Station charted? Is there even an airstrip there or just a road?

hotrod150 wrote:I've heard of a Rome Station & see that one on the chart south of Owyhee Reservoir down by the Alvord. Two different places I assume? Is Field Station charted? Is there even an airstrip there or just a road?

Just a road. I chickened out landing there a few weeks back. What's the beta for landing on the road? It looked like from the north of the station would be better. Then what? Follow the main road to the station or, if my poor memory serves me, a side road to the station?

I opted to do my first road landing at bog hot springs where there was definitely nobody around for miles and miles. You know, roads aren't as straight as runways but it turned out fine and fun (there I landed north of the hot spring pullout).

Fields is 20 miles north of Denio, NV on Hwy 205. Just a few miles south of Alvord Lake on the west side of the valley.

Land on the road north of town and taxi in. DO NOT use the little side road to get to the store, but come down the hill on Hwy 205 then turn in. The road is crowned and has ditches on both sides, so be careful.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/fields-station-fields

http://www.nevadadventures.com/client/f ... /main.html

http://www.thefieldsstation.com/

There's also an old, uncharted strip just southeast of town by the school. From there it's a short walk into "town."

Gump

I have landed on occasion in my Cub on a gravel road in the middle o' nowhere to pee and transfer gas from the backseat to the wing.
If nobody sees it, and I don't bend anything, it didn't happen.
lc

Flight:
If you can drive a motorcycle /dirt bike /ATV/ 4 wheeler or car /truck at 40 mph without loosing your teeth- you can land and take off.if you can walk the strip(helicopter is great )before landing on it if I can -take notes on how and what.Obstruction on ends are important -free and clear. Fences are really hard to see and may spring up in anywhere.Old dirt roads are great but watch out for signs and trash signs.Speed and CONTROL are where it's at.My old 182 (56) is a great "offroad" machine with superior prop clearance.Have pictures of my "offroad " experiences -send me a email and I can forward them . Manual flaps WITHOUT flap gap seals with EZflap with LRI and outstanding SPORTSMAN STOL kit --winning combination.