So my grandpa lives on a ranch and while he has a nice long field he doesn't exactly understand what I need surface wise in order to land in his field(and I won't know for sure till I walk it or drag it with my mains if it's safe...so just in case it's not..)...but he does live right next to 2 nice straight very low traffic roads. I've seen different "thoughts" on landing on these dirt roads from a random google search but thought I'd ask everyone here. I know there are a lot of folks here from Idaho so please help a feller! I could land in mid vale but then I have a 45 min drive either way which cuts the visit down to 30min ....that's why I'd rather land at the ranch! Oh and another thing I heard you can do is call the local sheriff, thoughts!???? I'll be going this weekend hopefully! Thanks guys!

Standard protocol in most of the country is call the local sheriff and tell them your intent. Mention your relatives will monitor the road and stop any traffic till you are safely off of it and 99.994 % of the time you are good to go......

Disclaimer.......... Don't try this in California. That state is anti anything. Well. except illegal immigration.

Ben.

The first thing you should do is research the STATE's regulations on this. For example, Montana has VERY different regulations than California, etc. You need to start at the state statute level, THEN it might be a good idea to talk to the local constabulary, just to give them a heads up--assuming it's actually legal under state law.

Or, paint your airplane yellow, and they'll think you're a sprayer and stay away....

MTV

There are a couple of private strips up that way. Might want to check them out. I'd check out the field and road for you, but I'm stuck working in SoCal for another week or two.

Official word from Idaho State Dept of Aeronautics this AM. State and Fed roads only in an emergency. County roads are up to each individual county.

Tom

If we are talking Mooneys, you might want to reconsider landing off field intentionally. Nothing wrong with the Mooney's gear - - on pavement or relatively smooth grass etc. However, off field may lead to wet wing fuel tank leaks, especially if the gear rubber shock disks are old and stiff.

I did not believe this myself until I met a local pilot here (no idea what he did for a living) at the airport and took him flying. He was curious as to where we had been landing with our big tires and coming back muddy.

You can land on a FS road in California as you are considered a vehicle once on the ground. I did not believe it either. Did a bunch of research after talking to him and got a few names at various agencies to put into my wallet for my so called get out of "jail free card" if ever asked.

Saw the guy again and said lets go flying. so we did. Started telling him I had a few names to support what he had said about the FS roads and said I kept those names in my wallet on a piece of paper as "my get out of jail free card". While in flight, he leaned over and handed me his card and said, "I believe this card will work much better for you" ....It said...Name and tittle...USFS Law Enforcement Officer. For a moment, I thought I was being checked on as we were landing on the various reservoirs here below the high water marks. He said as we were landing "these are great spots". "I cant wait to get my plane out here".

So long story short here, according to my latest passenger, you can land of FS roads, just not in the FS meadows or things of such. You can also land on the reservoirs below the high water mark like a float plane landing on the lake itself. Just make certain the lake doesnt have a speed limit. Some do and that would prevent you from landing. Some also have floatplane restrictions.

We also have a number of ranches that we have been given permission to land on. Dont dare land without the permission of the land owner! You may get a smile or you may get a shot gun and pitch fork. So best to drive up with some flowers and beer and ask politely.

The county sheriffs have no idea whats legal around here. They are so bored that I am certain they are just looking to hassle someone for anything. Make certain to have your ducks in a row.

I cant wait to see what kind of chatter this post brings...

My advice:

1) Verify that it's legal, but DON'T call the local sheriff. All the cops in my family always remind me to never volunteer information to law enforcement!
2) Watch for traffic and POWER LINES. Power lines can be very hard to see, and we're bad at spotting them because we usually land where you don't have to look for them. In the following picture, you can't see the power line, but I know it comes to the farm at a 90 degree angle to the road from the right and crosses the road! You can see one of the poles on the right edge of the picture, which is a good reminder to look for the poles, then look for power lines coming off the poles. Watch out for smaller lines that branch at right angles off of a main line.

aktahoe1 wrote:I cant wait to see what kind of chatter this post brings...

That makes me want to get the Stinson back out here and go flying with you - sound like you've got the area wired!

In my experience, any time you ask someone "in authority" for permission to do anything unusual the answer is gonna be no.
As far as grandpa checking out your landing site, ask him to drive down it at whatever your landing speed is. Considering it's a Mooney, at least 50 anyway. If he & his rig are still in one piece afterwards, it just might be do-able. He should be able to come up with a length (measured somehow, NOIT guessed!), and/or you can fly over & time it-- at 70 mph you're going 100 per second.
No offense, but IMHO if you push the opoerating envelope off-airport in a Mooney, eventually you're gonna break something -- that's not really what they're made for, just like a Cub isn't made for rapid travel. But good luck with it.

Thanks for the help everyone! And thanks for all the concerns with me flying a Mooney! its noted & thanks!

USFS rules vary from district to district and are subject to change at the behest of the sitting district ranger. Be careful.

GB

piperpainter wrote:Thanks for the help everyone! And thanks for all the concerns with me flying a Mooney! its noted & thanks!

And don't even EVER consider landing a mooney someplace like Johnson creek. That's just asking for trouble.

kevbert wrote:2) Watch for traffic and POWER LINES. Power lines can be very hard to see, and we're bad at spotting them because we usually land where you don't have to look for them. In the following picture, you can't see the power line, but I know it comes to the farm at a 90 degree angle to the road from the right and crosses the road! You can see one of the poles on the right edge of the picture, which is a good reminder to look for the poles, then look for power lines coming off the poles. Watch out for smaller lines that branch at right angles off of a main line.

Watch out for road signs too- speed limit signs in particular have a way of sneaking up on you, even in a high-wing

Ya I agree on the road signs! I remember when I landed on a road up in Alaska that there was sign just about 8 feet from my wingtip when I was in the center of the road...glad I didn't stay in the right lane!!! And I know....Mooney, dirt, gravel, landing....idk if its possible!

GroundLooper wrote:

piperpainter wrote:Thanks for the help everyone! And thanks for all the concerns with me flying a Mooney! its noted & thanks!

And don't even EVER consider landing a mooney someplace like Johnson creek. That's just asking for trouble.

Man! I agree Groundlooper, who in the world would ever even think of landing a machine like a Mooney at such an out-of-the-way place as JC !

hicountry wrote:

GroundLooper wrote:

piperpainter wrote:Thanks for the help everyone! And thanks for all the concerns with me flying a Mooney! its noted & thanks!

And don't even EVER consider landing a mooney someplace like Johnson creek. That's just asking for trouble.

Man! I agree Groundlooper, who in the world would ever even think of landing a machine like a Mooney at such an out-of-the-way place as JC !

D'oh!!!

Here's an airport a Mooney driver lands:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 8&t=h&z=16

It's about 1100 feet between trees on the north and power lines on the south. Elevation, 225'. A little over half is paved. It is smooth, but the pilot has to be spot on to do it right. I think it's pretty neat the places a Mooney can operate.

tom

Watch out for parked vehicles, too