A friend has a 120. Short runways and density altitude do not mix well with 120's.

Yes, the 120 has no flaps and has less power. It's not as if even a a 140 is a short field giant to start with, although my O200 equipped 140 should be okay for my 1,700 feet.

This seems like a reasonable thread for this announcement:

I passed my checkride in my 140 on Wednesday. When I started this thread I was in what many might call the "Dreamer" stage. Now part of my goal had yet become reality right down to the choice of an airplane. I am now a certificated Private Pilot with a tailwheel endorsement.

My next step is my Instrument Rating, then Commercial, then CFI. The pipeline has yet to make it through my place to clear the trees for my strip, but it will eventually happen. It is the Keystone XL pipeline that has been in the national news. Obama will let it through when it is the correct time for him politically.

I am very proud to be at this stage of my goal, and I want to thank everyone who posted information for me along the way.

Doc

MBDiagMan wrote:This seems like a reasonable thread for this announcement:

I passed my checkride in my 140 on Wednesday. When I started this thread I was in what many might call the "Dreamer" stage. Now part of my goal had yet become reality right down to the choice of an airplane. I am now a certificated Private Pilot with a tailwheel endorsement.

My next step is my Instrument Rating, then Commercial, then CFI. The pipeline has yet to make it through my place to clear the trees for my strip, but it will eventually happen. It is the Keystone XL pipeline that has been in the national news. Obama will let it through when it is the correct time for him politically.

I am very proud to be at this stage of my goal, and I want to thank everyone who posted information for me along the way.

Doc

Congrats Doc

Nice Christmas announcement. Congratulations. Referring back to an earlier post about starting grass for a runway over the pipeline, I made a late planting of soybeans over the first Keystone pipeline right of way immediately after they closed the trench. Because of compaction from equipment the crop appeared stunted all season but nearly produced half a crop any way. The summer rains settled a few spots over the pipe and some holes developed. Be careful on your runway to check for those. They will be centered in the right of way right over the pipe trench. For this reason groom your strip to one side of the center line or the other. Most here granted them a 60' wide permanent easement with a temporary additional 50' during construction. If you granted the entire 110' wide and they cleared trees on all of it for you, it would be the best situation for a strip and easy to place the strip to one side or the other. (At least for the first few years of trench settling.)

On my property they had to saw the trees down in the dead of winter then come back to doze stumps in the spring. If they had waited till spring and just dozed them over they would have had migrating song birds nesting in those trees and it would have stopped the whole construction process till the protected birds flew.

If you want to make some extra flying money contact the pipeline and see if they need a pipeline storage yard in your area. I leased them another 30 acres just for that at the same rates. There was one here about every 40 miles. They will look for access near a county road with good drainage. Both the right of way and pipe yard were rough to drive over when they left even with farm equipment. The final smooth job was left to us.

First 50' pipes stored across plastic covered earthen berms of pipeyard. Engine generator/magnet picking off of a steerable rear axle trailer that allows it to stay on the road in corners and intersections.

I have no clue why the picture stuck this time. Photo size?

EZ Flap... you really cracked me up with the King Air joke. Pretty good.
The 140 looks great! With those pointy wheelpants, it's gotta be wicked fast.
The instrument rating would be fun in that. Ditto the Garmin comment. No one uses DME anymore. And you get a good com radio in there with it!
My Luscombe can do a hands off approach in any weather. Just let it go and it heads for the nearest self serve pump with the cheapest gas. Doesn't care about wind or WX.
Congrats on the checkride. Keep doing checkrides in the old bird... most younger examiners out there have no clue how to fly one... so that puts you a step ahead on future ratings.