Backcountry Pilot • Table Rock, OR

Table Rock, OR

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Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:10 pm

Table Rock, OR

I made a dorky video from some flying I did with a buddy a few weeks ago. We wanted to fly to Powers, but it was IFR so we headed the other direction and did some reconnaissance of Table Rock, a large plateau near Medford.

There is an old airstrip up there that is actually quite long, but there are rumors of environmentally radical hikers hiding large rocks in the grass along the strip. I really didn't feel like ripping one of my gear legs off or getting groundlooped at 45 mph, so I just did a 100 ft AGL fly over.

I also have to be honest, I've never edited a movie before so I got a little excited with the titles/captions. Plus, it's glorification of footage that just isn't that cool to begin with. Just wait til I get that HD camcorder.... :)

Last edited by Zzz on Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:35 pm

Nice movie! I was in Medford just yesterday looking at table rock and thinking about the strip.
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Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:52 pm

Nice job on the movie :) Thanks for sharing with us.
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Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:17 pm

Zane, I like it. Now hike up to Table Rock and clear it so I can land there. Rob
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Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:58 am

Zane, nice job on the movie. When I landed there, I stayed right on the two track road down the middle of the strip, so I could see there were no rocks. At that time, the sides had enough grass and brush that there really could be rocks hiding.

You must not have gotten a very early start, judging from the bumpiness of the air? It sure is pretty down in that area.

I've got a couple of pictures I took when I was down there in my picture album, but movies are way more fun.

tom
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Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:40 am

Cool video!

I'm based out of Ashland, so that's in my backyard. I know people who have landed up there. It's kind of a "don't ask, don't tell, and definitely don't screw up" kind of thing from what I understand.

Great video, and beautiful plane, too!
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Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:52 am

Savannah-Tom wrote: start, judging from the bumpiness of the air? It sure is pretty down in that area.


Tom, we actually were out there pretty early, like 8:30am or so, and it was really smooth. The bumpiness is purely my buddy's moving around of the camera, which is just a Canon Powershot A95 in "movie mode." 8) It only shoots 30 sec clips, so the steam launch off the north cliffs was a separate clip from the flyover.
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Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:48 pm

Re: Table Rock, OR

zane wrote:I made a dorky video from some flying I did with a buddy a few weeks ago. We wanted to fly to Powers, but it was IFR so we headed the other direction and did some reconnaissance of Table Rock, a large plateau near Medford.

There is an old airstrip up there that is actually quite long, but there are rumors of environmentally radical hikers hiding large rocks in the grass along the strip. I really didn't feel like ripping one of my gear legs off or getting groundlooped at 45 mph, so I just did a 100 ft AGL fly over.

I also have to be honest, I've never edited a movie before so I got a little excited with the titles/captions. Plus, it's glorification of footage that just isn't that cool to begin with. Just wait til I get that HD camcorder.... :)

<object width="425" height="350">
<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Q2-GxhIMr4"></param>
<param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param>
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Q2-GxhIMr4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed>
</object>

Higher quality version (41 MB)


Nice vid zane. My brother and I camped up there over night once about 20 years ago (night before the Medford air show). It was an awesome place to camp and pop a few tops. We didn't have any problems with boobie traps in the runway but that was back when the radical enviornmentalists were a bit less radical I guess. My brother flew the Maule and I flew the Luscombe...got woke up in the morning by my brothers buddy doing a very low pass over the tent in a stearman...how's that for an alarm clock when you're sporting a bit of a hang over!
It's worth a closer look if you feel like a nice private place to camp.
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Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:07 pm

Re: Table Rock, OR

Capt. Kirk wrote:Nice vid zane. My brother and I camped up there over night once about 20 years ago (night before the Medford air show). It was an awesome place to camp and pop a few tops. We didn't have any problems with boobie traps in the runway but that was back when the radical enviornmentalists were a bit less radical I guess. My brother flew the Maule and I flew the Luscombe...got woke up in the morning by my brothers buddy doing a very low pass over the tent in a stearman...how's that for an alarm clock when you're sporting a bit of a hang over!
It's worth a closer look if you feel like a nice private place to camp.


Haha! That's awesome.

Here's to the good old days... 8)
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Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:42 pm

Thanks for the video Zane. I really enjoyed it.
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Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:03 pm

Zane that was a sweet video, I did a little flying today and it brought me right back in the plane.
Man you gotta get a video of landing there. Peter
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Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:08 pm

Nice

Zane,

Nice job! 8)

See ya, Bub
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Mon Sep 24, 2007 2:04 pm

All this table rock talk got my buddy and I itchy to check it out, so we landed there this morning. See the latest pix. The runway has been more or less cleared of rocks for about 2600 feet by 75 feet. It is grassy and a rock could be hiding there. The road going the full length is smooth, but only about 10 feet wide. We walked the full length and removed a few rocks from the grassy area and picked up some trash.

The biggest obstacle was some dude from Iowa out for a walk. In all fairness, he was a pilot, and wasn't causing any trouble. There is a trail to the north end from a parking area below, and from all the footprints, it must be used a lot. This guy had read about the unique ecosystem and went to visit because he was in the area.

My buddy gassed up in Medford and talking with a local pilot, the word is that landing there is not a problem. I don't know how accurate that is, but at least today there isn't any barriers.

tom
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Mon Sep 24, 2007 2:30 pm

Nice work. From those photos it seems like it's huge from the ground, and pretty smooth.

Thanks for the recon Zane and Tom. Hope to make it up there one day.
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Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:10 pm

Nice pics Tom-

I'm glad you blazed ahead and landed there...I think I'll give it a go next time. I can only imagine what the steam launch off the south end is like!

And what's up with this pic? Are you running for you life from this menacing aircraft?

Image
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Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:03 pm

zane wrote:Nice pics Tom-

I'm glad you blazed ahead and landed there...I think I'll give it a go next time. I can only imagine what the steam launch off the south end is like!

And what's up with this pic? Are you running for you life from this menacing aircraft?



Just takin' pictures and listening to that big engine bark.

tom
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Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:59 pm

Table rock is on BLM land. They used to grade it at least once a year. Lots of us used it regularly. Many still do. The Nature Conservancy took over management of most of it in the '80's. That's when they stopped grading it. I don't know the legal ramifications of landing there now. It was a great "emergency" field when MFR was fogged in and you waited for it to clear. Presumably that's why it was originally built but I can't find any history on it.

www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica ... t6805.html
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Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:46 am

Great vid. Looks like reverse thrust or beta on the prop...do you have an stc for that? Very cool. 8)
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Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:47 am

Kenny Chapman wrote:Table rock is on BLM land. They used to grade it at least once a year. Lots of us used it regularly. Many still do. The Nature Conservancy took over management of most of it in the '80's. That's when they stopped grading it. I don't know the legal ramifications of landing there now. It was a great "emergency" field when MFR was fogged in and you waited for it to clear. Presumably that's why it was originally built but I can't find any history on it.

www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica ... t6805.html


I just visited that site. It is a good description of what is up there. It didn't say anything about landing planes. :lol: The site mentions group hikes to the top led by guides from Nature Conservancy in April and May. That would probably be a good time to stay away.

tom
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Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:33 pm

Savannah-Tom wrote: ........... This guy had read about the unique ecosystem and went to visit because he was in the area.........tom


"Unique ecosystem" sounds to me like newspeak for "no more landing airplanes here" . Please, say it ain't so.....

Eric
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