Last week I was in the Green River area bringing a plane back to Ogden and once again had to skirt around the restricted airspace. I got to talking with the other pilot I was flying a flight if two with about it and he asked what I knew of it. This prompted me to look on Foreflight to see if Denver was the controlling agency. When I opened up Foreflight, I read a note that I hadn't seen before. In Foreflight it says, "As published by NOTAM issued 48 hours in advance of area activation". Denver is the controlling agency. When I read that, I realized that this restricted area probably wasn't active all the time and didn't need to be skirted. The other pilot said that a friend of his worked for Redtail out of Moab and that they would routinely turn their transponders off and cut through it. I figured that the next time I went down there, I'd call Denver and ask about the status of the airspace.

Well, today, a friend of mine called from Moab to see what I knew of the airspace. I told him what I knew and he said that he would call the FSS and let me know what he found out. It wasn't long before I got another call from him. He told me that he called the FSS who contacted Denver Center. Denver Center said that it is activated by NOTAM. Then the guy told my friend that it was kind of a running joke/nuisance since they think the last time it was activated was 20+ years ago! They figure that they keep it charted because they don't want to give up the airspace for fear that they would never get it back.

So there you go. I feel kind of dumb for the time and gas I've burned going around it when I should have just asked Denver about it. With Caveman and other flying that goes on down there, hopefully this info will help someone out and save some time and fuel.

FYI, there is a strip right in the middle of the airspace. Time to go check it out!

I've heard before that it hasn't been activated in decades. I'd like to check out that strip next time I'm out there, Sand Wash if I remember correctly? I like the transponder idea .

I was down in that area last Thursday/Friday and wondered the same thing as we wanted to go to Moab but didn't want to go around. I saw the comment about the notam so I called Redtail Aviation and was told exactly what you were... that it hasn't been active since the mid 70's or something like that. If for some reason it is active it will be posted by notam 48 hours in advance. Government seldom gives back anything once it has been taken.

Maybe Trent will show up here and remind me as he lives in Green River half the year and I think he told me it hasn't been active since the early 70's.

When you drive through town there is a large rocket/missle in the city park and I never gave it a second thought. This thread reminds me now that Green River was a missile test site long ago.

As an aside, the Green River airport is sure looking shabby as of late. A composite company talked the city into leasing the FBO building/hangar and they sliced and diced the place up and now they are moving out. I called the city to ask why the place had been forsaken and a nice lady told me they are seeking a tenant to run the FBO again and they do have some money slated for improvements… I hope it happens.

We motorcycle down there 6 or 8 times a year but when I fly down I usually go to Moab for services.

Trent?

Yeah, as noted in on Foreflight, the White Sands Missle Range in NM owns it. It would be interesting to know the history of it.

As for the strip, it is the White Wash Sand Dunes Strip. Trent or anyone else have any pireps for it?

I haven't been there since last fall but it's really not much of a strip. Sits right next to a fairly busy dirt road near a popular sand dune OHV area.
Look out for ATV's and dirt bikes. The guide lists it at something like 1800 feet but it's usually shorter do to growth and ruts. I always do a low pass over that one.
No real obstructions but it is a little on the narrow side and the surface ranges from soft to rock hard. Last time I was there I used the road and taxied onto the strip. No decent turnarounds on either end. Not much to see there either. Ok if you have nature calling or just to take a quick look but there are other strips near by.
Some of the old buildings are still visible at the test site several miles N.W. of the strip. There is a decent road to land on close to the test center buildings. Makes for an interesting couple of hours looking around. Crystal geyser is nearby as well and there is a land-able (at times)sand flat within a short walk. If you get lucky it will erupt while you're there. Old un-faithful.
Cedar Mountain, Mexican Mountain, Hidden Splendor, Angel Point, and Dirty Devil are all within 30 to 40 minutes of that Green River / Hanksville area.
This was taken a couple years ago by a friend. I still had my S-6. You can get an idea of the typical condition.

Just cause they haven’t used it in forever doesn’t mean they won’t. Do yourself (and any family) a favor, call the center before flying into this (or any) restricted area. And the transponder off thing, I get it but before you try it again, watch the video of the F-16 having a near (REAL near) midair with a Cessna during a LANTIRN test flight. You can’t even see the Cessna until they play it slo-mo; one of the F-16 pilots says “What was that.” And the response from the other pilot was “I didn’t see anything.”