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How many acres for a strip?

sj

Staff member
Northwest Arkansas
If a guy were to purchase some land to put a strip on, a hangar, a little house and a guest cabin maybe, how much should you get (for the strip).

My thinking is if you have full section (640 acres, a square mile) you could then always be 500' above the ground before you got to your neighbors property, and the chance of being "shut down" is far less than if you had 5 acres and did a short final over their house.

What do you think the right amount is, thinking that it is farmland, maybe a few trees, and not 10,000 miles from town...

sj
 
got a friend with 40 acres at 9000 ft elev. does really well coming over the aspens.
 
Steve,

I just moved from living in a hanger/grass strip arrangement. We are currently looking for another one for a weekend place. Depending on how rural the area is, neighbor's house placement near property line, actual shape of the property (square or long rectangle), I think 40 acres is the bare minimum. I'm looking at 70 to 100 acres as my minimum because of the noisy prop and the fact that I WILL be out in the sticks.

Also, in your farm land scenario, I believe that proximity to a well traveled road is a factor. Even if you have a full section (640 acres :D ), if you are constantly needing to fly short final over a road it might draw too much attention. A piece of property that allows a "parallel" road to runway arangement really cuts down on the need for lots of acres.

I prefer a smaller place that is displaced a mile or two down a rural road so you are at least a 1000 feet high before you cross even a moderately light traveled road...Like a Farm to Market (FM in Texas).

Good Luck,

Bill
 
What are you up to now SJ ?????? Or is this simply speculation, hypithetical ???? :crazyeyes:
 
Wow, I can tell that this thread originated in the lower 48, I thought I was misreading your post Steve! I had been considering some land with my father-in-law out near Palmer, AK and thought that 10 acres in the proper configuration would set a guy up really nicely with a strip. Maybe you could considering moving supercub.org's world headquarters central office to AK... Of course, the Matanuska Valley is getting tighter all the time in the real estate department (no comments about bridges to nowhere, please) :lol:
 
SJ My 1900 ft strip on hwy 116 in Plattsburg was on 55 acres. It was about the min. for being a good neighbor. You might go look and see if its still available. It was 5 mi east of town at the intersection of 116 & state route 33. I sold it 7 yrs. ago.
 
david jaranson said:
What are you up to now SJ ?????? Or is this simply speculation, hypithetical ???? :crazyeyes:

Actually looking at land over by Johnny Chingus's neck of the woods David, you can fly in on the way to the Nascar race...

No I have been looking for a while, but our financial advisor person convinced Dana yesterday that investing in land would be good. I have to remember to send that lady more flowers... Now if I could just get her to say we need another plane too...

sj
 
Steve,
I have a friend that bought an old GI Bill strip years ago. A lot of them cropped up back then, and many went the wayside when the Bill ran out. He went through old records and histories to find this old strip, and bought the ground and house from the same farmer. He rehabbed the house and has since built 2 hangers. 7 acres gave him more than enough room, and I think a 1500' strip.
I'd say the biggest factor on required size is the layout (how well the piece takes a strip) and what kind of neighbors you'll have. I'm sure most people would be nervous about a neighboring strip because they are unfamiliar with them. I've had friends talk to all the neighbors before they went to the county board.
There might be another way to do it, but I almost think a fellow has to buy the farm on it's own merits, at the right value, so he doesn't get hurt if the strip can't be put in.
Wilbur
 
Acre = 43,560 feet or approx 208X208

300 X 3000 = 20.6 acres
550 X 3000 = 37.9
100 X 3000 = 6.89
3000 X 3000 = 206.6
1000 X 3000 = 68.9
2500 X 2500 = 143.5
1000 X 2500 = 57.4
700 X 2500 = 40
500 X 2500 = 29
2000 X 2000 = 92
1000 X 2000 = 46
500 X 2000 = 23
100 X 2500 = 5.7
660 X 600 = 10 acres square

500 X 1000 = 12
1000 X 1000 = 23
1000 X 1500 = 35

Just some figures from my notebook, not that I have ever given it any thought. :D I have seen a lot of homegrown water ski lakes that folks have put in. I think it would be entirely possibly to purchase some land, invite a couple of your good friends to become your neighbors and put in a floatplane strip also. Steve, let me know if you need a neighbor.

Bill
 
Land for strip

I am considering the same thing in east tx. Hopefully about 200 acres with small lake and place for cabin, and landing area for supercub. I would like to know what the advantages, considerations, etc. are for whether you need a "strip", versus a level, smooth place to land your cub. If you own the land, and you stay 500 feet away from anyonelse, what other legal, etc. considerations go into saying whether you can use your airplane on your property. Also, what are the advantages and disadvantages of having a "listed" private airport. Thanks.
 
Is it required to be a strip or a "level, smooth place to land"? Why not just get a farm field? After all, I'm really not sure why it has to be smooth or level or even a real strip in this day and age of big tires.
 
Christina Young said:
Is it required to be a strip or a "level, smooth place to land"? Why not just get a farm field? After all, I'm really not sure why it has to be smooth or level or even a real strip in this day and age of big tires.

That is for when you invite your little tired 172 flying friends over in the process of converting them to a supercub... 8)

Plus, if you are going to have your own strip, you might as well have several airplanes since you don't pay for hangar rent... At least that is my ulterior motive..

sj
 
Recently, they were going to install a 150' cell tower right at the end of a friend of mines private strip. The fact that it was on the sectional and had been used as an "emergency strip" more than once was enough to help make the cell company and zoning board think twice - even though he is on a special use permit that expires every 3-4 years and has to be renewed.

He does a LOT of work with his neighbors to keep them happy and they all went to bat for him against it. It was a great sight to behold.

sj
 
Hi Steve, Do you know about that residential airpark between KCI and St Joseph? It is right next to the rest area on I-29.
Marty
 
Marty,

Used to keep my plane at Rainbow Air Village (0C1) the residential airpark part never caught on there and it sold a couple years ago to a private entity. There is another one further east called Block Air Village and one out to the west. However, my wife has always wanted some land and there are never any trees or anything around these airparks. They are just houses next to a runway generally, so trying to kill two birds with one stone.

Plus, the airpark may frown on me when I invite 700 of my closest friends from the website over for the weekend... 8)

sj

P.S. PLUS I have to put in a float pond for Cajun Joe.
 
I'm doing something similar Steve. I am developing 10 acres at 330' x 1320' and I can get a 100'x1100' runway to one side and house, hanger, drive to the other side with 50' buffers on both sides and larger buffers on the ends (for privacy but also to control the approach/departure obstacles).
 
Out here in "no where" Montana we usually don't worry too much about 500' above persons, or houses, etc....there just aren't any. But just for argument's sake. Does anyone know specific rules for approaches/departures over BLM public land. I have some land and was thinking of knocking the sage brush down and smoothing a strip of grass...it is surrounded by BLM public. Ralph
 
A friend of mine just built a strip on 80 acres in Alaska. He bought 2 quarter sections so ended up with a piece 1320 x 2640. He graded a 2500' strip down the center and created lots down either side. For now he's going to keep the entire 80 himself.

Frank
 
Here is a picture of my 3,000' strip on 50 acres. Just have to be careful I don't land in the neighbors back yard. The kids always run out of the house and wave when we land or take off. My son's house is the one that I go through the backyard of. http://www.airnav.com/airport/08XS
 
steve said:
That is for when you invite your little tired 172 flying friends over in the process of converting them to a supercub... 8)

Hee hee hee, well that's just the opposite of my thinking ;-) I've also had my eye out for a strip with a vacation cabin, probably somewhere in the Poconos, like Pike or Wayne County PA. My idea of "ideal" is a sloped, 1-way strip maybe 600'x50', surrounded by 100' trees. Yep, that would keep out most of the riff-raff... :Gsillywink:
 
I am okay with 500', but not with 100' tall hardwoods all around ;-).... If they are 50' tall then okay? :crazyeyes:
 
Christina - when you come to Alaska this summer, I challenge you to a Super Cub duel (STOL competition)!
 
If I was going to build a strip I would make it as long and wide as possible. Unless the winds in your area are never gusty and always blow right down your runway you will probably end up kicking yourself. :crazyeyes: :crazyeyes: :crazyeyes:
 
Christina Young said:
Yep, that would keep out most of the riff-raff... :Gsillywink:

Well, some folks are maybe lucky enough to go from zero - Chuck Yeager without being riff-raff, but my riff-raff days are still in not too distant memory... or maybe I am still in them...

sj
 
If the areas off the ends of your runway are unsuitable for building, for example, wetlands, the chances of having problems with neighbors is reduced. There is no need to buy adjacent land for a buffer if it cannot be developed. Swamps make good neighbors.

Ron
 
Our strip is 740' X 12' wide, with clearing 50' wide. So that is less than one acre. With a tiedown area and some clearing for the approaches, it is less than two acres. We have it split across four 5 acre lots so we all have access, and have granted exclusive use easements to each other. So depending on the terrain, trees and your skills, you can get by with much less. It just all depends on the property.
 
Wanna move North Steve?? Trees/acreage/runway....hummin and haughin it's time to move on.

Anyhow...the fenced rectangle is 40 acres (2000' x 1000'approx). Runway 2000 x 100. Trees ~ 100' high on the North end. I'd say runway and tie down takes up about 8 acres of the property...but being angled it's using about 18 of the 40. The remainder is house/hangar/shop and (LOTS of) forest buffer.

Wayne
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