1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,160 [Speaker 0] In a world created by Mike Dell, I 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:06,500 [Speaker 0] guess you would call it Mike Dell's world. 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,320 [Speaker 1] And this is the aforementioned Mike Dell, and 4 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:15,985 [Speaker 1] this is episode four thirty for November twenty 5 00:00:16,445 --> 00:00:20,765 [Speaker 1] four twenty twenty five. And, yeah. Well, I 6 00:00:20,765 --> 00:00:23,404 [Speaker 1] didn't create the world. I wouldn't wanna take 7 00:00:23,404 --> 00:00:27,485 [Speaker 1] blame for that. But thanks to Mark there, 8 00:00:27,485 --> 00:00:31,210 [Speaker 1] I have that stinger. Yeah. Anyway, So I 9 00:00:31,210 --> 00:00:34,890 [Speaker 1] I yesterday's episode is all about flight schools 10 00:00:34,890 --> 00:00:39,630 [Speaker 1] and, other schools, aviation related around Traverse City, 11 00:00:40,250 --> 00:00:43,525 [Speaker 1] but there's a lot of other airports, around 12 00:00:43,525 --> 00:00:47,925 [Speaker 1] the area. And in fact, I'm gonna just 13 00:00:47,925 --> 00:00:51,785 [Speaker 1] kinda look here on, a thing called ForeFlight. 14 00:00:52,245 --> 00:00:55,125 [Speaker 1] And what four ForeFlight is is no it's 15 00:00:55,125 --> 00:00:59,649 [Speaker 1] known as a an electronic flight bag. And, 16 00:00:59,649 --> 00:01:01,730 [Speaker 1] you know, used to be pilots would have 17 00:01:01,730 --> 00:01:04,530 [Speaker 1] to carry a a flight bag full of 18 00:01:04,530 --> 00:01:08,630 [Speaker 1] paperwork and maps and things, you know, because, 19 00:01:08,850 --> 00:01:13,655 [Speaker 1] well, we didn't have iPads and iPhones and 20 00:01:13,655 --> 00:01:19,575 [Speaker 1] Android devices and flat screen, glass panels with 21 00:01:19,575 --> 00:01:21,415 [Speaker 1] all the maps and stuff on the airplane 22 00:01:21,415 --> 00:01:25,095 [Speaker 1] I fly. There's you know, all the charts 23 00:01:25,095 --> 00:01:28,050 [Speaker 1] are on the screen. You know? I can 24 00:01:28,050 --> 00:01:29,650 [Speaker 1] split the screen in front of me and 25 00:01:29,650 --> 00:01:32,770 [Speaker 1] have the flight instruments on the one side 26 00:01:32,770 --> 00:01:34,850 [Speaker 1] and the maps on the other and get 27 00:01:34,850 --> 00:01:36,610 [Speaker 1] all the same information. But I also have 28 00:01:36,610 --> 00:01:39,650 [Speaker 1] an iPad that I can carry or I 29 00:01:39,650 --> 00:01:42,335 [Speaker 1] do carry that also has all that information 30 00:01:42,475 --> 00:01:44,235 [Speaker 1] on it. And the program I use is 31 00:01:44,235 --> 00:01:49,035 [Speaker 1] called ForeFlight, and it shows all the airport. 32 00:01:49,035 --> 00:01:51,915 [Speaker 1] It's basically the, you know, VFR sectional, does 33 00:01:51,915 --> 00:01:54,235 [Speaker 1] all the IFR stuff. It, you know, it's 34 00:01:54,235 --> 00:01:57,100 [Speaker 1] it's all the aviation stuff all packed into 35 00:01:57,100 --> 00:02:00,780 [Speaker 1] an iPad. It's pretty cool. But, I'm gonna 36 00:02:00,780 --> 00:02:03,979 [Speaker 1] use that to, talk about all the airports 37 00:02:03,979 --> 00:02:06,140 [Speaker 1] that I've flown to. I I I won't 38 00:02:06,140 --> 00:02:09,405 [Speaker 1] talk about too many other airports around, but, 39 00:02:09,645 --> 00:02:11,725 [Speaker 1] at least the ones I've flown to or 40 00:02:11,725 --> 00:02:15,405 [Speaker 1] flown around or flown near or have some 41 00:02:15,405 --> 00:02:19,325 [Speaker 1] other connection to. So, of course, Traverse City, 42 00:02:19,325 --> 00:02:22,770 [Speaker 1] we talked all about in an episode, about 43 00:02:22,770 --> 00:02:26,550 [Speaker 1] Traverse City's airport. But the first other airport 44 00:02:26,690 --> 00:02:31,489 [Speaker 1] that I flew to, you know, around here, 45 00:02:31,489 --> 00:02:35,170 [Speaker 1] anyway, is, Interim County Airport. It's a little 46 00:02:35,170 --> 00:02:39,075 [Speaker 1] north east of Traverse City. I had to 47 00:02:39,075 --> 00:02:41,315 [Speaker 1] think about that for a second. And it's 48 00:02:41,315 --> 00:02:45,875 [Speaker 1] a a little county airport, near Bel Air, 49 00:02:45,875 --> 00:02:50,275 [Speaker 1] Michigan. And my fore flight just crashed. That's 50 00:02:50,275 --> 00:02:53,560 [Speaker 1] always nice, but I'm using the web version, 51 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,960 [Speaker 1] not the iPad version. But but, yeah, Antrim 52 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,520 [Speaker 1] County is a nice, nice airport. They've got 53 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:02,200 [Speaker 1] a lot of hangars, a lot of general 54 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,895 [Speaker 1] aviation. It's in Bel Air, Michigan, and a 55 00:03:05,895 --> 00:03:09,974 [Speaker 1] lot of, people have winter or summer houses, 56 00:03:09,974 --> 00:03:12,055 [Speaker 1] I should say, or winter houses because there's 57 00:03:12,055 --> 00:03:16,875 [Speaker 1] a big ski resort nearby. And, they utilize 58 00:03:17,095 --> 00:03:21,120 [Speaker 1] the the Antrim County Airport or KACB for 59 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,040 [Speaker 1] those of you keeping score. And, Antrim, like 60 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,200 [Speaker 1] I said, it's a nice little airports. Note, 61 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,420 [Speaker 1] there's no control tower, so it's class echo 62 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:35,415 [Speaker 1] airspace, class e, which, you know, when you 63 00:03:35,415 --> 00:03:38,215 [Speaker 1] fly into it, you you announce yourself five 64 00:03:38,215 --> 00:03:42,155 [Speaker 1] miles out and and on the common traffic 65 00:03:42,454 --> 00:03:46,580 [Speaker 1] frequency. And anybody that's flying around there will, 66 00:03:46,980 --> 00:03:49,080 [Speaker 1] acknowledge you or at least know about you. 67 00:03:49,460 --> 00:03:52,420 [Speaker 1] And then you you tell them you get 68 00:03:52,420 --> 00:03:53,780 [Speaker 1] in a little closer. You tell them how 69 00:03:53,780 --> 00:03:55,860 [Speaker 1] you're gonna enter the pattern. You know, usually, 70 00:03:55,860 --> 00:04:00,975 [Speaker 1] it's, like in this case, it's runway zero 71 00:04:00,975 --> 00:04:03,135 [Speaker 1] two and two zero. So depending on the 72 00:04:03,135 --> 00:04:05,375 [Speaker 1] winds, which so say I was coming in 73 00:04:05,375 --> 00:04:09,715 [Speaker 1] from the west or actually from the southwest, 74 00:04:10,335 --> 00:04:12,040 [Speaker 1] I I would be coming in, and I'd 75 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,760 [Speaker 1] call them about five miles out on the 76 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,980 [Speaker 1] common frequency and tell them, hey. This is 77 00:04:18,280 --> 00:04:21,240 [Speaker 1] whoever whoever, you know, your call sign. And 78 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:26,955 [Speaker 1] I'm gonna enter the left downwind for runway 79 00:04:27,015 --> 00:04:31,755 [Speaker 1] two zero. And I'm gonna cross midway, midfield 80 00:04:32,215 --> 00:04:35,575 [Speaker 1] and enter that, left downwind, and then you 81 00:04:35,575 --> 00:04:37,575 [Speaker 1] follow the pattern around. Every time you make 82 00:04:37,575 --> 00:04:40,090 [Speaker 1] a turn, you call, know, entering the downwind, 83 00:04:40,230 --> 00:04:44,150 [Speaker 1] entering the the base, on final runway two 84 00:04:44,150 --> 00:04:46,630 [Speaker 1] zero. And then when you land and you 85 00:04:46,630 --> 00:04:48,550 [Speaker 1] taxi off the runway, say clear of the 86 00:04:48,550 --> 00:04:49,990 [Speaker 1] air clear of the runway. You know? And 87 00:04:49,990 --> 00:04:52,150 [Speaker 1] you you announce that even if there's nobody 88 00:04:52,150 --> 00:04:53,974 [Speaker 1] else flying around. But if there is somebody 89 00:04:53,974 --> 00:04:56,294 [Speaker 1] else flying around, generally, they'll tell you where 90 00:04:56,294 --> 00:04:58,935 [Speaker 1] they are and what they're doing, and you 91 00:04:58,935 --> 00:05:01,574 [Speaker 1] can just kinda slot yourself into the traffic 92 00:05:01,574 --> 00:05:03,735 [Speaker 1] pattern. I won't explain this on every airport, 93 00:05:03,735 --> 00:05:05,655 [Speaker 1] but in this particular case, this is what 94 00:05:05,655 --> 00:05:07,860 [Speaker 1] I do when I go there. And, you 95 00:05:07,860 --> 00:05:10,340 [Speaker 1] know, sometimes do touch and goes, sometimes do 96 00:05:10,340 --> 00:05:13,300 [Speaker 1] go around, sometimes do a low pass. Low 97 00:05:13,300 --> 00:05:14,900 [Speaker 1] passes are fun, by the way. And this 98 00:05:14,900 --> 00:05:18,900 [Speaker 1] is a five thousand foot runway, and, that's 99 00:05:19,140 --> 00:05:20,740 [Speaker 1] it's a lot of fun, I think. You 100 00:05:20,740 --> 00:05:22,805 [Speaker 1] know, you get down as close to the 101 00:05:22,805 --> 00:05:25,685 [Speaker 1] runway as you can without touching it. And 102 00:05:25,685 --> 00:05:27,445 [Speaker 1] you go down the most of the length 103 00:05:27,445 --> 00:05:30,485 [Speaker 1] of the runway, then you climb out. That's 104 00:05:30,485 --> 00:05:33,285 [Speaker 1] called a low pass, but the the reason 105 00:05:33,285 --> 00:05:34,965 [Speaker 1] for that is, you get to get into 106 00:05:34,965 --> 00:05:36,985 [Speaker 1] ground effect, and that's a lot of fun 107 00:05:37,490 --> 00:05:40,450 [Speaker 1] to, and good practice because, you know, the 108 00:05:40,450 --> 00:05:42,610 [Speaker 1] more you get the feel for ground effect, 109 00:05:42,610 --> 00:05:46,370 [Speaker 1] the more you can control your landings better 110 00:05:46,370 --> 00:05:49,810 [Speaker 1] and, land the way you want to. You 111 00:05:49,810 --> 00:05:53,175 [Speaker 1] know, they're short field or normal landing or 112 00:05:54,275 --> 00:05:56,115 [Speaker 1] a soft field landing, you know, so you're 113 00:05:56,115 --> 00:05:58,755 [Speaker 1] gonna land on grass or mud or snow 114 00:05:58,755 --> 00:06:00,595 [Speaker 1] or whatever. You know, you do the soft 115 00:06:00,595 --> 00:06:03,475 [Speaker 1] field technique. And like I said, getting used 116 00:06:03,475 --> 00:06:07,160 [Speaker 1] to ground effect and experiencing that is a 117 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:09,880 [Speaker 1] really good way to get that muscle memory. 118 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,160 [Speaker 1] So that's mainly what I've done at, Antrim 119 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:15,080 [Speaker 1] is, like I said, do touch and goes 120 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,925 [Speaker 1] or do, you know, land land and taxi 121 00:06:18,925 --> 00:06:23,585 [Speaker 1] back, for short field or or, short field 122 00:06:23,645 --> 00:06:29,025 [Speaker 1] or, soft field technique landings and low passes. 123 00:06:29,245 --> 00:06:32,319 [Speaker 1] So, anyway, that's Antrim. Antrim's got a really 124 00:06:32,319 --> 00:06:35,940 [Speaker 1] nice, I guess it's not really an FBO, 125 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:38,479 [Speaker 1] but, I guess that's kinda what they call 126 00:06:38,479 --> 00:06:42,400 [Speaker 1] it. They sell gas there and and, you've 127 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,385 [Speaker 1] got a nice lounge for you to lounge 128 00:06:44,385 --> 00:06:47,745 [Speaker 1] around in and, bathrooms and whatnot. You know, 129 00:06:47,745 --> 00:06:50,865 [Speaker 1] just a good place to stop off and, 130 00:06:51,185 --> 00:06:56,800 [Speaker 1] and, do your aviation stuff. But that's that's 131 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,500 [Speaker 1] the one that I've been to the most, 132 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,240 [Speaker 1] and that's, you know, literally fifteen minutes, ten 133 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:05,039 [Speaker 1] minutes away from Traverse City. Gets us out 134 00:07:05,039 --> 00:07:07,360 [Speaker 1] of the class delta at Traverse City where 135 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,505 [Speaker 1] the control tower is. And and, you know, 136 00:07:10,505 --> 00:07:12,905 [Speaker 1] this makes it a little easier when it's 137 00:07:12,905 --> 00:07:14,824 [Speaker 1] not busy at Andrew. If it's busy, you 138 00:07:14,824 --> 00:07:17,465 [Speaker 1] know, in an uncontrolled airport, it's, it's better 139 00:07:17,465 --> 00:07:20,665 [Speaker 1] to go somewhere else. And, well, since we're 140 00:07:20,665 --> 00:07:23,460 [Speaker 1] going that direction, a little further north, and 141 00:07:23,460 --> 00:07:24,900 [Speaker 1] I haven't been to a lot of these 142 00:07:24,900 --> 00:07:29,240 [Speaker 1] airports. There's one in Charlevoix. There's one in, 143 00:07:30,500 --> 00:07:35,865 [Speaker 1] Boyne City. What's that one? Always forget the 144 00:07:35,865 --> 00:07:38,585 [Speaker 1] name of that. Harbor Springs. But the one 145 00:07:38,585 --> 00:07:41,544 [Speaker 1] that I've been to, further north is up 146 00:07:41,544 --> 00:07:44,664 [Speaker 1] by the tip of the, lower peninsula, pretty 147 00:07:44,664 --> 00:07:48,020 [Speaker 1] close to the Mackinac Bridge is Pellston. And 148 00:07:48,020 --> 00:07:50,920 [Speaker 1] Pellston is actually kind of a biggish airport 149 00:07:51,140 --> 00:07:54,520 [Speaker 1] for an uncontrolled field. They actually have airliners 150 00:07:54,580 --> 00:07:56,500 [Speaker 1] flying in there. Delta, I think, has two 151 00:07:56,500 --> 00:07:58,660 [Speaker 1] flights a day in and out of there. 152 00:07:58,660 --> 00:08:01,485 [Speaker 1] I think I've talked about that previously, but, 153 00:08:02,125 --> 00:08:05,965 [Speaker 1] Paulson's kind of a neat little, well, not 154 00:08:05,965 --> 00:08:08,205 [Speaker 1] little airport, but a little, you know, little 155 00:08:08,205 --> 00:08:11,265 [Speaker 1] ish airport. And, one of the runways is 156 00:08:11,885 --> 00:08:14,390 [Speaker 1] six thousand five hundred feet, feet, and another 157 00:08:14,390 --> 00:08:17,190 [Speaker 1] one is five thousand four hundred feet. And 158 00:08:17,190 --> 00:08:20,010 [Speaker 1] they have the distinction of having a restaurant 159 00:08:20,310 --> 00:08:23,190 [Speaker 1] on the field. So a lot of people 160 00:08:23,190 --> 00:08:26,390 [Speaker 1] go up to Charleston, specifically to go to 161 00:08:26,390 --> 00:08:30,205 [Speaker 1] the the restaurant there. And, you know that's 162 00:08:30,205 --> 00:08:33,165 [Speaker 1] kind of the hundred dollar hamburger destination and 163 00:08:33,165 --> 00:08:35,325 [Speaker 1] a hundred dollar hamburger usually costs more than 164 00:08:35,325 --> 00:08:38,145 [Speaker 1] a hundred dollars but it's still pretty cool. 165 00:08:39,405 --> 00:08:42,705 [Speaker 1] Back to Charlevoix which is a little further 166 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:47,060 [Speaker 1] south of Pellston and along the shoreline. Shoreline 167 00:08:47,439 --> 00:08:51,920 [Speaker 1] or shoreline. Charlevoix has the the distinction of 168 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,240 [Speaker 1] having a little airline there. I don't know 169 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:56,000 [Speaker 1] if it's an airline, more of a charter 170 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:01,005 [Speaker 1] thing. But Island Airways, which goes out to 171 00:09:01,005 --> 00:09:05,325 [Speaker 1] Beaver Island, so the Wilkie Airport on Beaver 172 00:09:05,325 --> 00:09:11,830 [Speaker 1] Island. There's actually two airports on Beaver Island, 173 00:09:12,690 --> 00:09:18,150 [Speaker 1] the Beaver Island airport, and then there's Wilkie, 174 00:09:18,210 --> 00:09:20,450 [Speaker 1] which is owned by Paul Wilkie and the 175 00:09:20,450 --> 00:09:25,145 [Speaker 1] guy that runs Island Airways. So I don't 176 00:09:25,145 --> 00:09:28,905 [Speaker 1] know anybody that actually uses the the one, 177 00:09:29,225 --> 00:09:31,785 [Speaker 1] the the the regular Beaver Island airport. I 178 00:09:31,785 --> 00:09:34,265 [Speaker 1] guess, probably, because they do have fuel there, 179 00:09:34,265 --> 00:09:37,305 [Speaker 1] and they they and they are lighted, so 180 00:09:37,305 --> 00:09:41,920 [Speaker 1] is Wilkie. But, you know, the Beaver Island 181 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,220 [Speaker 1] Airport, the the proper airport has three runways, 182 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,520 [Speaker 1] four thousand three hundred feet's the longest one, 183 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:51,520 [Speaker 1] and then they got two shorter ones that 184 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:55,855 [Speaker 1] are grass. But their asphalt runway is, like 185 00:09:55,855 --> 00:09:59,135 [Speaker 1] I said, almost forty three hundred feet. And 186 00:09:59,135 --> 00:10:01,375 [Speaker 1] then just a couple miles away or a 187 00:10:01,375 --> 00:10:06,115 [Speaker 1] mile away maybe is Wilkie. And Wilkie has 188 00:10:07,810 --> 00:10:10,850 [Speaker 1] one asphalt runway that's twenty five hundred feet, 189 00:10:10,850 --> 00:10:13,089 [Speaker 1] and a grass runway is thirty five hundred 190 00:10:13,089 --> 00:10:15,910 [Speaker 1] feet. So the grass runway is, is longer. 191 00:10:16,529 --> 00:10:18,690 [Speaker 1] I wonder which one the islanders come in 192 00:10:18,690 --> 00:10:20,449 [Speaker 1] on. Anyway, I've not been to either of 193 00:10:20,449 --> 00:10:24,215 [Speaker 1] those. I have been over Charlevoix Airport. I've 194 00:10:24,215 --> 00:10:28,775 [Speaker 1] have not landed there. Another airport in the 195 00:10:28,775 --> 00:10:36,140 [Speaker 1] area is, the Grayling. No. Gaylord. Sorry. Grayling 196 00:10:36,140 --> 00:10:39,820 [Speaker 1] Airport is an army airport or army Gaylord 197 00:10:39,820 --> 00:10:44,380 [Speaker 1] or Grayling Army Airfield, but I have not 198 00:10:44,380 --> 00:10:47,200 [Speaker 1] landed there. You can you can go there. 199 00:10:47,500 --> 00:10:50,695 [Speaker 1] You know, it's a public use airport, but 200 00:10:50,695 --> 00:10:53,495 [Speaker 1] it's, it's got a class delta, you know, 201 00:10:53,495 --> 00:10:57,175 [Speaker 1] control tower and and all that. So I 202 00:10:57,175 --> 00:10:59,575 [Speaker 1] haven't been there yet. At some point, I 203 00:10:59,575 --> 00:11:02,135 [Speaker 1] might check it out, but it's, it's owned 204 00:11:02,135 --> 00:11:07,220 [Speaker 1] by the, US army, Grayling Army Airfield. And, 205 00:11:07,460 --> 00:11:10,020 [Speaker 1] but, again, it's a public use airport in 206 00:11:10,020 --> 00:11:14,020 [Speaker 1] the town of Grayling, Michigan, not, not on 207 00:11:14,020 --> 00:11:17,875 [Speaker 1] the base, which is south of town. Kind 208 00:11:17,875 --> 00:11:21,634 [Speaker 1] of an interesting setup there, I thought. But 209 00:11:21,634 --> 00:11:23,894 [Speaker 1] the one I've been to is Gaylord Airport. 210 00:11:24,915 --> 00:11:31,290 [Speaker 1] That's, fifteen miles north of Grayling, along I 211 00:11:31,290 --> 00:11:33,050 [Speaker 1] seventy five kind of out in the middle 212 00:11:33,050 --> 00:11:37,370 [Speaker 1] of the state. And it's nice except for 213 00:11:37,370 --> 00:11:41,130 [Speaker 1] there's a restricted area that's pretty close. Although, 214 00:11:41,130 --> 00:11:42,330 [Speaker 1] you have to be up pretty high to 215 00:11:42,330 --> 00:11:44,590 [Speaker 1] get in the restricted area, so it's not 216 00:11:44,730 --> 00:11:50,165 [Speaker 1] really a problem. But, Gaylord Regional Airport, and 217 00:11:50,305 --> 00:11:53,425 [Speaker 1] they have a couple of runways there at 218 00:11:53,425 --> 00:11:57,585 [Speaker 1] both asphalt, a sixty five hundred foot runway, 219 00:11:57,585 --> 00:11:59,825 [Speaker 1] and a forty two hundred foot runway, and 220 00:11:59,825 --> 00:12:02,880 [Speaker 1] both of which are in good condition and 221 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:06,320 [Speaker 1] paved. And I've actually landed on, both the 222 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:12,020 [Speaker 1] runways up there, with there with an instructor 223 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:14,720 [Speaker 1] one time and, you know, just for a 224 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:17,155 [Speaker 1] place to go land. And then, did it 225 00:12:17,155 --> 00:12:20,755 [Speaker 1] one other time by myself and landed on 226 00:12:20,755 --> 00:12:22,835 [Speaker 1] a different runway. You know, I ran landed 227 00:12:22,835 --> 00:12:24,515 [Speaker 1] on the north south runway when I was 228 00:12:24,515 --> 00:12:27,635 [Speaker 1] by myself and, east west runway with the 229 00:12:27,635 --> 00:12:32,510 [Speaker 1] instructor doing, some cross country training. Cross country, 230 00:12:32,510 --> 00:12:35,630 [Speaker 1] really. Yeah. Around the late twenty eight mile 231 00:12:35,870 --> 00:12:37,630 [Speaker 1] no. It's more than that. Fifty miles, I 232 00:12:37,630 --> 00:12:40,270 [Speaker 1] guess. Forty something. I don't know. Whatever it 233 00:12:40,270 --> 00:12:42,925 [Speaker 1] was, it was just a a thing I 234 00:12:42,925 --> 00:12:47,165 [Speaker 1] had to do. And that was, you know, 235 00:12:47,165 --> 00:12:49,585 [Speaker 1] that that was a cool airport, I thought. 236 00:12:50,605 --> 00:12:53,245 [Speaker 1] One of my favorite airports to play around 237 00:12:53,245 --> 00:12:56,225 [Speaker 1] with. The problem with this airport is if 238 00:12:57,580 --> 00:13:02,960 [Speaker 1] Traverse City's airliners are running on two eight, 239 00:13:03,260 --> 00:13:05,340 [Speaker 1] landing to you know, pointing towards the west 240 00:13:05,340 --> 00:13:09,180 [Speaker 1] when they land, they come awfully close to 241 00:13:09,180 --> 00:13:12,785 [Speaker 1] this airport. It's Kalkaska is the name of 242 00:13:13,325 --> 00:13:15,805 [Speaker 1] the airport. It's Kalkaska City Airport, and, you 243 00:13:15,805 --> 00:13:21,825 [Speaker 1] know, twenty ish miles, east of Traverse City. 244 00:13:22,365 --> 00:13:25,805 [Speaker 1] But, went over there one time, early morning, 245 00:13:25,805 --> 00:13:27,930 [Speaker 1] and I thought, oh, try that out. And, 246 00:13:28,710 --> 00:13:30,790 [Speaker 1] they've got a thirty five hundred foot runway 247 00:13:30,790 --> 00:13:33,510 [Speaker 1] that's only seventy five feet wide, which gives 248 00:13:33,510 --> 00:13:36,790 [Speaker 1] you a whole different perspective than the hundred 249 00:13:36,790 --> 00:13:39,350 [Speaker 1] and fifty foot wide runways at Traverse City 250 00:13:39,350 --> 00:13:42,365 [Speaker 1] or the hundred foot wide runways, Antrim and 251 00:13:42,365 --> 00:13:46,765 [Speaker 1] Pellston. So seventy five is pretty skinny, and 252 00:13:46,765 --> 00:13:49,404 [Speaker 1] it gives you a different sight picture. So 253 00:13:49,404 --> 00:13:51,505 [Speaker 1] the first time I tried to land there, 254 00:13:52,365 --> 00:13:54,205 [Speaker 1] I I was way higher than I thought 255 00:13:54,205 --> 00:13:57,460 [Speaker 1] I was, because of the weird visuals, you 256 00:13:57,460 --> 00:13:59,640 [Speaker 1] know, just being used to a wider runway. 257 00:14:00,500 --> 00:14:02,740 [Speaker 1] And, ended up doing a go around first 258 00:14:02,740 --> 00:14:04,500 [Speaker 1] time and then did, I don't know, four 259 00:14:04,500 --> 00:14:06,500 [Speaker 1] or five touch and goes there and then 260 00:14:06,500 --> 00:14:08,340 [Speaker 1] came back. But it was first thing in 261 00:14:08,340 --> 00:14:09,940 [Speaker 1] the morning and not a lot of airline 262 00:14:09,940 --> 00:14:12,625 [Speaker 1] traffic. And even the airline, that's not really 263 00:14:12,625 --> 00:14:16,065 [Speaker 1] a problem. The airliners usually turn somewhere between 264 00:14:16,065 --> 00:14:18,944 [Speaker 1] Kalkaska and Traverse City. And, you know, you're 265 00:14:18,944 --> 00:14:21,185 [Speaker 1] really not in their way, but, it still 266 00:14:21,185 --> 00:14:23,985 [Speaker 1] makes you a little nervous being around a 267 00:14:23,985 --> 00:14:25,649 [Speaker 1] lot of airliners. Of Course flying out of 268 00:14:25,649 --> 00:14:27,670 [Speaker 1] Traverse City, we're around a lot of airliners 269 00:14:27,730 --> 00:14:30,290 [Speaker 1] anyway, but, you have a control tower there, 270 00:14:30,290 --> 00:14:33,570 [Speaker 1] Kalkaska. You don't. Let's see. One of the 271 00:14:33,570 --> 00:14:37,010 [Speaker 1] other airports that, also yeah. I have this 272 00:14:37,010 --> 00:14:39,089 [Speaker 1] habit. Whenever it's the first time I landed 273 00:14:39,089 --> 00:14:43,145 [Speaker 1] an airport, I would say ninety percent of 274 00:14:43,145 --> 00:14:45,405 [Speaker 1] the time, it's been a go around because 275 00:14:45,705 --> 00:14:48,345 [Speaker 1] I somehow screw up the screw up the 276 00:14:48,345 --> 00:14:51,865 [Speaker 1] approach. Yeah. It's just a a thing of 277 00:14:51,865 --> 00:14:55,140 [Speaker 1] mine, I guess. But another one I did 278 00:14:55,140 --> 00:14:59,380 [Speaker 1] that at was Frankfurt Airport. Frankfurt, Michigan is 279 00:14:59,380 --> 00:15:02,180 [Speaker 1] over on the shoreline, and it's about as 280 00:15:02,180 --> 00:15:05,220 [Speaker 1] far west of Traverse City as Kalkaska is 281 00:15:05,220 --> 00:15:07,400 [Speaker 1] east of Traverse City. Maybe a little further, 282 00:15:08,175 --> 00:15:10,335 [Speaker 1] but it's kind of down in a hole 283 00:15:10,335 --> 00:15:13,315 [Speaker 1] kind of down on a bowl and so 284 00:15:13,455 --> 00:15:16,355 [Speaker 1] the the approach into the airport both direction 285 00:15:16,495 --> 00:15:18,175 [Speaker 1] well actually the south side is not too 286 00:15:18,175 --> 00:15:20,335 [Speaker 1] bad but on the north side it's you're 287 00:15:20,335 --> 00:15:23,200 [Speaker 1] kind of coming over a hill That's kind 288 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:26,560 [Speaker 1] of the same way in, Antrim, but, Antrim's 289 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:30,640 [Speaker 1] not quite as bad. But Frankfurt is, and, 290 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:34,320 [Speaker 1] their runway is is also seventy five feet 291 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:36,000 [Speaker 1] wide. So that was part of the problem. 292 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:37,905 [Speaker 1] They got a, you know, four thousand foot 293 00:15:37,905 --> 00:15:40,785 [Speaker 1] long runway, but it's only seventy five feet 294 00:15:40,785 --> 00:15:42,885 [Speaker 1] wide. So it has kind of a weird 295 00:15:43,825 --> 00:15:47,985 [Speaker 1] weird thing going on there. And a bit 296 00:15:47,985 --> 00:15:52,580 [Speaker 1] south of that, is Manistee County Airport, Blacker 297 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,680 [Speaker 1] Airport. And, you know, I've flown in and 298 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:58,020 [Speaker 1] out of there a few times, both commercially 299 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:02,640 [Speaker 1] and myself. It's a it's a neat neat 300 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:06,185 [Speaker 1] little airport, but it has a a little 301 00:16:06,885 --> 00:16:11,285 [Speaker 1] airline. They're, they they keep changing the airline 302 00:16:11,285 --> 00:16:13,365 [Speaker 1] out as part of the essential air service. 303 00:16:13,365 --> 00:16:15,305 [Speaker 1] I think I talked about in the other, 304 00:16:16,725 --> 00:16:22,100 [Speaker 1] the other show I had about aviation. But, 305 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,760 [Speaker 1] yeah, I forget what the new newest one 306 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:29,860 [Speaker 1] is, but they fly, you know, little regional 307 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,515 [Speaker 1] jets back and forth to Chicago. I think 308 00:16:32,515 --> 00:16:34,935 [Speaker 1] I talked about all that. So we'll just 309 00:16:34,995 --> 00:16:37,875 [Speaker 1] skip that, but they've got, kind of the 310 00:16:37,875 --> 00:16:41,495 [Speaker 1] same runway layout as Traverse City more or 311 00:16:42,515 --> 00:16:45,399 [Speaker 1] less. Ten and two eight, the east west 312 00:16:45,399 --> 00:16:49,160 [Speaker 1] runway, five thousand five hundred feet, long and 313 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:51,560 [Speaker 1] hundred foot wide. So, you know, that's not 314 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:53,880 [Speaker 1] too odd. And then they have a a 315 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:57,480 [Speaker 1] shorter runway, only twenty seven hundred feet, long. 316 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,274 [Speaker 1] It's a north south runway, at one and 317 00:17:00,274 --> 00:17:04,195 [Speaker 1] nineteen. So not quite Traverse City's, three six 318 00:17:04,195 --> 00:17:06,835 [Speaker 1] and one eight, and this is one nine 319 00:17:06,835 --> 00:17:10,515 [Speaker 1] and zero one. It's a little bit different, 320 00:17:10,515 --> 00:17:12,995 [Speaker 1] but, not not too much. Not enough to 321 00:17:12,995 --> 00:17:18,160 [Speaker 1] notice. Still north south. And, yeah, I've never 322 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:19,920 [Speaker 1] landed on that one. I always land on 323 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:22,320 [Speaker 1] two eight or I think once I landed 324 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:25,200 [Speaker 1] on one zero that's, coming from the west 325 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,320 [Speaker 1] going east. But, been in and out of 326 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:31,485 [Speaker 1] that one a fair number of times. And 327 00:17:31,545 --> 00:17:35,885 [Speaker 1] Cadillac, that's another one, that's south of us. 328 00:17:36,265 --> 00:17:38,665 [Speaker 1] It's about yeah. Like I said, about about 329 00:17:38,665 --> 00:17:41,785 [Speaker 1] an hour drive and, you know, maybe fifteen, 330 00:17:41,785 --> 00:17:46,890 [Speaker 1] twenty minutes by air. And, they've got, well, 331 00:17:46,890 --> 00:17:50,190 [Speaker 1] officially, two runways, but, really, it's just one. 332 00:17:51,290 --> 00:17:53,850 [Speaker 1] It's o seven and two five, which is 333 00:17:53,850 --> 00:17:59,285 [Speaker 1] kind of, you know, it's it's, you know, 334 00:17:59,285 --> 00:18:02,505 [Speaker 1] not east west, not, not north south either, 335 00:18:03,125 --> 00:18:05,605 [Speaker 1] kind of a diagonal. And the weird part 336 00:18:05,605 --> 00:18:08,885 [Speaker 1] about that airport, you know, the runway is 337 00:18:08,885 --> 00:18:12,105 [Speaker 1] a hundred and no. No. I'm yeah. Wexford 338 00:18:12,165 --> 00:18:14,519 [Speaker 1] County. So the, yeah, the runway is a 339 00:18:14,519 --> 00:18:17,320 [Speaker 1] hundred feet wide, so that's pretty standard for 340 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,200 [Speaker 1] a non towered airport. But the weird part 341 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:22,679 [Speaker 1] is they have this little grass runway that's 342 00:18:22,679 --> 00:18:25,720 [Speaker 1] only nineteen hundred feet and a hundred and 343 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:29,955 [Speaker 1] fifty feet wide that was used for gliders. 344 00:18:30,095 --> 00:18:32,975 [Speaker 1] They had a big glider outfit there. And, 345 00:18:33,295 --> 00:18:35,375 [Speaker 1] you know, they talked about the schools yesterday. 346 00:18:35,375 --> 00:18:37,375 [Speaker 1] I was gonna mention the glider school, but 347 00:18:37,375 --> 00:18:40,115 [Speaker 1] they ain't there anymore. It was a glider 348 00:18:40,255 --> 00:18:44,620 [Speaker 1] club that also gave instructions, and, they pretty 349 00:18:44,620 --> 00:18:48,480 [Speaker 1] much exclusively use that north south grass runway. 350 00:18:49,180 --> 00:18:52,000 [Speaker 1] Yeah. But, they've since donated all their airplanes 351 00:18:52,060 --> 00:18:55,660 [Speaker 1] to, I think, Western Michigan University's aviation program 352 00:18:55,660 --> 00:19:01,895 [Speaker 1] and and ceased operations in in Cadillac, officially 353 00:19:01,895 --> 00:19:07,015 [Speaker 1] known as the Wexford County Airport. So those 354 00:19:07,015 --> 00:19:09,095 [Speaker 1] are, you know, the main airports around here 355 00:19:09,095 --> 00:19:13,140 [Speaker 1] that I've flown into. I've also flown over 356 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,260 [Speaker 1] a bunch of airports, you know, because going 357 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:19,280 [Speaker 1] going places. We go up and do the 358 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:23,520 [Speaker 1] bridge run. There's a I, another airport on 359 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:27,125 [Speaker 1] Mackinac Island, which I have not landed at. 360 00:19:27,125 --> 00:19:28,804 [Speaker 1] I think next summer, I I wanna do 361 00:19:28,804 --> 00:19:32,005 [Speaker 1] that, land on the island and take a 362 00:19:32,005 --> 00:19:35,925 [Speaker 1] horse drawn taxi cab into town and get 363 00:19:35,925 --> 00:19:38,184 [Speaker 1] some lunch. That'd be kind of fun. But 364 00:19:39,250 --> 00:19:42,370 [Speaker 1] but that airport there is, let's see, the 365 00:19:42,370 --> 00:19:45,570 [Speaker 1] thirty five hundred foot runway asphalt, kind of 366 00:19:45,570 --> 00:19:49,090 [Speaker 1] an east west. And, you know, both both 367 00:19:49,090 --> 00:19:52,049 [Speaker 1] approaches are over water, you know, Lake Huron. 368 00:19:52,049 --> 00:19:55,235 [Speaker 1] It's in northern Lake Huron officially, but it's 369 00:19:55,235 --> 00:19:57,715 [Speaker 1] really the straits which is between Lake Huron, 370 00:19:57,715 --> 00:20:01,794 [Speaker 1] Lake Michigan. And, there's another airport just on 371 00:20:01,794 --> 00:20:04,434 [Speaker 1] the other side of the water across the 372 00:20:04,434 --> 00:20:08,440 [Speaker 1] bridge, Saint Ignace, Michigan. I never landed there 373 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:09,880 [Speaker 1] either, but we we did, you know, we 374 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:11,240 [Speaker 1] do the bridge around once a while. It's 375 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:13,320 [Speaker 1] always fun to fly up there and, you 376 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:17,240 [Speaker 1] know, you fly, fly up the east side 377 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,095 [Speaker 1] of the bridge and, and then, you know, 378 00:20:21,095 --> 00:20:23,735 [Speaker 1] fly kinda over Saint Ignace and then come 379 00:20:23,735 --> 00:20:25,595 [Speaker 1] back down the west side of the bridge, 380 00:20:25,654 --> 00:20:27,895 [Speaker 1] get all the all the stuff or fly, 381 00:20:27,895 --> 00:20:29,815 [Speaker 1] you know, fly near the island. You know, 382 00:20:29,815 --> 00:20:31,895 [Speaker 1] I usually fly up in between the island 383 00:20:31,895 --> 00:20:34,980 [Speaker 1] and and the UP. But, always like to 384 00:20:34,980 --> 00:20:36,900 [Speaker 1] get a little altitude when I'm flying over 385 00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:39,460 [Speaker 1] that much water. So we're usually up over 386 00:20:39,460 --> 00:20:42,820 [Speaker 1] three thousand, thirty five hundred feet, maybe maybe 387 00:20:42,820 --> 00:20:46,500 [Speaker 1] four thousand, something like that. Just, just so 388 00:20:46,500 --> 00:20:48,600 [Speaker 1] that I got enough glide to get somewhere 389 00:20:48,985 --> 00:20:52,105 [Speaker 1] if something conks out. You know, same thing 390 00:20:52,105 --> 00:20:54,264 [Speaker 1] going over the bridge, you know, or going 391 00:20:54,264 --> 00:20:56,664 [Speaker 1] across the straits near the bridge. You don't 392 00:20:56,664 --> 00:20:58,845 [Speaker 1] fly right over it. I never have anyway. 393 00:20:59,784 --> 00:21:03,900 [Speaker 1] But, so those two airports would be an 394 00:21:03,900 --> 00:21:07,580 [Speaker 1] option if, if need be. It's also another 395 00:21:07,580 --> 00:21:12,540 [Speaker 1] island airport on well, it's it's spelled Boyce 396 00:21:12,540 --> 00:21:17,674 [Speaker 1] Blanc, but everybody calls it Pablo. But, there's 397 00:21:17,674 --> 00:21:20,095 [Speaker 1] an airport there. There's nobody that lives there. 398 00:21:21,115 --> 00:21:24,495 [Speaker 1] So I don't know how used the airport 399 00:21:24,554 --> 00:21:28,735 [Speaker 1] is, but it is paved, and, it's there. 400 00:21:28,875 --> 00:21:31,730 [Speaker 1] So yeah. To go check that one out 401 00:21:31,730 --> 00:21:34,450 [Speaker 1] sometime. Thirty five hundred foot seventy five foot 402 00:21:34,450 --> 00:21:38,070 [Speaker 1] wide runways would be another skinny one. But, 403 00:21:38,610 --> 00:21:40,130 [Speaker 1] you know, that's kind of the the the 404 00:21:40,130 --> 00:21:42,450 [Speaker 1] major airports around here. When I was a 405 00:21:42,450 --> 00:21:44,450 [Speaker 1] kid, we my dad used to fly out 406 00:21:44,450 --> 00:21:47,845 [Speaker 1] of Interlochen Airport or officially known as Green 407 00:21:47,845 --> 00:21:50,805 [Speaker 1] Lake Airport, and that is a really small 408 00:21:50,805 --> 00:21:54,965 [Speaker 1] little airport. I think I did talk about 409 00:21:54,965 --> 00:22:00,130 [Speaker 1] that in in another episode, but, Green Lake, 410 00:22:00,370 --> 00:22:03,170 [Speaker 1] that's the one that has the sports fields 411 00:22:03,170 --> 00:22:05,090 [Speaker 1] on it. So they restrict you to flying 412 00:22:05,090 --> 00:22:06,690 [Speaker 1] out there. But anyway, yeah, I did talk 413 00:22:06,690 --> 00:22:10,930 [Speaker 1] about that. And then there's another airport that 414 00:22:10,930 --> 00:22:13,975 [Speaker 1] I I've driven by a lot flown over 415 00:22:13,975 --> 00:22:16,955 [Speaker 1] it and whatever, but it's, Lake Ann Airway 416 00:22:17,095 --> 00:22:21,415 [Speaker 1] Estates. And, it's got a east west grass 417 00:22:21,415 --> 00:22:23,975 [Speaker 1] runway. Used to have a north south runway. 418 00:22:23,975 --> 00:22:27,210 [Speaker 1] I don't know what happened to that. But, 419 00:22:27,450 --> 00:22:31,050 [Speaker 1] they they're, you know, it's out by Lake 420 00:22:31,050 --> 00:22:32,570 [Speaker 1] Anne. You know? If you guys have been 421 00:22:32,570 --> 00:22:34,890 [Speaker 1] with me since the beginning of podcasting, I 422 00:22:34,890 --> 00:22:38,935 [Speaker 1] used to live in Lake Anne, Michigan. This 423 00:22:38,935 --> 00:22:40,615 [Speaker 1] is kind of out there. It's a little 424 00:22:40,615 --> 00:22:45,335 [Speaker 1] further out of Traverse City than, than the 425 00:22:45,335 --> 00:22:47,735 [Speaker 1] town of Lake Ann, and it's a it's 426 00:22:47,735 --> 00:22:52,560 [Speaker 1] a private airport, but public use. And what's 427 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:58,080 [Speaker 1] funny is on the chart, it, doesn't say 428 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:02,260 [Speaker 1] the name of the airport. It says questionable 429 00:23:03,295 --> 00:23:07,055 [Speaker 1] or object object objectionable. That's right. That's what 430 00:23:07,055 --> 00:23:10,975 [Speaker 1] it says over that airport. And I you 431 00:23:10,975 --> 00:23:12,975 [Speaker 1] know, I've I've asked a couple of people, 432 00:23:12,975 --> 00:23:16,200 [Speaker 1] what does that mean? And, usually, this mean 433 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:18,440 [Speaker 1] the the runway is not maintained well or 434 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,240 [Speaker 1] something. I don't know. But there's some houses 435 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:23,160 [Speaker 1] on that airport. It's one of those, you 436 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:24,760 [Speaker 1] know, where you can buy a house there 437 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:27,880 [Speaker 1] and build a hangar and whatever. I think 438 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,005 [Speaker 1] all the lots are sold now, but it's 439 00:23:31,005 --> 00:23:33,025 [Speaker 1] a it's a it's a cool little airport. 440 00:23:33,565 --> 00:23:35,645 [Speaker 1] There used to be another airport, and it 441 00:23:35,645 --> 00:23:39,565 [Speaker 1] is still there technically, but it's a private 442 00:23:39,565 --> 00:23:45,640 [Speaker 1] airport called, Miller Herald Airport. And that's, used 443 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,520 [Speaker 1] to be part of the Sugar Loaf, ski 444 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:52,780 [Speaker 1] resort, which is up, north of Cedar, Michigan 445 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:58,705 [Speaker 1] in Leelanau County. And they, I don't think 446 00:23:58,764 --> 00:24:02,524 [Speaker 1] that that's available for public use anymore. Really, 447 00:24:02,524 --> 00:24:04,465 [Speaker 1] the only thing there is a golf course, 448 00:24:05,404 --> 00:24:08,524 [Speaker 1] so I don't know if, if there's still 449 00:24:08,524 --> 00:24:11,389 [Speaker 1] a thing. It's another kind of a cool 450 00:24:12,330 --> 00:24:15,610 [Speaker 1] airport up in Northport. I've been around it, 451 00:24:15,610 --> 00:24:19,129 [Speaker 1] just not been into it mainly because it's 452 00:24:19,129 --> 00:24:22,509 [Speaker 1] a, you know, grass runway or grass runways, 453 00:24:23,755 --> 00:24:26,715 [Speaker 1] but, that one's got quite a history. At 454 00:24:26,715 --> 00:24:28,794 [Speaker 1] some point, maybe I'll do a quick episode 455 00:24:28,794 --> 00:24:34,715 [Speaker 1] about, Woosley Woosley Airport in Northport, Michigan. That's, 456 00:24:34,875 --> 00:24:37,615 [Speaker 1] right up at the tip of the Leelanau 457 00:24:37,674 --> 00:24:41,800 [Speaker 1] Peninsula. And there's another one that I haven't 458 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:45,020 [Speaker 1] been to yet, been over it several times, 459 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:48,840 [Speaker 1] drove by it several times, is Torchport. It's 460 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:53,384 [Speaker 1] in Torch Lake, Michigan along Highway thirty one. 461 00:24:53,384 --> 00:24:55,465 [Speaker 1] So, you know, and and the runway comes 462 00:24:55,465 --> 00:24:56,904 [Speaker 1] right up to the road or at least 463 00:24:56,904 --> 00:24:58,825 [Speaker 1] the east west runway comes right up to 464 00:24:58,825 --> 00:25:02,044 [Speaker 1] the road. And it was grass up until 465 00:25:02,345 --> 00:25:04,264 [Speaker 1] the beginning of this summer, and they paved 466 00:25:04,264 --> 00:25:06,264 [Speaker 1] it. So now there's a paved runway there, 467 00:25:06,264 --> 00:25:09,990 [Speaker 1] and they're selling lots and houses and stuff 468 00:25:09,990 --> 00:25:11,590 [Speaker 1] on that airport. So it's kind of a 469 00:25:11,590 --> 00:25:14,790 [Speaker 1] airport community, but it is a public use 470 00:25:14,790 --> 00:25:18,790 [Speaker 1] airport. So technically, we can, go in there. 471 00:25:18,790 --> 00:25:20,309 [Speaker 1] Right now on the chart, it still says 472 00:25:20,309 --> 00:25:23,285 [Speaker 1] it's grass, but their east west runway is 473 00:25:23,285 --> 00:25:28,025 [Speaker 1] now paved with asphalt. I know that because, 474 00:25:29,045 --> 00:25:32,245 [Speaker 1] friend of mine, Eric, he, he was, I 475 00:25:32,245 --> 00:25:36,005 [Speaker 1] think, the first personal land there, after the 476 00:25:36,005 --> 00:25:39,419 [Speaker 1] pavement was ready to go. He, landed his 477 00:25:39,419 --> 00:25:41,820 [Speaker 1] Aztec there, which the twin that he had. 478 00:25:41,820 --> 00:25:44,140 [Speaker 1] And he doesn't have the he doesn't have 479 00:25:44,140 --> 00:25:50,554 [Speaker 1] the Aztec anymore. But, anyway, so that kinda 480 00:25:50,715 --> 00:25:52,875 [Speaker 1] oh, one more airport, and I I think 481 00:25:52,875 --> 00:25:54,715 [Speaker 1] I've talked about it, but I wanna talk 482 00:25:54,715 --> 00:25:57,855 [Speaker 1] about it again because, I definitely wanna utilize 483 00:25:57,995 --> 00:26:00,255 [Speaker 1] this airport at some point in the future 484 00:26:00,875 --> 00:26:07,530 [Speaker 1] is the historic Acme Skyport. That's what it's 485 00:26:07,990 --> 00:26:10,870 [Speaker 1] officially called, but that was a airport, you 486 00:26:10,870 --> 00:26:14,490 [Speaker 1] know, back in the, I guess, fifty, sixties, 487 00:26:14,905 --> 00:26:16,745 [Speaker 1] seventies. I know it was in the seventies 488 00:26:16,745 --> 00:26:18,425 [Speaker 1] because dad and I flew in and out 489 00:26:18,425 --> 00:26:20,505 [Speaker 1] of there a few times when they had 490 00:26:20,505 --> 00:26:22,985 [Speaker 1] the north south runway. Now they just have 491 00:26:22,985 --> 00:26:25,705 [Speaker 1] an east west runway that's rather short right 492 00:26:25,705 --> 00:26:29,980 [Speaker 1] now. It's like sixteen hundred feet, which, you 493 00:26:29,980 --> 00:26:31,820 [Speaker 1] know, not bad for you know, you you 494 00:26:31,820 --> 00:26:34,960 [Speaker 1] can do it in a normal small aircraft, 495 00:26:35,020 --> 00:26:38,220 [Speaker 1] but, it is a tad on the short 496 00:26:38,220 --> 00:26:42,620 [Speaker 1] side for, when I'm flying. So although, Eric's 497 00:26:42,620 --> 00:26:45,019 [Speaker 1] taken that those those planes in there no 498 00:26:45,019 --> 00:26:46,835 [Speaker 1] problem, but, you know, Eric's a lot better 499 00:26:46,835 --> 00:26:49,015 [Speaker 1] pilot than I am, and it's his airplanes. 500 00:26:49,235 --> 00:26:53,495 [Speaker 1] So not gonna not gonna question that one. 501 00:26:54,035 --> 00:26:57,075 [Speaker 1] But, it's it's a really neat airport, and, 502 00:26:57,315 --> 00:27:02,300 [Speaker 1] Eric got it reopened here. Hell, I guess, 503 00:27:02,300 --> 00:27:06,060 [Speaker 1] last year officially. It's, it was back on 504 00:27:06,060 --> 00:27:08,460 [Speaker 1] the chart. I also use it as a 505 00:27:08,460 --> 00:27:14,300 [Speaker 1] jump zone for, parachutists, and, he's been fixing 506 00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:17,434 [Speaker 1] up the hangers out there. And, yeah, it's 507 00:27:17,654 --> 00:27:19,654 [Speaker 1] a it's a it's a neat little little 508 00:27:19,654 --> 00:27:23,034 [Speaker 1] thing, and it's, like I said, it's better. 509 00:27:23,174 --> 00:27:26,215 [Speaker 1] It got closed sometime in the nineties and 510 00:27:26,215 --> 00:27:28,455 [Speaker 1] then, like I said, brought back to life 511 00:27:28,455 --> 00:27:32,480 [Speaker 1] here recently. And I look forward to that 512 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:35,440 [Speaker 1] becoming a little more active, and, I'd like 513 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:39,200 [Speaker 1] to get an airplane that, would be perfect 514 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:41,680 [Speaker 1] for that little airport. I think that would 515 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:43,925 [Speaker 1] be my best bet if I'm gonna own 516 00:27:43,925 --> 00:27:46,325 [Speaker 1] an airplane. I'll own a little one, and 517 00:27:46,325 --> 00:27:52,025 [Speaker 1] that'll be perfect. So that's, that's the story. 518 00:27:53,045 --> 00:27:55,765 [Speaker 1] Let's see. What other airports? Thompsonville, that one's 519 00:27:55,765 --> 00:27:58,230 [Speaker 1] kind of a neat little airport too. That's 520 00:27:59,110 --> 00:28:02,970 [Speaker 1] right by, Crystal Mountain Ski Resort in Thompsonville, 521 00:28:03,190 --> 00:28:06,549 [Speaker 1] Michigan. And my uncle had a a a 522 00:28:06,549 --> 00:28:11,350 [Speaker 1] big part in getting that built up. He 523 00:28:11,350 --> 00:28:14,715 [Speaker 1] built the first hangar out there that, you 524 00:28:14,715 --> 00:28:18,075 [Speaker 1] know, sometime twenty or thirty years ago. I 525 00:28:18,075 --> 00:28:19,595 [Speaker 1] mean, the airport had been there for a 526 00:28:19,595 --> 00:28:22,335 [Speaker 1] long time, and, they got that one paved. 527 00:28:23,195 --> 00:28:26,100 [Speaker 1] I forget which runway. Yeah. They paved a 528 00:28:26,100 --> 00:28:28,660 [Speaker 1] twenty nine hundred foot, seventy five foot wide 529 00:28:28,660 --> 00:28:31,700 [Speaker 1] runway. That's their east west runway, and then 530 00:28:31,700 --> 00:28:36,100 [Speaker 1] they've got a twenty four hundred foot, not 531 00:28:36,100 --> 00:28:39,480 [Speaker 1] quite north south runway that the, that's grass. 532 00:28:40,455 --> 00:28:44,455 [Speaker 1] And, Thompsonville used to also have the, glider 533 00:28:44,455 --> 00:28:47,335 [Speaker 1] club, and so did Frankfurt. So that glider 534 00:28:47,335 --> 00:28:50,855 [Speaker 1] club moved a couple of times before closing 535 00:28:50,855 --> 00:28:56,940 [Speaker 1] down in Cadillac. But Thompsonville, it was has 536 00:28:56,940 --> 00:28:59,100 [Speaker 1] the distinction of the the only place I've 537 00:28:59,100 --> 00:29:03,900 [Speaker 1] ever flown in an ultralight. Guy there had 538 00:29:03,900 --> 00:29:06,860 [Speaker 1] a ultralight, two seater, and this was before 539 00:29:06,860 --> 00:29:10,415 [Speaker 1] the Sport Pilot rule, and, so now there's 540 00:29:10,415 --> 00:29:12,835 [Speaker 1] no such thing as an ultralight two seater. 541 00:29:13,055 --> 00:29:15,695 [Speaker 1] Now now it's a sport pilot plane or 542 00:29:15,695 --> 00:29:19,135 [Speaker 1] a sport light sport aircraft. But, this thing 543 00:29:19,135 --> 00:29:21,535 [Speaker 1] was literally a hang glider with an engine 544 00:29:21,535 --> 00:29:24,790 [Speaker 1] and and, you sat in a seat. It 545 00:29:24,790 --> 00:29:26,970 [Speaker 1] was it reminded me of riding a motorcycle, 546 00:29:27,350 --> 00:29:30,250 [Speaker 1] and it was a ball. I loved it. 547 00:29:30,710 --> 00:29:32,890 [Speaker 1] But, got got to fly out of Thompsonville 548 00:29:33,510 --> 00:29:36,245 [Speaker 1] there. And like I said, my uncle used 549 00:29:36,245 --> 00:29:39,684 [Speaker 1] to keep his plane there and, bunch of 550 00:29:39,684 --> 00:29:41,605 [Speaker 1] the bunch of the guys had, had that 551 00:29:41,765 --> 00:29:44,085 [Speaker 1] had a big community hangar there that, I 552 00:29:44,085 --> 00:29:45,845 [Speaker 1] don't know. They had probably five or six 553 00:29:45,845 --> 00:29:48,325 [Speaker 1] aircraft in there, and it's kind of a 554 00:29:48,325 --> 00:29:52,720 [Speaker 1] neat thing. That's, but, that that's one of 555 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:54,560 [Speaker 1] one of one of the airports at one 556 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:58,580 [Speaker 1] at some point I'm gonna go to, and 557 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:01,840 [Speaker 1] that would be another alternative place for me 558 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:04,500 [Speaker 1] to keep an airplane if I buy one. 559 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:09,325 [Speaker 1] But we'll see. Yeah. Might might not, might 560 00:30:09,325 --> 00:30:12,785 [Speaker 1] not buy one. I might, just keep renting 561 00:30:13,645 --> 00:30:15,725 [Speaker 1] for the little bit that I actually fly. 562 00:30:15,725 --> 00:30:18,125 [Speaker 1] That probably be okay too. I don't know. 563 00:30:18,125 --> 00:30:22,169 [Speaker 1] We'll see. Anyway, that's kind of a rundown 564 00:30:22,169 --> 00:30:25,290 [Speaker 1] of the airports up north here. And like 565 00:30:25,290 --> 00:30:26,409 [Speaker 1] I said, there's a lot of other ones. 566 00:30:26,409 --> 00:30:27,929 [Speaker 1] I guess I I wanna I wanna talk 567 00:30:27,929 --> 00:30:30,250 [Speaker 1] about one other one, and I talked about 568 00:30:30,250 --> 00:30:33,789 [Speaker 1] it a little bit in the episode yesterday, 569 00:30:33,850 --> 00:30:37,904 [Speaker 1] but the old, Wertsmith Air Force Base, which 570 00:30:37,904 --> 00:30:41,345 [Speaker 1] is, in Oscoda, Michigan, which is kind of 571 00:30:41,345 --> 00:30:46,945 [Speaker 1] on the East Coast of Michigan on on, 572 00:30:46,945 --> 00:30:49,345 [Speaker 1] like, you know, on Lake Huron pretty much. 573 00:30:49,345 --> 00:30:51,264 [Speaker 1] I mean, they're not right on Lake Huron, 574 00:30:51,264 --> 00:30:55,350 [Speaker 1] but close. Really close. And, Wertz Smith Air 575 00:30:55,350 --> 00:30:58,970 [Speaker 1] Force Base is now called Oscoda Wertz Smith 576 00:30:59,110 --> 00:31:03,510 [Speaker 1] Airport, and they've got a really long east 577 00:31:03,510 --> 00:31:06,865 [Speaker 1] west runway and a really wide one. It's 578 00:31:06,865 --> 00:31:10,965 [Speaker 1] eleven thousand eight hundred and one feet long 579 00:31:11,025 --> 00:31:14,885 [Speaker 1] and two hundred feet wide. And the reason 580 00:31:14,945 --> 00:31:17,025 [Speaker 1] for that is they were a huge b 581 00:31:17,025 --> 00:31:20,070 [Speaker 1] fifty two base. They had a bunch of 582 00:31:20,070 --> 00:31:22,230 [Speaker 1] b fifty twos and k c one thirty 583 00:31:22,230 --> 00:31:25,190 [Speaker 1] five tankers. And, you know, b fifty twos 584 00:31:25,190 --> 00:31:28,250 [Speaker 1] like really long runways. And, you know, that's 585 00:31:28,950 --> 00:31:31,830 [Speaker 1] just a tad over two miles of long 586 00:31:31,830 --> 00:31:35,255 [Speaker 1] runway and two hundred feet wide. I was 587 00:31:35,255 --> 00:31:36,935 [Speaker 1] always joking. If I was ever to go 588 00:31:36,935 --> 00:31:38,935 [Speaker 1] there, I could do two or three touch 589 00:31:38,935 --> 00:31:43,975 [Speaker 1] and goes in one pass, but, always wanted 590 00:31:43,975 --> 00:31:45,575 [Speaker 1] to go to that one. So at some 591 00:31:45,575 --> 00:31:47,815 [Speaker 1] point, I will, I will make the trek 592 00:31:47,815 --> 00:31:49,770 [Speaker 1] over there and check it out. But there's 593 00:31:49,770 --> 00:31:54,090 [Speaker 1] a lot of military airspace. Alpena Airport has 594 00:31:54,090 --> 00:31:59,770 [Speaker 1] a, a fighter contingent there. And, and, of 595 00:31:59,770 --> 00:32:02,570 [Speaker 1] course, there's Camp Grayling and the Grayling Army 596 00:32:02,570 --> 00:32:05,545 [Speaker 1] Airfield and, you know, just a lot of 597 00:32:05,685 --> 00:32:10,885 [Speaker 1] military operating areas, restricted areas. I'm looking at 598 00:32:10,885 --> 00:32:13,305 [Speaker 1] the chart here. There's, you know, one, two, 599 00:32:14,565 --> 00:32:20,800 [Speaker 1] three, four, five military operating areas. And then 600 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:26,320 [Speaker 1] around Grayling, there's a restricted and a couple 601 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:29,680 [Speaker 1] other places you're not supposed to fly without 602 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:32,560 [Speaker 1] permission. You know, not that you can't fly 603 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:34,595 [Speaker 1] through them. You you know, you you certainly 604 00:32:34,735 --> 00:32:37,855 [Speaker 1] can, especially when they're cold. Meaning, there's not 605 00:32:37,855 --> 00:32:40,175 [Speaker 1] anything going on. But even when they're not 606 00:32:40,175 --> 00:32:42,735 [Speaker 1] cold, you know, as long as you, get 607 00:32:42,735 --> 00:32:45,055 [Speaker 1] permission and kinda let everybody know you're you're 608 00:32:45,055 --> 00:32:47,900 [Speaker 1] coming through, and they're cool with it. But, 609 00:32:48,300 --> 00:32:50,940 [Speaker 1] again, you know, it's a it's a thing 610 00:32:50,940 --> 00:32:52,780 [Speaker 1] you gotta worry about when you're flying. You 611 00:32:52,780 --> 00:32:55,100 [Speaker 1] just can't go everywhere you want to. There's 612 00:32:55,100 --> 00:32:57,900 [Speaker 1] certain air spaces. And, you know, kind of 613 00:32:57,900 --> 00:33:00,015 [Speaker 1] out in the middle of Lake Michigan, couple 614 00:33:00,015 --> 00:33:03,855 [Speaker 1] of there's a restricted area and a, an 615 00:33:03,855 --> 00:33:07,555 [Speaker 1] MOA, which is kind of off the Wisconsin 616 00:33:08,015 --> 00:33:12,995 [Speaker 1] shoreline. You know, what airport is that? Yes. 617 00:33:13,055 --> 00:33:18,760 [Speaker 1] Sheboygan, Wisconsin and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. There's a big 618 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:24,280 [Speaker 1] restricted area. What's the altitudes on that? It 619 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:27,980 [Speaker 1] should tell you on the chart. Maybe not. 620 00:33:29,895 --> 00:33:31,735 [Speaker 1] Anyway, I can look it up at some 621 00:33:31,735 --> 00:33:35,655 [Speaker 1] point, but, now what is it? Anyway, so 622 00:33:35,655 --> 00:33:37,975 [Speaker 1] there's a a military operating area and all 623 00:33:37,975 --> 00:33:39,415 [Speaker 1] that. And I I think what they do 624 00:33:39,415 --> 00:33:43,175 [Speaker 1] out there is simulated bomb runs or something. 625 00:33:43,175 --> 00:33:46,130 [Speaker 1] I who knows? But, if you were to 626 00:33:46,130 --> 00:33:49,490 [Speaker 1] cross Lake Michigan, which personally, I will not 627 00:33:49,490 --> 00:33:52,610 [Speaker 1] do in a single engine aircraft. But, you 628 00:33:52,610 --> 00:33:55,250 [Speaker 1] know, some people do. Nothing wrong with that. 629 00:33:55,410 --> 00:33:59,875 [Speaker 1] It's perfectly legal. Although, I just don't like 630 00:33:59,875 --> 00:34:03,555 [Speaker 1] to be over water where, I can't glide 631 00:34:03,555 --> 00:34:08,195 [Speaker 1] to shore. So and not too long ago, 632 00:34:08,435 --> 00:34:12,520 [Speaker 1] off of the off of, Milwaukee, They had 633 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:16,280 [Speaker 1] a Cirrus, lost an engine. They were coming 634 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:18,760 [Speaker 1] across Lake Michigan in the southern part of 635 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,400 [Speaker 1] the lake, and and, of course, the Cirrus 636 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,460 [Speaker 1] has a parachute system. So, you know, nobody 637 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,915 [Speaker 1] nobody died, but, they did go swimming. And, 638 00:34:28,155 --> 00:34:30,075 [Speaker 1] the airplane, as far as I know, is 639 00:34:30,075 --> 00:34:32,575 [Speaker 1] still on the bottom of the lake, but, 640 00:34:33,195 --> 00:34:35,915 [Speaker 1] coast guard got to them and no problem 641 00:34:35,915 --> 00:34:37,935 [Speaker 1] there. You know, they were they were wet 642 00:34:38,235 --> 00:34:41,355 [Speaker 1] and lost their airplane, but, they walked away 643 00:34:41,355 --> 00:34:43,960 [Speaker 1] from it. So I guess that's the goal. 644 00:34:44,260 --> 00:34:46,099 [Speaker 1] You know, they always say a good landing 645 00:34:46,099 --> 00:34:48,740 [Speaker 1] is is one you can walk away from, 646 00:34:48,740 --> 00:34:51,220 [Speaker 1] and a really good landing is one that, 647 00:34:51,460 --> 00:34:54,180 [Speaker 1] you can reuse the airplane. And, I always 648 00:34:54,180 --> 00:34:55,960 [Speaker 1] like to go for the really good ones. 649 00:34:57,130 --> 00:35:00,315 [Speaker 1] So and as they say, taking off is 650 00:35:00,315 --> 00:35:05,375 [Speaker 1] optional. Landing is mandatory. Alright. With all that, 651 00:35:05,915 --> 00:35:09,435 [Speaker 1] I think tomorrow what's it I'm gonna do 652 00:35:09,435 --> 00:35:13,275 [Speaker 1] tomorrow? I I know I had something in 653 00:35:13,275 --> 00:35:17,570 [Speaker 1] mind. Got it on my list. Oh, yeah. 654 00:35:17,570 --> 00:35:20,850 [Speaker 1] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So tomorrow, I'm gonna do 655 00:35:20,850 --> 00:35:24,390 [Speaker 1] the blizzard of seventy eight, as I remember 656 00:35:24,450 --> 00:35:28,589 [Speaker 1] it as a newly minted twelve year old.