2022 May 7
I find that it is easier to just put a runway update, as I receive them, on the very first page of this website. From now on I’ll just add runway reports there. Cheers.
UPDATE 2021 October 1
It really rained for the last couple days, and it is suprising how saturated the runway became. It looks like a stretch of dryer weather, so it will improve we think. Anyway, as always, slippery when wet. Also, we just put a big load of gravel on the middle of the runway, west end, beware of this area until it gets a chance to get worked into the clay.
UPDATE Friday 1/24/2020
Neighbor, and pilot, Vince Brotherton is on the island more than most of us, and he is going to try to keep us updated on the runway condition. Here is is latest report…
“Due to extreme high tides, low pressure and abundance of rain the runway is extremely soft to the east. Recommend landing after Bob’s hanger center of runway. No parking community hanger. Boaters be advised a lot of driftwood and deadheads, Reid harbor is mined with crab traps.”
Thanks Vince keep them coming
18 Feb 2019
The runway is wet and soft, still recovering from the 11 or so inches of snow. Here is a report from owner Vince (thanks Vince)..
Right now runway is snow and mud. Expecting some sun but the evening cold makes frosh heaves. So muddy. If you land mid field going west your better off. My advice is wait and I'll fill you in on condition of runway.
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The following is a copy of a post from last year. At the time the runway was wet, soft and slippery. We are at the start of the wet season again, so I decided to put it here as a reminder…
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Friends, we have had at least 2 more incidents involving airplanes not performing well on the wet, soft runway. The runway is not in good condition.
If you land or takeoff from the East Stuart Island runway you do so at your own peril.
We do not have personnel to continuously monitor the condition of the runway. We should all know that after periods of rain the runway can be hazardous. Even on nice days like today, the runway is still soft. The ground is so saturated with water that when you step on it you feel water squishing out. Our runway can be soft and slippery at any time if it is this wet. Add in some winds, some deer or geese and it can be hazardous.
Please be careful. Remember you use the runway at your own risk. Do not expect a “notam” to be posted here on this neighborhood website. We will post info if we get it but I cannot guarantee that it will be in a timely manner! The nature of it is that if the weather has been bad, nobody is there to even give a report. Please keep that in mind.
Sorry for the rant but we feel need to remind all pilots that they need to keep the runway conditions, their airplanes performance and their own personal experience levels in mind when making the decision to use the runway.
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You use our runway at your own peril. The runway can be slippery and wet at any time so if you choose to takeoff or land, remember, it is at your own risk.
The airport on East Stuart Island is PRIVATE. The runway may only be used with permission of an owner.
Our runway is grass and it is approximately 2000′ long. The runway lies east/west – 9/27, and the airport designator is 7WA5. There is a large deer population on the island and they are often on the grass runway grazing. Also, watch out for the geese that are frequently on the runway.
The runway can be very soft and slippery during the wet season. When necessary we place orange cones marking off areas that are too wet and soft to support airplanes. It takes a considerable amount of time for the runway and surrounding area to dry out enough to be able to support traffic. Even if it seems dry please still respect the cones.
If you have any information that pilots flying into East Stuart should know we encourage you to leave information below.
This is how the runway looks in the summer!
UPDATE April 6, 2016
The runway is in bad shape, it is wet and rutted. It is quite slippery. If you choose to land or takeoff from our runway you do so at your own risk. We recommend that you not use the runway at this time. I will try to update this when conditions change but I make absolutely no guarantee that the info posted here will be kept current. When it has been raining the runway will be soft and slippery. Be careful.
UPDATE April 18, 2015
I just got a report that the runway is pretty dry and in decent condition now.
UPDATE March 28, 2015
We just got a report of a pilot getting mired in the mud, on the east end this time. His airplane didn’t have much prop clearance and as he tried to maneuver he caught his prop in the mud.
The runway is really wet and soft, and it rained again last night. If you have small tires, or not a lot of prop clearance, you want to wait until it dries out before you attempt to use our runway.
UPDATE March 17, 2015
There has been a lot of rain since I was there earlier this month, but I received 2 reports this week. The west 500 feet or so of the runway is wet, soft and muddy. There have been a couple planes stuck on the west end. The eastmost 1500 feet or so are drier and not as soft. Those with smaller tires beware! If you must fly in use the east half of the runway. We’ll have a lot of work to do to repair ruts this spring as the runway starts to dry out.
Runway Condition Update 3/6/15
The runway is pretty wet and soft. There is some rutting but it is still soft enough to walk along the ruts and squish them flat. There is a large wet area on the west end of the runway. Also, the area adjacent to the community building is quite wet and soft, and is coned off. Please respect the closed areas.
Runway Condition Update 5/2013
The runway is in good condition, but as always, be careful after it has been raining and is wet – it can be pretty slippery. Also, again, watch for the deer and geese. And if you feel need to slowly fly by to chase the deer off the runway watch out for the geese – they are going to take off right in front of you and right when you aren’t expecting it, beware.
Runway Condition Update – 1/6/2013
Rhys sent me the following note regarding runway conditions, along with a couple pictures of the wet spots on the runway…
“There are two real soft spots 210-450 feet from the west end and 150-270 feet from the east end. I also put cones out onto the runway 20 feet out from the runway edge near the community hangar.”
Wet west end Stuart Island East
Well a bit of dry finally arrived. Bob’s hanger west is semi firm ( winter firm). Use the center of runway stay off of sides and east end ( still very soft). And keep your eyes open as someone is driving heavy machinery on the runway and cars. So there are some rather large ruts
Ok folks back at it…
The runway is wet, like April wet not January wet which is a good thing.
The middle of runway is usable except extreme east end which is very soft tundra tires only soft. Stay off the sides if the runway, we pulled two planes out last weekend. Land to the west go to farthest end to turn around. Suggest parking at the mail she’d where it is dry.
Fun stuff 12″ of powder snow coating the runway. It is frozen solid but your going to need skiis to land here for the next few days. I’ll update once the snow goes because it’s going to be very soft for a while.
Got a few nice photos of this powder runway for the history book.
After very cold temps and deep freezing plus snow we got a thaw, guess what 2″ new snow today. Runway is very soft. Center is still fair but sides are very wet. I’ll check back when snow is clear.
First spring runway report.
From east to west
First 1/4 mucky water will surge into your shoe when stepped on grass
Second 1/4 soft dents with a shoe but leaves no mark.
Third 1/4 firm
Fourth 1/4 firm
Sides are soft so no mid runway 180s if you like your prop.
Same as last week but a bit drier
Rain for a week has set back the hope for a runway that doesn’t stick to your wings. Right now the runway is dry enough to land but not dry enough to turn around on. The sides are a muddy mess. Center is soft field.
Runway is freshly mowed and looks great.
The sides are drying but still to be avoided.
Otherwise runways is fair, not good but fair.
Runway is freshly rolled so let us know if it needs more attention and where.
Late spring this year but has finally arrived.
Ok ya lot. Things are finally improving. To the point now where the runway is in fair condition. Not solid mind you but you can use almost all of it. Sides are still mucky in some places but they are east to spot. Yes those are the skid marks of the lawnmower.
Come on up and enjoy your Stuart island cabin.
Happy 2023 ya all.
We have had a deep freeze snow rain king tides wind and anything you can throw at us. Yet the runway is still usable amazing at this point.
Stick to the center but even the east 1/3 isn’t to soft.
Watch for geese as they are on the runway in mass.
Things continue to improve with the dry weather, and sunshine. Runway is now winter normal. No midfield parking be very cautious as it gets very soft towards the sides both north and south East end of runway.
Ok so didn’t want to wait till Friday. Things have improved. Water is down and the runway is soft but usable for those familiar with Winter landings. Come on up!
Camp everhappy? Bring your boots.
Walked the runway this morning, was hoping for some improvement but hard rains last night and today undid the drainage of Thursday…we need three days no rain.
You can still land west of Bob’s hanger keep away from the sides. And unless you have tundra tires stay off the East end….feet get wet just standing there.
Plan on no breaks and fly safe.
Ok the weather gods are going to make me say it. Don’t land! Everything is a mess. The water is upto the roads on both sides and it’s prop strike for sure.
Need just a few days of dry.
Ok so your Friday update…weekend is here finally.
Walked the runway this morning, was hoping for some improvement but hard rains last night and today undid the drainage of Thursday…we need three days no rain.
You can still land west of Bob’s hanger keep away from the sides. And unless you have tundra tires stay off the East end….feet get wet just standing there.
Plan on no breaks and fly safe.
Friday runway update.
Due to extream high tides, low pressure and abundance of rain the runway is extreamly soft to the east.
Recommend landing after Bob’s hanger center of runway. No parking community hanger.
Boaters be advised a lot of driftwood and deadheads, Reid harbor is mined with crab traps.
Right now runway is snow and mud. Expecting so e sun but the evening cold makes frosh heaves. So muddy.
If you land mid field going west your better off. My advice is wait and I’ll fill you in on condition if runway.
Landed on the runway today, and it is in great shape. Ruts are filled in with gravel. Mowed and dry.
We flew out last week to check on the cabin we “care-take” for Jeannette Roberts. We saw no DUAT NOTAMs during preflighting, and we called San Juan airlines who said they were regularly landing on the field though it was ” a bit soft and rutted especially on the West end.” We also checked here to see if there were any reports on current field conditions, but there was not. We see now a NOTAM on the WPA website stating the field “was/is closed until further notice because it is soft, wet, and dangerous”. I wonder how a pilot would even see that NOTAM if he/she did not happen to be checking the WPA website. If conditions warrant a NOTAM would it be possible to post it here as well? We landed and took off without incident, but had we seen the NOTAM or known how wet and soft the field was, we would have waited for a drier period.
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for the information. You raise valid points and it has caused us to make a couple changes to the website. This site was never intended as being a place for notams. The runway conditions, when mentioned here, are just a snapshot. There is nobody assigned to the job of keeping this site up to date as far as runway condition goes. We are adding additional warnings that indicate that this site should not be relied upon for current runway conditions. Also, it has been reiterated that, like has always been the case, we all takeoff or land from the runway at our own risk. That said, if we know of any particular unusual hazard we will certainly post it. And, we encourage readers like you to take the time to post messages, like you did. Thanks again for the info, I think we all can learn something from your experience.
Any updates on the condition of the turf? Thanks!
Yeah, I just visited. I put a note above with an update thanks for the reminder, but basically it is wet and soft. The usual wet area on the west end is there. Lots of deer, some geese.
We have been flying into Stuart for more than 10 years successfully navigating past deer and geese with no problem. Twice recently, however, we have had heart-racingly close-calls because of other pilots’ behavior. In both cases, a pilot has pulled out on the airstrip to back-taxi without announcing or apparently listening to his radio for our frequent position calls in the landing pattern. Just this last week, as we were about to touch down, a plane pulled out from one of the parking areas onto the strip necessitating a go-around on our part from very low altitude with low touch-down airspeed, and full flaps. On both occasions we were landing to the West and the departing planes may not have had good visibility of arriving traffic, but the radio is there to help us “see” around the corner. We barely managed to miss the planes both times. When we returned for touch-down the planes radioed their take-off direction and left before we could speak to them.
As pilots, please remember we are not lone pilots out there. Please listen to your radio and announce your intentions on the radio prior to acting (most particularly back-taxing) when you are in the runway environment. It only takes a moment to use the radio well and it could prevent a sad unnecessary tragedy! Thank you!
Was that a joke about paving the runway? It made me laugh to think about what the deer would do without all that grazing grass!
Was that a joke about paving the runway? It made me laugh to think of the mess it could cause!
Greg: Just want to have our personal info changed from what the recently received info sheet indicates.
Home: 360 588.0935
Cell: 360 395.5268 (Best to use)
email: tomkilp@gmail.com
Emergency contact: Andrea Matters, daughter, 831 624.3090
Hope you can get this to the proper person. Thanks and congrats on a good job on this site.
Tom
Thanks Tom,
I’ll get it to the right person. Good to hear from you.
Greg
I was on island on February 17-19. The runway is in pretty good shape but it continues to be a little bit soft and spongy in some areas. There is a wet spot on the west portion of the runway, in the same spot shown in Rhys pictures shown above, but it has decreased to about 1/2 the size seen in the pictures. As always watch out for deer.
Please take a look at the pictures above. As on 1/6/13 the runway is pretty wet, and it can be really slippery when it is wet. Be Careful! Also, please respect the cones and stay out of the area that is coned off.
As of 7/18 the runway remains in good shape. Somebody mowed the grass recently and there has been rain so everything is still pretty green. There are a lot of deer on the runway, be careful.
When will the runway be paved?
I was on the island this week – the runway is dry and it looks great. It has been freshly mowed and is nice and green. There were some deer present.