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Establishing a private grass strip
Of the nearly 20,000 landing sites in the country, roughly three-quarters are privately owned and established for private use. Federal laws and regulations on landing an aircraft wherever we want are thankfully quite permissive, so establishing your own grass strip usually isn’t as difficult as one would expect.
Once you decide to establish a strip, the lengthiest part of the process is likely going to be finding the land. Since most GA airplanes comfortably need a runway of somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 feet, you’ll need to find a parcel at a minimum between two and seven acres, and one that’s unusually long and narrow. What you’re obviously more likely to find is a traditional plot that will be significantly wider than you need in order to accommodate the length.
There’s no magic formula for how to find the right piece of land. Most people tend to look at traditional real estate listing sites, such as Zillow or Redfin, and wait for the right listing to pop up.
The most critical steps, and the place where the whole thing could fall apart, happens at the local level. The FAA has a minor say in where the airport goes, insomuch as you probably don’t want to end up in the surface area of a towered airport. But the local ordinances and zoning laws can kill the project before it begins. Talk to the county and local agencies to ensure there’s no prohibition against operating an aircraft from private property in the area. And dig more to determine if you will be allowed to establish an airport. Many grass strip owners look outside of local city limits and focus only on county ordinances to avoid the extra layer of bureaucracy. County rules are also typically less restrictive. Don’t forget to also check for homeowners associations or other local bodies that might have a say in your future dream. Although the urge here can be to investigate quietly and unofficially, this is probably one area where it’s a bad idea to beg for forgiveness later.
Once you’ve overcome the local hurdles, check in with the state department of aviation. Most states don’t have additional restrictions on private landing sites, but they may specify insurance requirements, registration, or even an inspection.
With local and state issues resolved, and the deed in hand, it’s time to consider the FAA. And there, the question is to register or not to register. On the Grass Airstrip Owners and Pilots group on Facebook, there is a mix of those who advocate for the protections registering offers owners and those who want to stay anonymous to other pilots. However, the regulations are relatively straightforward. FAR Part 157 covers the notifications required for constructing an airport, and it says that the requirement for notification applies, unless it is, “An airport at which flight operations will be conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) and wahich is used or intended to be used for a period of less than 30 consecutive days with no more than 10 operations per day,” or “The intermittent use of a site that is not an established airport, which is used or intended to be used for less than one year and at which flight operations will be conducted only under VFR. For the purposes of this part, intermittent use of a site means: The site is used or is intended to be used for no more than 3 days in any one week; and no more than 10 operations will be conducted in any one day at that site.”
So, unless you are establishing a temporary strip, it should probably be registered. That’s done through form 7480-1, and it’s straightforward. The FAA will then do a study to make sure the strip won’t impact operations at another airport, and chart it or not, depending on your preference. Registering the airport is said to offer some protection from powerlines and towers, and charting it gives pilots emergency landing options. Some owners argue that having it charted increases liability, and many report unannounced or unapproved visitors. For that, liability insurance is key.
Victor Weinzel is at the tail end of this long process. He purchased a property near Conroe, Texas, in the summer of 2021, and he’s been working to establish a strip ever since. “The day we signed, I had a dozer ready to clear a driveway,” he said. From there he hired a logger to clear enough of the 18 acres for a strip 2,200 feet long by 100 feet wide. “They left a big mess for me and the wife to clean up.” Weinzel owns a heavy equipment repair business, so he spent $20,000 on equipment rental and they cleaned and graded the strip themselves.
Since then, the couple have built a house and a barn with living quarters for his daughter and her kids, and he’s working on the hangar for his 1965 Cessna 172. He began the process to have the strip registered and charted the year he purchased it, and never heard back. But a quick follow up a few months ago brought a flurry of activity that resulted in the strip’s quick approval and charting this spring. The FAA never came out to inspect the property. They surveyed the airspace, which wasn’t a concern, and measured the runway length via satellite.
Through the process Weinzel said he’s learned a lot about grass. He opted for Bermuda because of its hardiness. A permanent irrigation system keeps it green all summer. “It’s a dream,” he said. “Aviation is addicting. It was a lot of work but it’s pretty rewarding. I would do it all again.”
