Comment

Comment by Ari Hulkkonen on November 25, 2013 at 7:12am

It was probably illegal as the runway I took off from is officially closed by NOTAM until April 15th 2014, based on the lack of winter maintenance :) It is a bit strange as most of the small airfields remain open despite no winter maintenance is available.

Considering ski flying it is much better there is no winter maintenance, so we can live with the situation until they plow the runway in April. We typically use the field area on the side of the runway but the ice hard runway banks are pretty wide after they open the runway with tractor pulled snow blowers leaving only narrow strips for us, about 10 meters between the icy bumpy walls and the ditch. But they cut the bush on the ditch banks last spring so its less hard on the leading edges if you can't keep the plane exactly in the middle of the narrow strip.

We do have an oral agreement with the chief of the airfield that ski operation on the sides of the runway during the winter time is ok.  And when the runway is buried under a 1 meter thick snow, who can tell where it is :)

Comment by Bob McDonald on November 24, 2013 at 11:16am

Ari it looks like your way to happy to be doing anything legal ;>)

Fly safe

 

Bob