Taking cubs into our larger airports... your experiences?

[Brad Damm]

Funny story; yesterday I had a funeral to attend (not the funny part) and it was a 3+ hour drive so I elected to fly instead.

Because we're a CubCrafters dealer, I decided to take the Carbon Cub and visit some local FBO's at the regional Class D airport about an hour away by air in the town where the service was being held. At this airport I was flying to there is a large full service jet-set type FBO, a small local FBO and flight school, and a community college aviation academy. Both the large FBO and the community college flight center are on the south ramp. The smaller FBO is on the north ramp with the commercial carrier terminal in between.

I parked at the large FBO first (because they had the cheap rental car), went to the funeral, came back and talked to the guys there. Contacted ground to taxi over to the aviation academy, talked to those guys for a bit, and then got back on ground frequency to taxi up to the smaller FBO on the north ramp wwaaaay (about a mile) at the other end of the airport. Wind was out of the north at around 15+ gusting to over 20, so taxiing all over heck and gone was a pain.


Anyway, after I was done at the smaller FBO I was tired of taxiing all over the darn airport and asked the ground controller for a A-3 departure on 34L, which was the closest access to the active runway from where I was and allowed me to mostly taxi into the somewhat increasing wind, much preferable to a mile long taxi with a gusty quartering tailwind. Only problem was it was about 4/5th of the way down the runway. Well, that runway is more than 6000 feet long and with a minimum 15 knot headwind I wasn't worried a bit about taking off with less than 1500 feet of runway in a Carbon Cub.


However, ground control sure was worried about it. I'm pretty sure no one had ever asked them for that before. They had to think about it, confirm my request, make sure I didn't 'really' want A-5 (at mid-field) instead, and then (I think) call someone to make sure it was okay. Finally, it was approved but only "at my own risk". So of course I made a rolling turn accelerating onto the runway, hit full power, and was airborne (with the headwind), in just a few feet.


From the tower it must have looked pretty instantaneous. On the way out the tower controller (who sounded like a more seasoned guy) wished me good day and said he would explain the difference between a Cub and a commercial jet to the ground control guy.

Made me laugh. Anyone else have any interesting stories flying a Cub into larger airports?

[JohnM]

Brad, I have had similar experiences. It is always fun to educate and advertise and the same time.

[glickle]

Sure thing! That's the " other" real fun of these airplanes when they are not off-airport where they should be. I take intersection take offs at contoled airports all the time ( taxing on tarmac tears up my bush wheels too fast) and encounter the same either "at your own risk" and they will specifically state the length of runway remaing such as " only 1100ft of runway remaining at intersection Charlie" to which I usually reply "more than enough". A few weeks ago landed at Orlando Exec in FL runway 25 in less than 50ft and turned off the entrance taxi way to the runway A1 not even A2 (see attached) which elicited from the tower, " did I just see you turn off on Alpha1? We have never seen that one before, impressive" Caused lots of chatter. Thanks CC for making an amazing fun airplane. Best Gary

http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1304/00305AD.PDF

[couleeone]

Similar experiences with the sport cub especially at my home base Falcon Field KFFZ and when not busy will grant me midfield short approach long landing slipping past the tower, they squeal on that one. The also love the early turnouts. However when I go to Williams Gateway the tower makes me use all of the 10,000' runway...

[Pilawt]

when I go to Williams Gateway the tower makes me use all of the 10,000' runway...

The only way you'd need it all is if you take off crossways.

("Boy, that runway sure is short!" "Yeah, but look how WIDE it is!!").

[reileyr]

In either Class C or Class D, I make a normal approach, flare for a landing and then fly to my taxiway of choice in ground effect. Sort of a high speed taxi without the wheels actually touching. I've never had a complaint from the control tower. Intersection take-offs have always been granted with "remaining runway and density altitude" cautions.