iceman wrote:If you fly off for a days sightseeing or breakfast the unwritten rule is leave a folding chair in your parking spot with the tiedown chain on it. I've only had one bad experience with that. A cub pilot came in during the 180 fly in and moved my chair off my spot and parked in it.
iceman, your right. But, last year we got the lecture from the care taker. No saving parking, If there is no plane tied down it is available. That is the official line.
I am with you, and I think most other pilots are too.
Flyer: I have never been to Idaho so i am unfamiliar with the local standards. The camping fly-ins i've been to here in Colorado have always had guys doing that sort of thing, esp. in Michigan were i lived and flew the M for three years.
Iceman: I would never want people to think i have lost the feeling in my nuts.
I agree or course with protecting backcountry strips and would only act in ways apropriete to local customs.
Haven't met Eric yet. Gene and Cody were fine with the chair in the spot routine as was their Boss. I'll still do it till I'm told not to. If I'm there for 10 days camping i can't see parking all over the place every time I go off for a days fishing. That seems to be the general rule everywhere I've been. It's called first come first served. I agree things get hectic when the 180 185 club goes there but after the incident I described above I stayed put till all the weekenders left. Otherwise I might be walking the length of the field to get from plane to campsite. Besides, most people want to park close to their tent so as not to have to haul supplies and camping equipment long distances. The system has worked very well in the past so I can't see why it would change, but new camp manager, new rules I suppose....
Mountainmauler wrote:Flyer: I have never been to Idaho so i am unfamiliar with the local standards. The camping fly-ins i've been to here in Colorado have always had guys doing that sort of thing, esp. in Michigan were i lived and flew the M for three years.
Iceman: I would never want people to think i have lost the feeling in my nuts.
I agree or course with protecting backcountry strips and would only act in ways apropriete to local customs.
T'He thing is there are always people up there who are trying to end back country flying. Packers, I've been told, don't want people flying into country they earn their living taking people into. Tree huggers don't want anyone in the back country. And in General people who don't fly figure if they don't do it why do we have to. So If you have read Hanselmans books you'll understand why it's just good sense to be a good guest up there. I for one want to keep going up there every year as I have done these many years so I try to keep a low profile, and low high speed passes are not on my agenda. Last year a good friend of mine came across three guys at Cabin creek who were doing some back country research and one of them was generally hostile to him saying small aircraft have a bad impact on the environment since they transport non native weed seeds in their tire treads. That's the kind of wacko thinking that threatens our freedom.
I guess I am at a bit of a loss why taking a couple of minutes to clear weeds off our gear abridges our rights.
Float plane operators are routinely asked to clean millfoil and other noxious weeds off floats along with other hitchhikers as in areas with Zebra mussels.
I for one am happy to comply in an effort to keep the local lakes and rivers free from these exotic pests as long as possible.
These are simple requests which can yield great dividends to the area where we like to fly. Preserving the wilderness goes hand in hand with your right to enjoy it.
If we try to be good stewards of the land then the shrill opponents of our use will have less to gripe about. We have a very light footprint, but high visibility.
Weeds off landing gear, I agree. I will remove all weeds from my gear.. But I draw the line at getting out after takeoff to brush off any weed seeds stuck in my tires from my take off roll. I mean getting out there and washing your windshield at 5000 ft is one thing but I draw the line at brushing off weed seeds......
By the way I know this is an old thread but I just learned that Gene and Cody are back at JC this year. The first caretaker, after they retired, didn't work out and the one for this year had a health problem so Gene is back for the year and Cody will help him out by coming to JC three days a week. SO in regards to the above parking situation i think the old rules apply. At least that's the way Gene saw it.
I am planing on a Saturday June 28th afternoon arrival to JC. Does anyone anticipate a problem getting an overnight parking spot? Not having been there before is it OK to pitch your tent under the wing? Also is there some form of transportation to Yellow Pine or do you have to walk? Any help is appreciated,
Paul
J.Creek is wide enough to allow parking on both sides of the runway and camping under the wing for a couple of days is usually OK. They get a little testy when it is longer than that since tents tend to kill the grass over time.
Also be aware that the sprinklers are moved from one side to the other on alternate watering days and if it is your side's turn your plane and tent will get watered right along with the grass.
Bring really good tie downs, I use "The Claw", since the afternoon winds get pretty high but a T-storm can really produce some nasty gusts and finding your plane on its back can ruin your whole trip and on its back on top of another plane does not make for good inter owner relations.
One point on the tie downs. The dirt has more river cobbles than soil so be ready to really hammer those stakes in. The screw downs look to be pretty useless there. I have done it but have broken more than I have sunk into the ground.
There will be no problem finding a space somewhere along the runway. It is a very long runway. You may end up on the other side if there are a lot of planes.
The state of Idaho provides two rental vehicles, vans, at Johnson Creek during the summer. The state of Idaho also provides the caretakers, Gene and Cody this year, who take excellent care of the airport.
Tom D, thanks for the info on Johnson Creek. I also use the claw for tie downs. I have found them to be good in almost any soil conditions. I will make sure they are on the list of things to bring.
Paul
