Geotextile Runway Proposal

Last update: 09-18- 09:30PM

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What&#;s Up?

You may have noticed a set of cones in the field the last week or so.  The cones are an initial attempt at defining a site for a geotextile runway using the rightmost flight station as a midpoint.

Say what?

The idea of installing a geotextile runway has been discussed on and off over the last few years.  It again came up at the May meeting as I had gotten some quotes based on a discussion at the field a month or two prior.  While there was some interest and an attempt to motion for a vote on installing one, there was not enough information known at the time to seriously consider it at the time, in my opinion.  It was also getting late in the meeting and I was looking to wrap things up. (Sorry I shut you down so abruptly on that, Ed.)  However, after that meeting Bob Rowe talked with me and volunteered to pay for the fabric and associated materials for a geotextile runway.

This is a very generous offer and prompted me to start collecting information so it could be presented to the membership and voted on as soon as possible.  The cones are an attempt to figure out just how large a runway would be and where it is best placed, if the club okays the project.

The Proposal

Install a geotextile runway, similar in nature to this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfMHlq8fFCQ

Bob is offering to pay for 3 rolls of fabric, freight for delivery, and staples.  Based on a current quote from the material supplier this totals out to around $.  With 6-8&#; of overlap on the long seams, edge folding/tucking, and saving some scrap for patching, that would come out to about a 285&#;x43&#; runway area.  If we want to have any taxiways, that will come off the length of the runway.

(3) US 230 - US Fabrics - 15&#;x300&#; - 320 lbs/roll $950 / roll $ Freight   $376 Elastomeric/Rubberized Roof Coating   $100 6&#; landscape staples $50 / $100 Dirt/Sand Fill $30/yd $ Multi-ton Roller (60+&#; wide)   ~$800 one day 1 Ton Roller (26&#; wide)   ~$190 one day Multi-ton Roller (60+&#; wide) (Bob Rowe contact)   ~$600 one day

The AMA recommendation for geotextile material is &#;US 230&#; from a company called US Fabrics, in Ohio. More information can be found at: https://www.usfabricsinc.com/products/rcaircraftgeotextile/

The price for the multi-ton and 1 ton rollers are quotes I received, calling to three area vendors.  Some members have contacts that may be able to get use of one for less.  I included these as reasonable estimates in the event those don&#;t pan out.  We would not need to rent both a multi-ton and 1 ton roller.  It is either or. Both are vibratory rollers.  Both have two drums and are either driven/ridden or self-propelled.  The multi-ton price includes transport to/from the site (they are around 15,000 lbs).  The 1 ton can be transported by trailers that club members have, one of whom will hopefully be kind enough to volunteer to the transport effort.  Heavier and wider the better, but I believe good results can be achieved with either.  The lighter one will take significantly more effort and time, of course, to compact the same area.

The dirt fill line item is a rough estimate.  It may be an underestimate.  I have purchased, on my own (not the club), a grading laser that I will use to shoot levels and build an elevation map, to determine actual material needed. The rough estimate is for 100 cu yds based on last year&#;s dirt delivery cost.  I will get an up to date quote, including discount for the bulk of the order involved.  Bill Whittaker is also talking to a contact who may be able to get us a much better deal, however it might be a cash deal which can be a problem if we want to apply for a field improvement grant from the AMA.

Amount covered by Bob Rowe: $-

Amount covered by STARS: $- (dirt fill estimate needs more work, this will change before the meeting)

We will have to work out how this is all accounted for with Bob. Coupled with the fence line electrical project, we could potentially apply for $- worth of reimbursement from an AMA Field Improvement Grant.  We may not be approved for any of it, or we may get some smaller amount of what we apply for.

The club&#;s general fund has $ in it as of this writing.  The fence electrical project has not been reimbursed to Greg Moore yet.  Add in other monthly expenses.  We can expect the account will be down to around $ soon.

Other major potential expenses this year may include reshingling the roof of the pavilion.  This would cost around $700 in materials and disposal. (Estimate of 600 sqft of roof surface, $30 per 33sqft if shingles, nails and roofing paper and sealant, club member labor, and cost for refuse disposal.)   And, as always, field maintenance equipment may throw us a curveball and require a badly timed replacement or expensive repair.

I believe the club general fund can support the project, support ongoing operational costs, and leave a good emergency reserve. If and when we receive a reimbursement grant from the AMA that will further help replenish reserves.

Site Layout and Smoothing Plan

The first layout experiment had the runway centered at the third pilot station, so shifted right about 30 ft from the image below. And the whole thing was shifted about 15 ft to the north compared to this image.  This image is of the current, second layout experiment, centering on the 2nd flight station and puts the closest edge 30ft from the normal pilot station pads (15 from the second pads).

The yellow line in the image is the existing &#;center line&#; established by the cones on either end of the field. As you can see it isn&#;t parallel to the flight stations as the runway layout currently is.  It&#;s an open question if people would prefer the current layout plan or adjusting it to be parallel with the yellow line.  Distance from flight stations is another consideration.  This second layout moves the runways in toward the flight stations compared to the first layout.  Hopefully this layout is a more natural landing standoff distance for pilots using it and allows people landing on grass to do so more naturally at 80-90 ft out instead of 95-110 ft like it was with the prior layout test.

I have conducted the start of a survey of the current layout, including the area from the flight stations to the runway, to get an idea of the existing grade directions and figure out how much fill might be needed.  Below are a series of graphs of the runway elevation measurements, an ideal smooth grade over that area, and a map of where we&#;d need to dig from and add fill to in order to achieve the smooth graph target.

Higher quality images, as well as raw data, and graphs including the flight station to runway region are available here:

http://www.amadistrictiistars.org/runway/runway-map-data.pdf

http://www.amadistrictiistars.org/runway/runway-only-graphs.pdf

http://www.amadistrictiistars.org/runway/runway-with-pilot-stations.pdf

The runway area has a natural overall grade running east to west, dropping about 12 inches over the length of the runway (nominally 300ft).  There is also north to south drop of almost 5 inches over the width (nominally 45ft) at the east end and almost no north-south drop on the west end.

While there is a need for more granularity in the map data (more points, bumping up from 27 on the runway area in these reports up to 55 or more), this coarse set of data does appear to indicate that we actually do not need additional fill to smooth this region out.  By digging from the high spots and redistributing to the lows, we should be able to do it, perhaps with dirt left over to smooth out surrounding areas.

I&#;m going to collect more data on the runway and in the area leading to the runway, as well as data for points surrounding the runway area.  However, this is a time consuming task and I&#;d like to lock down an intended runway placement/layout prior to investing that time.

AMA Flying Site Improvement Grant

Every few years clubs can apply for and receive up to 25% of the cost (max $ in grant award) for club site field improvements. Applications become available in August, clubs submit them by February, and they are awarded in April.  They can cover up to 1 year prior to and following the application period.  Both this and our fence line electrical project can be included in an application to be submitted by Feb .  We&#;d have to have documentation of the project(s), receipts for any claimed costs, etc.

Pros and Cons

This is a list of pros and cons that I&#;ve compiled so far with some input from members.  Please pass along your concerns or other items you think should be listed here that aren&#;t adequately covered, so I may add them.

Pros

• Small wheeled, light models and models with limited thrust to weight will have a much easier time taking off and landing compared to grass.  This includes many of the small and midsize foam BNF models beginners often show up to our club with.  It would also include scale appearance models, including many EDF jets, which often have an issue taking off from grass or are more likely to sustain damage from landing in grass.
• The geotextile area will be a high quality take off and landing surface regardless of the growth rate of the grass or how often our field crew can put a close cut on it.
• The area north of the geotextile runway and the bulk of the cross-wind runway will remain grass and continue to be maintained by the field crew as it always has been.  People will not have to use the geotextile, it is only an additional option. For those that don&#;t like it or are flying a model that isn&#;t allowed to use it, the grass will remain available.
• After rains when field conditions may not normally support take-offs or landings, geotextile areas should be usable.
• Great appearance and a potential boon to the attractiveness of the club&#;s facilities for recruitment and membership retention.
• Low cost and more resilient to heaving compared to asphalt or concrete

Cons

• It is a luxury item.  While some of the total cost is being donated, and some may be recouped via an AMA site improvement grant, there are site preparation costs that the club will be incurring.  If approved we are also saddling the club with future expenses, to replace it or remove it and re-seed, when the material inevitably begins to degrade and is unrepairable.
• Grass works and has worked at STARS for many decades. The fabric material has a limited lifetime (7-10 years, expected).
• Planes transitioning from the grass to geotextile and vice versa may encounter problems, particularly for smaller, lighter models. This may impact cross-wind runway utility for these models and may impact taxing to/from the runway with these same models.
• The lower friction of the fabric material vs grass may result in some smaller/lighter models, particularly taildraggers, being unstable in taxi and rollout.
• Some pilots will encounter problems if they like to make higher speed landings.  Rollout on landing will be much longer due to the very low friction the wheels will encounter, compared to grass.
• Damage from prop strikes, rotor strikes, and crashes will require patching. Repairs and patches that hold up long term can be tricky. Some repairs may need to be remade each season.
• The ground under this material will be much harder than the surrounding grassed areas due to the compaction and smoothing materials that will be used to prepare the site.  Crashes into it, besides requiring repair/patching of the fabric material, will also likely impart more crash damage to the model.
• If a staple pops up and isn&#;t seen, it may result in damage to a model.
• The ground under the material should be well prepared for grade, smoothness, and compaction.  We do not need to use herbicides for the area, but it can speed up the process of the material laying flat.  Depending on the soil material and grade, drainage and potential for erosion under the fabric can also be a concern.
• Turbines will not be able to use the fabric runway.
• Each additional &#;luxury&#; item that is strictly nonessential to the business of flying a  model aircraft, such as geotextile runways, freezers, refrigerators, tables, chairs, sun shades, fancy windsocks, buildings and their related expenses etc. that do not directly contribute to the primary function of getting a model aircraft into the air will add upward pressure to the cost of operation, membership, and to the need to raise additional funding through the Air Show, or other functions.

Other Comments and Frequent Q&A

• If approved the club may want to establish some specific rules about use of the runway. What models are excluded from using it? Any special &#;proof of competence&#; pilots of some types of models need to demonstrate before being allowed to use it? Further rules for events?  My sense is that most clubs that have this kind of runway do establish special use rules to help protect the investment.
• I&#;ve spoken with a couple of representatives of clubs that are using this material for their runway, about allowing turbine jets to take off and land on it.  They all have said that it does not cause damage, however pre-takeoff runups and idling must occur off the runway.  We can always conduct a test with a piece of scrap prior to making any final rule.
• Where will it go?  That&#;s what the cones are about.  Please provide your feedback.  Even if the fabric runway project is not approved, this area will end up being where we focus our field smoothing efforts.  We want to make sure people are comfortable landing on it, that it is well placed for both eastward and westward winds, etc.
• Site preparation will mean scalping the area with a very low set mow, optionally apply herbicide (will result in the material laying flat more quickly), grade and smooth/level the area as desired, compact, and then install the material.  We have tried smoothing in the previous year or two with some success, but lack of fill material (or trying to spread it too thin) coupled with lack of grade level measurement tools has been a stumbling block.  Both of these issues will be addressed and we will be able to work on the technique before making the bulk dirt purchase or placing the fabric order, assuring that we don&#;t get in over our heads.
• Some clubs opt to &#;tuck&#; the edges in a trench or other edger cut line into the ground.  Others don&#;t bother.  This is up to us and is not a requirement of the material.  It is purely an aesthetic decision.
• The material, after being installed, will shrink and become taut.  We will need to pull it as smooth as is reasonable while installing it, but we do not need to pre-tension or stretch the material during installation.
• Each roll is 320 lbs.  We should be able to use Bill&#;s tractor to move them into place using the front loader and some straps.  Maybe a long 2x4 to help distribute the load a bit along the length of the roll.  Once moved into place it is a manual process to unroll them.  We have plenty of people in the club to make light work of it and get the stapling done. The staples are landscaping staples, about 6-8&#; long.  They usually fit inside a 2&#; square metal tube (diagonally) and a plunger is fit inside the tube too, to drive the staple into the ground.  Staples are placed every 12-18&#; along the entire perimeter.  Seams between rolls are overlapped 3-8&#; and stapled as well.  Elastomeric roofing compound can be used to help adhere the seams together too, to prevent the upper overlapped edge coming up and prevent water from running under the seam or allowing water to carry soil from under the material onto the top of an under panel.
• Each spring the runway will need to be inspected. Staples that have popped up a bit by frost heave will need to be pushed back down.  Any tears or prior repairs that need additional mending will need to be dealt with.  Of course further inspections for damage and needed repairs will have to be done throughout the flying season.
• Other annual maintenance can involve reapplying any markings we put on the runway (centerline, X&#;s on the ends, etc.) as well as applying herbicide if weeds or grass come up through seams or repair locations.  Grass or weeds will not grow under the main sections, but sometimes seams and repair points give enough opportunity for growth.  Given our water table and frost heave issues, we will likely also need to roll the runway from time to time.  Our roller may do the job.  If it&#;s particularly bad we may need to rent a roller.  This can be done right over the in place material.  We do not need to pull it up to re-roll.
• Rider and push lawn mower decks can be run over the edge of the material a few inches without a problem.  They cannot be fully run over the material though.  Reels will not be able to be run over it.  We&#;ll need to edge the runway with the rider mower, just as we do trim around the perimeter, trees, fence, pavilion, etc.
• Repair methods depend on the severity of the damage.  Small prop strikes may be able to be patched with elastomeric/rubberized/silicone roofing patch liquid or tapes.  Larger areas may need to be covered with scrap material. These may be adhered with the same roofing material, &#;goop&#; brand adhesives, or industrial hot glue (RAMS has had recent success with that method).  Particularly large areas may also need some stapling to help hold it in place.  There is also a loctite adhesive that US Fabric has recommended to others that I&#;ve seen mentioned in reading up on this at other clubs. I will ask US Fabric about this.
• The supplier claims the usable lifetime of the material in this use is 5-6 years, but RAMS in Rochester, NY are in their 6th year with no deterioration evident.  Clubs in much higher UV exposure areas of the country (TX, FL, AZ) have also gotten longer than expected life out of the material.  There is a club in Michigan that installed this in and it appears to still be in use today (I have an inquiry with them asking if they have had to replace it and how long it was before they replaced it, if they did). Evidence is that at our latitude and typical annual cloud cover and UV exposure, we should get at least 6 years from this fabric and may get as much as 15 years or more.

Additional/Alternative Ideas

These are ideas from discussions I&#;ve had with members.  They are presented without value judgement and are meant as fodder for further discussion and consideration at our June meeting.

• Instead of three strips wide, go with a single strip.  Place it closer to the gates, and use it only for small park flyer models and EDF jet takeoffs (landings will still be on the grass).
• Use two rolls instead of three, so those using grass are not having to land and take off unusually far away from the flight stations.
• If we are going to install a runway, place the flight stations in between the two current rows of pads.  This will split the difference between our normal operation stations and the event stations, and will allow for a fixed distance from the flying stations to the runway.  Place the runway&#;s closest edge 15-20 ft away from the stations.

What&#;s Next?

Between now and the June meeting (June 9, at 7PM at the club) discuss this with other members, officers, etc.  Try flying using the coned area as a virtual runway.  If you don&#;t think you will like the geotex runway, try landing and taking off on areas off the coned region to see if that is a problem.  If you have questions feel free to ask me or seek answers from others.  As I receive questions or comments I&#;ll update the FAQ and information on this page, and we will have our normal project discussion at that meeting.

A word on procedure.  Before there can be a vote on this project, there must be a motion made to accept the proposal and vote on the project.  Normally this project proposal would be made at the June meeting, a motion would be made at the June meeting to hold the vote on the project at the July meeting.  I am hoping that by collecting information ahead of time, publishing it to the membership, and because this is a topic that has been batted around at prior meetings, that those in attendance will feel there is enough information known at the June meeting to make a motion to conduct the project vote at that same June meeting.  This is unusual, but it is not against the rules of the club so far as I can tell.

It is up to those in attendance at the June meeting what motions are made and which will be voted into effect.  The members may choose to make a motion to hold the vote at the July meeting, instead of the June meeting.  There may be no motion made for any vote, or they may vote against all motions to conduct a project vote, indicating more information is needed before it can be considered. If you have a preference on when the vote on this project happens and cannot attend the June meeting, please let your proxy know your wishes on the matter so your proxy can vote your intent on the motion(s).

Due to the degree of general fund use involved and degree of alteration to the club facilities, the vote on this proposal will be limited to open members only.  All members -- associate, open, or otherwise -- are encouraged to voice their opinions, participate in the discussion and debate, make suggestions, etc. but voting on this matter will be limited to the open members. If you cannot attend the meeting please make your concerns or thoughts known and get your questions answered in advance of the meeting. And if you are an open member who cannot attend, please arrange to have another open member vote as your proxy.

Updates

06-10- 10PM -- From to the club membership:

... after an extensive discussion during the meeting, minutes of which Jeff will be providing in the upcoming issue of Propwash, a motion was made and a vote was held to decide if the club's open membership wanted to pursue having a geotextile runway. This was not to authorize the project specifics, only to express if members thought this was something the club should pursue. That vote passed. Secondly, a vote was held to authorize the project as proposed in the website document and as discussed at the meeting, essentially accepting Bob's offer and authorizing up to $ in club treasury expenditure for site preparation and ancillary installation costs. Again, no dues increase is attached to this project, as it is being funded out of the club treasury (effectively using the remainder of the Peter Seiffert family and friends donation from last year) and Bob's donation. That vote also passed.

Want more information on geotextile runway solutions? Feel free to contact us.

While the project has been approved, there is still some data gathering needed to put a finer point on the treasury expenditure that will be needed for this project. If it is determined that the authorized amount is likely to be insufficient, including allowance for overage, we will conduct another vote at the July meeting before any work beyond basic smoothing (already approved at prior meetings) is started. However, if after additional data is gathered and the expected cost is less than the approved $, the project will proceed. What does "project will proceed" mean? A schedule will be made, work days planned, work on the field for site preparation will commence, and the geotextile purchase order will be arranged.

We also voted on the placement of the runway and the vote was in favor of using the currently marked location (green cones on the field and as depicted in the proposal document). Despite the vote, this is not yet set in stone. If you think it should be placed differently please speak up. One alternative brought up at the meeting was to place it at a farther distance from the flight stations, effectively making it the secondary runway instead of the primary. I'll talk with the member that proposed this to nail down the details of the idea more concretely so it can be presented in either a vote at the July meeting or on an online survey of the membership later this month. The vote on placement tonight was a strong result in favor of the currently proposed placement, so we have that as the default option if the second vote/survey does not yield significant participation or a strong majority in favor of an alternate placement.

I want to thank everyone that came to the meeting tonight. It was a larger than normal turnout and there was a good exchange of opinions. I hope that everyone felt they had the chance to express their opinions, be heard, and potentially sway their fellow members. I know that not everyone agrees, but I think this runway will be a benefit that the vast majority of our members will come to enjoy and will enhance our ability to recruit members. And though an unexpected development, I think the club getting its own internet connection will enhance the reliability and allow for expanded functionality of the camera page of the website and similarly help in recruitment, as well as help in getting more family involvement at the club. All of this should help secure a longer future for what has been built over the past several decades at the club.

06-10- 10PM -- Additional:

I requested a quote from our usual fill/dirt supplier for 100yds. We may not need this, but I wanted to get a quote for a bulk amount from current pricing to have on record in case that amount of fill (or more) is needed. The quote was for $27/yd, or $ cash. This was unspecified dirt composition beyond "top soil". I will be making other inquiries for 60/40 mix of top soil to sand and other top dressing mixes.

I've left the $ estimate in the budget chart above, until this is narrowed down through seeking additional quotes and getting more elevation data for the smoothing area.

07-21- 6PM

An updated grade plan was presented at the July meeting. Here are the details:

During the June meeting and after some discussion and an informal survey following that meeting, there was a clear desire to move the runway placement away from the original "blue" box on the image above (30ft from the flight stations) to the "green" box which was on the field for some time leading up to the meeting and has since been put back on the field. The idea being to have takeoffs to the west and landings from the west better capture the gap in the trees on the west side of the field, and to be better lined up with the long time approach cone on the east side of the field.

During the July meeting it was further discussed to shift the green box 30 ft to the east. Keeping the angle of the green box, but putting its SE corner at the same spot as the pink box. The idea being to give more room on the west side and manage the tree gap, and putting the runway closer to where people tend to naturally touchdown on short approaches from the east. This passed unanimously.

Several areas will be "shaved" down to remove highs. Unfortunately that scraping will be mostly turf and poorly suited to use in fine grading (though it may be of use in the deeper depressions on the far east and west sides of the field). So, an estimated 72 cubic yards of fill will be needed to be brought in, spread, and compacted. This is a significant increase compared to the prior estimate based on the initial survey, however it is less than the original budget estimate of 100cuyd so should keep us well within budget.

Adjustments to this plan to shift the runway to the east by 30 ft will be done and posted as a final plan.

08-10- 10AM

A survey has been posted to find out what block of 3 days will be best to schedule the all-hands runway work. Please respond quickly: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TK5MGHG.

09-01- 12:51AM

The final target layout for the runway has been set. This change is in accordance with the vote at the August meeting, after some discussion, to shift the runway layout 30ft to the east. This change is intended to give more room on the west side between the trees and the runway and also to allow the runway to catch more of the western gap in the tree canopy without dramatically altering the angle of the runway vs the flight line. This change was marked out and flown by several members and flight school students with success.

As presented previously here is the layout data and graphs. This will be our smoothing target in the smoothing/dirt work weekend coming up after labor day.

The runway layouts image at the top has the previous layout rectangles subdued, with the current (and final) layout in yellow. This plan does not include as much extraneous filling and smoothing on the non-runway areas. There is some to help bridge some gaps and get drainage moving the right way. But work in and around the pit area and the section to the west of the runway are not indicated. We will have enough work on our hands to get the runway completed. We will work on other areas as time allows. This does have the benefit of keeping our expected expense under budget by a wide margin.

As mentioned in on 8/30/, we have work days scheduled for Sept 11-12 and Sept 18-19. We will be doing most of the work on the 11th and 18th, but will hold the Sundays in reserve in case we need additional time at each phase or if Saturday gets canceled on account of weather.

The first weekend will be for dirt work and smoothing the runway area and the apron around it. The second weekend will be for laying down the geotextile fabric.

All able members are expected to participate in this effort. The more people on hand the more quickly we will be able to do each phase and the less worn out people are likely to get.

Weather is, as always, the unknown variable. We'll modify plans if necessary, likely by delaying from Saturday to Sunday, or having to schedule an extra weekend to complete delayed work, but all efforts will be made to maintain this schedule.

Unfortunately, the FPV Race event scheduled for Sept 11 is canceled. Our partners at FLX FPV have been informed and they are letting people know. Thank you everyone who was planning to attend for your understanding.

09-09- 11:00AM

Here's the plan and timeline

Thursday, Sept 9

• Complete any york rake work to clear the dead grass.
• Mark out the high spots and if possible start cutting them down.
• Mark out grade stake points.
• Shaving down high spots can use a couple of people to help the person operating the tractor.

Field will be usable during the last evening of flight school. During the day there may be times it's available for flying. Afternoon through to flight school it will be closed to flying.

Friday, Sept 10

• Field will be closed to flying all day.
• Complete high spot shaving.
• Set grade stakes.
• Fill delivery and staging fill onto the runway area. First delivery is scheduled for 1PM. It will take a few hours for all three loads to be delivered.

Again, a person or two to help during shaving would be good. And I can use some help (one or two people) with setting grade stakes, but there is no need for a large group of helpers.

Saturday, Sept 11

• Big work weekend #1!
• Starts at 9am, runs until we can't do anymore.
• Field will be closed to flying all day.
• Goal: Leveling and smoothing
• Jobs people will be doing:
• tractor operations: moving dirt into place, coarse grading with harley rake and bucket dragging, rolling, york raking
• mower operations: rolling, pulling the drag rake
• lots of hand raking
• hand shoveling (hopefully not much of this will be needed)
• setting grade string lines (these will be setup at pre-set levels marked on the stakes and pulled down as we work sections)
• checking grade throughout the raking process using a board and the string lines (maybe another tool Josh may cook up for us)
• distant observation, making sure we aren't veering off course and able to sight check multi-section and whole grades

Sunday, Sept 12

• 9AM start.
• Finish off whatever sections were not completed on Saturday. Flying closed while this is ongoing.
• Pull up stakes.
• Final feathering in sides to surrounding grade.
• Complete rolling of area.
• Mark out geotextile layout (marker pins driven flush to ground).

Sept 13-17

Flying is open. If large roller rental is deemed needed it will happen during this week. If it is rented that machine is going to be running as long as possible to get our money's worth. It will start on the main field, during which the field will be closed to flying. If any &#;damage&#; to the runway smoothing happens during the week final fixups will happen on Friday Sept 17.

Saturday, Sept 18

• Big work weekend #2
• Goal: Install geotextile
• Flying closed during the day
• Jobs:
• Tractor operations: Moving rolls into place.
• Hand unrolling, maneuvering the rolls. Staggered pattern rollout.
• Tensioning the areas being stapled.
• Applying seam sealant (roller or possibly hand troweling, not sure what will be most effective)
• Driving staples with the tools Phil Morgan made. Maybe some hand malleting as needed.
• Distant observation to make sure we&#;re staying in line.

Sunday, Sept 19

Complete geotextile installation not completed on Saturday

09-12- 5:00PM

You guys did awesome work this weekend! Here's a series of pictures covering some of the work on this project to date.

And here's some of how it looked when I left this afternoon.

The moguls are gone!

This area is a bit over 15,000 square feet. We added about 26 cubic yards of soil. This was all hit with the power rake several times. Rolled. Raked again. Screeded by hand. Rolled. Then the perimeter was york raked, hand raked, power raked, and hand raked again. Finally it was all rolled to the current state. And a back and forth pass by the team on Sunday to pick up as much loose debris as we could pick up.

This was a very big undertaking. About 28 people participated over the course of the weekend. It couldn't have happened without people showing up, doing the work, and making it happen. Thank you.

Sept 18 & 19 are the days to install the geotextile material. We'll need another large group of people on hand to make it happen. This should be less physically demanding than the screeding and raking this past weekend, but to maneuver the rolls and tension things as we're laying material down will take many hands. The less people to help, the more strenuous it will become.

Be looking for for some item requests and further details, as the weekend approaches.

09-18- 9:30PM

The runway is pretty much complete! We're waiting for things to dry a bit more before we attempt rolling it and finish putting sealant on the northern middle seam. We also need to seed around the runway, once we find the right seed blend to match up well with our existing grass and smooth out some of the fill spots off-runway. The stuff we've been using has a very different grass blade and is difficult for the reel mowers to deal with.

Here are some pictures of the work and end of day results. The wrinkles in the geotextile will go away, as the material shrinks, after several days of sunlight hitting it.

Very cool. This is a great improvement to the facilities of the club and we should get many years of service from it.

Thank you everyone who volunteered to help with the smoothing and installation work over the past two weekends. It was a lot of difficult work, but I (and many others) think is has been well worth it given the fantastic results.

Well first of all an aircraft's journey begins and ends on the runway which is supported by the soil underneath,soil has an tendency of swelling and shrinking in various atmospheric exposure conditions alongside with runoff's during storms or normal precipitations,to overcome all the weaknesses,Geosynthetics were introduced as its use does allow the better release of pore water pressures alongside with the reinforced behaviour of its use towards the soil which helps in less depression spots from instantaneous loads which take place during the landing of the aircrafts,apart from all this it's use is very pivotal to limit the movements of the soil below runways which can take place bcoz of pavement depressions be it's flexible or rigid

Contact us to discuss your requirements of geotextile runway custom. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.