I certainly hope they leave it in place…

Bob is based in New York State along the Hudson Valley and I am in Northeast Maryland near the Susquehanna Valley. We had been planning to meet for lunch - somewhere on a route between our two respective homes - since I bought my own airplane in September of 2008. After the third cancellation we began referring to this particular mission as the “Bally Jinx.” We did manage to complete other “meet up” type missions but this one eluded us from October last year to (finally) September of this year. We had a gorgeous day in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions for a day of flying. Bob actually had additional missions for this flight, having stops planned for two other airports during his day-long flying.

So…on to Butter Valley Golf Port (Airport - 7N8), which is located just east of Bally, Pennsylvania. On first glance at Airnav and the comments posted there, some pilots may be a bit apprehensive about landing at this small airport. Of the six comments posted thus far, here are five quotes: “Challenging place to land and take-off,” “to practice an unusual landing strip,” “definitely a challenge the first time. I would do it again, but not in a Cirrus,” “one fun and challenging airport!,” and “the runway keeps the pilot on his/her toes.” What that all means is: make sure you are up on your short field landings and takeoffs - if you consider 2400′ to be short, that is. I am used to flying out of an airport with the longest runway being 2000 feet long.

We arrived as a flight of two - a C-172 (from the northeast) and an Ercoupe (from the southwest). The runway is a bit different in that it is part paved and part grass. Both surfaces are in fine condition with a smooth transition from one surface to the other. There is a displaced threshold to get your flare over/after the golf cart and road crossing. It also has a slight roller-coaster effect because of a small hill at about the half way point and, overall, is slightly uphill. With that said, the preferred runway is 34 - to take advantage of the uphill slope to keep you from needing much brake power, considering the field length. We landed into a 50 degree crosswind from the right side at about 12 knots. There was a bit of a “burble” on long final over some trees, but everything smoothed out on short final and seemed negligible during the flare. That was my experience in my Ercoupe - but Ercoupes are very easy to land in crosswind conditions (no need for rudder pedals at all). My colleague in his 172 also had no problems either with the runway length, the roller coaster or the crosswind. (He flies out of an airport with a looong runway.)

Neither of us would label Butter Valley airstrip as “challenging.” A bit different, maybe, but not difficult at all. We arrived within ten minutes of one another and met up in the tie-down area, which has ample space for a dozen or so transients. There were marked tie-downs but no ropes at the ones we chose. So bring your tie-down rope. We parked on grass and I had wheel chocks for the nose gear so I did not bother with wing-tie ropes. We said our “Hellos” and headed to the restaurant. Walking across the parking lot, I was stopped by an older golfer who asked about my Ercoupe - to see if it was mine. It seems his father had owned one for many years - from the 50’s until his passing in 1990. I am used to questions and/or comments about my airplane no matter where I fly it. (It really is a nice example of a well-cared for 1946 aircraft.)

Lunch was the main reason for our meeting - not the flying. Yeah, right! Neither of us are avid golfers so I cannot comment on the quality of the golf course but it sure did look nice. It was very beautifully kept and was picturesque with trees, hills and bunkers all around the runway, clubhouse and restaurant. It may be surprising, but many small airport (General Aviation) restaurants are not over priced. To the contrary, many are very reasonable - and Butter Valley was no exception. One of the posted “specials” was a Chili Dog for $1.95 and a Grilled Chicken Salad for $5 (if I recall correctly). The place was clean and service was efficient and friendly. And, this is a biggie for me, they served breakfast all day. Well, all day for them was Breakfast and Lunch - closing by mid-afternoon. So I ordered a usual (for me) breakfast of two scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries and toast. Bob had a cheeseburger and later added on a hot dog (hungry boy that day). We both had iced tea. The entire bill was only $14 and change. The breakfast was priced at $5.95 - which seem s about average for a breakfast place. However, the surprise was that the price INCLUDED coffee or tea AND a glass of orange juice. Nice place, friendly service, good food and very reasonable pricing. This place is a “keeper” - for sure. We will be back.

~~|~~

Yes, It was “the” Ercoupe - being flown solo by a close friend and student pilot. Does he know how to handle a grass runway landing or what?

Here’s another video - of a Cessna 172 landing on a grass strip in Argyle, NY (1C3). The video is taken from inside the cockpit of the C-172 with fellow pilot, Brian, at the controls.

Today was not a day to take a passenger and load up to gross takeoff weight. The ol’ Conti may have been born with 75 horses, but even with proper care (and great compressions at last annual), those horses don’t seem quite as limber as [I'm sure] they did 63 years ago.

“Airplanes are not investments, they are toys. They should be purchased with toy money or left alone. There are much simpler, cheaper toys, but none (to me) are as fulfilling.”

Yup - gotta agree with that thought. Not that “all” airplanes are toys, but the ones in which I am interested and get to fly certainly are.  :)