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Sorry for the late notice, but we just finalized with the runway crack folks, and they will be out *tomorrow* (August 8, 2017) to repair the cracks, small sink-hole at the south end, and seal coat on some small sections at the north end.
The runway will be officially closed from 9am-5pm, but the actual work will be intermittent. If you really need to get in or out, coordinate with us, and we can likely arrange a window to allow your operation. Blue Skies, Sky & Tara 360-321-0510
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Welcome to summer!
It has been a while since our last update, so we thought we would update you all on a few of the developments here at W10.
Blue Skies, -Sky (and Tara) 360-321-0510 Hello friends of W10!!! Well it's already near the end of March and I'm still waiting for the weather to look more like Spring and put the Winter behind us. We have a new wind sock, frame and pole ready to be put up but we're just waiting for the weather and our work schedules to get along:) A drone was spotted by neighbors on Sunday, March 12 going up and down the runway. As a quick reminder-- there are specific rules regarding drone operations. The rules vary between recreational and commercial flyers. Recreational operators are required to notify airport management if they are operating within 5 miles of the airport. Commercial operators however do not require notification. All drones must remain within line-of-sight and must yield to any aircraft in the area. I am attaching the summary of the FAA rules for those that are interested. (Likely nobody on this distribution was flying the drone, but it is an important reminder that as aircraft operators, you will be sharing the airspace with drones, and as the rules continue to evolve, it is good to be familiar with what those rules are). Feel free to give us a call at 360-321-0510 if you see any drone activity near W10 and even though we don't have a lot control over the matter we would be more than happy to discuss our concerns with the operator. We want to keep everyone safe out there:) Thanks to Fred we will have some courtesy bikes available at the airport. We will keep you posted as to where they are located but for now just check into the Porter house and we'll get you set up. For those of you on the FATPNW Facebook site, you may have already heard, but there is a growing interest to have a fly-in with workout gathering (not quite sure what to call it yet). I have offered up W10 as a site to try out the concept and will work with Nick Power's, who is organizing it, and show him options for running/biking and an area to do some boot camp type exercises. I figure afterward everyone can refuel at the coffee roasters:) We are aiming to start these this Spring when the weather gets more promising:) I will always keep you in the loop when events take place and everyone is welcome to join in:) Attached are a couple of pics just for fun:) -Tara & Sky Rudolph (360) 321-0510   Dear Friends of W10-
We want to extend our deepest gratitude to all of those that came out for our "Windsock Clearing Party". It was a great success and many hands made light work. We want to thank those that came out to physically help as well as those that lent equipment to help get the job done. We even had someone fly in, saw that we were doing some work, and came over to borrow some gloves and chip in - what a great bunch of aviators we have here! We have posted a few pictures up on the W10 facebook page (like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/W10Airport/ if you haven't done so yet :) ). All of those that wanted to come but couldn't make this last one, there will be more opportunities in the future so stay tuned! The weather cooperated with us, and should be even more accommodating as we march towards summer. Then we even had some wind the very next day and were able to witness the fruits of the labor (although it has been pretty calm since then). Our next step will be to relocate the windsock closer to the runway near the tetrahedron - and to make a modification or two to the tetrahedron to improve its performance as well. As weather has permitted we have been slowly chipping up the debris that was cleared, and will be doing a bit more clean up of the newly cleared area as weather and time allow. Get out your calendars! You don't want to miss this one!!!!!! WHAT: MIDDLE CRAWFORD ROAD ASSOCIATION MEETING DATE: February 18th, 2017 WHEN: 2PM WHERE: The Cafe in The Woods at the Mulkilteo Coffee Roasters WHY: Crawford Road is privately owned and privately funded, with additional complicating factors which make addressing its needs a challenge. Your help and support may be useful in making meaningful change, and it may be helpful for those frustrated by the road to better understand some of the unique challenges. It will also be an opportunity to learn firsthand about the current state of, and plans for, this vital piece of infrastructure. WHO: Anyone that has been nearly swallowed up by a pothole or had to swerve from shoulder to shoulder to weave around them, searching in vain for that 'perfect line'. For anyone who has gone out of their way to come in from 525 just to be able to stay on pavement. For anyone that has considered bringing a bathing suit to lounge near the Crawford Road lakes. For anyone that just wants to hang out with us and the Middle Crawford Road Association on a Saturday afternoon:) And remember, if you don't show up, you may be nominated for a board position. Blue Skies, Tara and Sky Rudolph Dear Friends of W10 -
Firstly, we have a local airport phone number now. The other numbers are still fine to use, but the official airport number is now (360) 321-0510. We wanted to express our gratitude to all of those that shared a bit of their Saturday a week ago with us, as well as to all of those that took the time to fill out our survey. This feedback is all very helpful as we figure out how we help to make W10 an even greater place. For those that were unable to attend we are planning on some maintenance items in the near future including:
The other universally supported issue is in addressing the conditions of Crawford Road. Helen Price Johnson and Craig Izette (President of the Middle Crawford Road Association) spoke about the status and some potential for improvement. It should be stressed that this is an incredibly complex and nuanced issue, with no simple fix, but we will all be working together to do what can be done. Offers of support from the airport community were heard, and may be leveraged to expedite changes. We will keep the airport community apprised of any changes, meetings, and opportunities to help out. We are spending lots of time thinking about an airport master plan, and over the coming year will be engaging in that more formally, to improve facilities and signage for transient parking and helipads, and working to ensure that the flow of aircraft on and around the field is as safe as possible and minimizes the maintenance burden (we will have several tire tracks to fill as soon as things firm up again from the current soggy season). We greatly appreciate your patience. These things will take time. Always feel welcome to send us any ideas/suggestions/expertise you may have. As we get deeper into the planning stages of certain projects we may send out more requests for input. We look forward to continuing to meet all of you!!! ******Work Party!***** We could use just a few hands to help clear around the north end wind sock. There are a dozen or so small trees that need to come down so we don't need more than a few skilled hands with chainsaws, and couple more to help drag and clear brush. We would like to clean things up a bit, rather than just leaving them lie, so if anyone has a wood chipper that would be a greatly appreciated asset! Possibly a truck to blow chips into, that we can dump in a pile on another part of the property. If you can't make it, don't worry, there will be more and bigger things to do soon, but we will take up to 10 people for this small project. Date: This Saturday, January 28th Time: 1pm Can you provide: Chainsaw & Appropriate Safety Gear (there may be a waiver to sign), a chipper, or a truck? Reply by phone or e-mail. (360) 321-0510 or [email protected] ********************* Blue Skies, Tara & Sky Rudolph Hello again Whidbey Airpark users, neighbors, and friends!
It has been great to see so many people braving the cold and taking advantage of the blue skies the last few days. Lots of traffic, of all types at our little runway in the woods. Gary at Mukilteo Coffee has kindly offered a warm space to get together. They will be tearing down the outdoor patio at the Cafe to put up something better, so we will be gathering in the warehouse instead. Come around to the rear entrance to join us at 1pm on Saturday, January 14th. If you plan to attend, please RSVP with head count, so that we can give Gary an idea of how many to expect. You are of course welcome to drop in, even if you forget to RSVP. We don't have anything fancy or formal planned, but look forward to putting faces to names, and getting to know each other a little bit better. We will of course be happy to talk about any ideas or issues you have regarding the airport, and will start laying the groundwork for some work party plans for when the weather improves. In the mean time, we would also appreciate a few minutes of your time to follow this link, and complete the short survey, so that we can better understand your visions for the airport. <Survey Expired> We look forward to seeing you soon. Blue Skies, Sky & Tara Welcome to 2017 and some exciting changes at Whidbey Airpark!
As many of you may have heard, Whidbey Airpark is now under new ownership, and we would like to take a moment to introduce ourselves. As of 12/29/2016 the legal ownership has transferred from Whidbey Airpark LLC to QuickSilver Properties LLC, owned by Sky and Tara Rudolph. We are Washington natives, originally from the Port Angeles area, moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington where we have settled for the last 22 years. I (Sky) received a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, and pursued a career in aircraft flight test and certification, recently starting my own company helping aftermarket modifiers navigate the aircraft certification and flight test process. Tara received a nursing degree and has moved from trauma surgery at Harborview, to Special Procedures at Overlake, and is now the nurse manager for Bellevue Spine Specialist. We are community and service minded, volunteering several hundred hours a year in King County Search and Rescue. We have now moved to the island, and are looking forward to becoming a part of the community here. We can be reached most hours of most days in person at the old "Porter House" on the NW corner of the field (behind the red shipping containers from the runway side or 5247 Crawford from the road side), by phone at (360) 321-0510, and by e-mail at [email protected]. The mailing address is: QuickSilver Properties PO Box 852 Langley, WA 98260 If you are in the area feel free to stop by and say "Hi", visitors are always welcome! One of the questions that we get regularly is "why would you buy an airport?" It is not one that we have a good answer to. As many of you may understand, decisions to get a pilot's license, or purchase an airplane, or do really anything in aviation fail the usual metrics of business savvy or common sense. The real reasons are often emotional, spiritual, or otherwise intangible. Most of us are simply drawn to it for reasons that are difficult to explain. What we can say though, is that it is a unique opportunity for us to encourage, support, and to help grow the flying community here. It gives us a little room to expand and grow the flight test business, with room for a shop, and space to tinker. It makes it convenient to (finally) follow through with life long dreams of flying and owning an airplane. It is an opportunity to move away from the city (and traffic), and to settle back in to a smaller, quieter community of cool people doing cool things. And the next most common question is "what are you going to do with it?" And here again, we have a million ideas but no solid answers. We have a long and growing list of things that could be done here, but are going to take a slow and measured approach to understand the field and its users before making any big decisions. In the short term though, there is some overdue maintenance which we will be doing to fix cracks, remove the moss, and seal some areas that need it. Thankfully, the runway itself is in pretty good condition by most accounts aside from these issues, and with routine maintenance should serve us all well for the foreseeable future. Also on the short list will be some clearing around the wind sock (leading up to some overall trimming in general of the newer growth encroaching on the runway). Expect some questionnaires/surveys from us over the next few weeks, so that we can get your ideas and understand your priorities. We understand that we are not going to make everyone happy with everything that we choose to do, but are very much interested in knowing what it is that you, the users and soul of the airport, want (and don't want) most. We will also plan for get together later this month (we will try for a Saturday afternoon) that we can get to know each other a bit more in person, and talk about the issues and opportunities here. More details on that when we have them. In order to establish some consistency in what has been an inconsistent and often contentious issue, all locally based flyable aircraft will now be paying $100/month airport access fees. Those in Mark's hangar will pay Mark directly, and those in the Porter hangar or adjacent properties can pay by mail to the PO box, or in person (checks payable to "QuickSilver Properties LLC"). We know that any talk of money can be a sensitive discussion, but we hope you can appreciate our investment, and understand that this is far from being profitable, but the revenue generated helps defray insurance/taxes/maintenance and will be the primary method by which we drive airport improvements. If access fees present a hardship, come talk to us, and we can discuss some options which allow us all to stay happy and keep flying. In order to help us with the tall task of getting to know you (and your airplane if you have one), please e-mail back the following information. It will help us a great deal. **************************************************************************** Name: Email: Mailing Address: Phone #(s): Aircraft N-Number and Color: Aircraft Parking Location: Fun fact about yourself: **************************************************************************** Many of you have already asked how you can help. There will certainly be requests for specialized equipment and work parties (as the weather gets better) as we dig into some of the physical tasks of maintenance/improvement, so there should be ample opportunities to get your hands dirty. Paying your dues of course is always greatly appreciated. But for now, mostly we are looking for your support, and patience. We cannot do this alone, and look forward to your participation enthusiasm in building the best possible version of this little airport in the woods. We look forward to this new adventure and we thank you in advanced for your support. Warmest Regards- Sky and Tara Rudolph QuickSilver Properties LLC 360-321-0510 |
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