Michigan Grass Strip Tour

 In August, the opportunity arose for me to travel to Michigan for work in my Champ, Rudolph. The weather for the trip there was expected to be fantastic, and it was an easy two-leg flight. The one complication that arose was airspace. I was trying to get to the north side of Detroit, so my options were:

• Go around the west side of Detroit's class B airspace,
• Stay below 2500 ft over the city of Detroit and fly through a narrow corridor between the inner ring of the class B and Canada,
• Join the fray and contact Detroit to fly through their airspace, OR
• Overfly western Lake Erie...and Canada

I decided to overfly Canada. Was this the safest option? Perhaps not. It did involve flying over quite a bit of water. I was definitely not within gliding distance of a shoreline for a while. But, there is an island chain, which means I was never out of sight of land. Also, to overfly Canada, you have to file a flight plan, squawk a discrete transponder code, and be on flight following. So, if I did end up in the lake, at least someone would come looking for me...theoretically. In the arguments FOR taking this route: the islands sounded pretty, and I had never overflown Canada before (or even filed a flight plan in about 10 years). This seemed like a easy way to "get my feet wet" with some international flying, while hoping that remained a figurative statement.

I departed Virginia on a beautiful morning, but unfortunately had more of a headwind than was forecast, causing me to land at Barnesville-Bradfield Airport (6G5) in OH, short of my planned fuel stop, but still leaving me plenty of gas to get to my destination in Michigan. I also felt right at home with the big "Bellanca" sign on the hangar by the fuel pump. I will have to stop by again sometime in the Bellanca and find out the story behind that.

Hangar with Bellanca sign at 6G5

Filing and activating my flight plan in my app (iFly) was a non-event. Then I just had to fly on until I got close enough to a tower to pick up flight following at my (low) Champ altitude. I was able to pick up Cleveland approach as I neared the outer ring of their class B airspace. As I approached the lake, they smoothly handed me off to Detroit, who I stayed with until I was back in the US. If not for that line on the chart, I never would have even realized I had been out of the country.

Approximate route of flight across the lake and over Canada

And those islands? Beautiful. The water had a somewhat turquoise hue, reminiscent of the Caribbean (not that I have been there, but it is on the list!). 

The Bass Islands, in Lake Erie

Pelee Island, with the airport's (CYPT) east-west runway visible

My destination in Michigan was Ray Community Airport (57D). They claim that it is the "Friendliest little airport in Michigan" and from what I saw, that claim is accurate. It is a very low-key airport full of people who are more than willing to help out a fellow aviator. They even have a grass crosswind runway! Even the gas is a good price for the area. To demonstrate how helpful the folks at the airport are, I messaged someone through their Facebook site, who was able to put me in touch with someone who found me a hangar to rent for the two weeks I was going to be there. I arrived before the guy whose hangar I was renting and spent the time wandering around the airport. I quickly made some new friends. There is a very active EAA Chapter on the field, and interesting airplanes in (almost) every hangar! Stop by if you're in the area. You won't regret it!

Rudolph on the ramp at Ray (57D)

The most fun part of the trip though, came on the one day I had off. I met up with the airport crowd at the terminal for some hangar flying, and then set off to explore some grass strips. There are plenty of grass strips in Virginia, but for the most part, they're private. Michigan is dotted with a plethora of grass strips...and many of them are public! I took a look at the chart, made a loose plan, and set off to find and land at as many grass strips as my gas would allow. I made it to seven. Every single one I went to was putting-green-perfect and an absolute joy to land at! I always love flying my airplane, but it had been a long time since I had quite this much fun.

I was off to a great start with Sharpe (2E2). It seemed deserted, but when I took off, I saw a couple (the Sharpes maybe?) waving at me. I rocked my wings, and was on to the next strip.

Sharpe (2E2)

Next up: Gavagan (48G). Landing directly behind the house really underscored the fact that most of these strips really are the backyards of friendly people who just love airplanes.

Gavagan (48G)

Yale (D20) is in a farm field. Straight, wide, smooth, and with no obstacles anywhere close to the runway, this was a beauty!

Yale (D20)

Next was Para (4Y8). I looked this one over VERY carefully - circling a couple of times before landing, as the chart had it labeled as "OBJECTIONABLE". But it appeared to be mowed and in good shape. This was the hilliest runway I landed on all day, as the center's elevation is noticeably higher than that of the two ends. It still rates as one of the nicer grass fields I have landed on though.

Para (4Y8)

Cowley (96G) was next on the list, and at 38.5 NM from Ray, the northern extent of my wanderings. This was another nice, obstacle-free airport in a farm field.

Cowley (96G)

Next up was Arnold (55G). This was the biggest of the grass strips, with a large ramp area and several hangars. A guy on a golf cart did drive up and wave as I was lifting off. I wish I had stayed on the ground a bit longer so I could have given him a proper greeting.

Arnold (55G)

Last but not least: Flugplatz (7MI), right by the lake. With a large house and hangar overlooking the runway, and the beautiful blue water of Lake Huron for a backdrop, this must be every pilot's dream. 

Flugplatz (7MI)

After this, my initial plans had been to visit a couple more strips (Avoca - 39G and David's Landing - 5Y5) but I was so enchanted by the lake that I instead flew down the shoreline to where Lake Huron ends in the St. Clair River. I'll have to add those other strips to my list for the next trip!

The Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron, MI and Sarnia, ON

After two hours of flying, I returned to Ray and parked the plane until it was time to head back south for Virginia. When the time came, my trip home was not exactly uneventful. After waiting at Ray for ceilings to lift, I headed south in the early afternoon. Due to the still low ceilings, I didn't feel comfortable crossing the lake, and after speaking to some local pilots, opted for the gap between Detroit's class B and Canadian airspace. This was not as hairy as it had first appeared to me: just stay below 2500 ft and close to the west bank of the river. This route also provided some great views of downtown Detroit.

Detroit

In another example of how friendly the aviation community is, I only made it as far as OH that day, then ended up spending two days waiting out weather in OH with a wonderful couple I met at the Aeronca fly-in a few years ago. 

We in aviation truly are a lucky group. Even though things don't always go according to plan, trips like this are what really remind me of why I got into aviation in the first place, and also that I shouldn't take it for granted. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way, including the people who maintain all of those gorgeous strips!