Our runway has some major cracks that need repair before the convention. A couple of cracks run completely across the runway has risen a couple of sections about 3-4". This would be a major bump for a gyro. Maybe even a prop strike.

The runway needs some major attention before the convention. Brent got a fair price to do the entire runway from Reece yesterday. They said $15,000 would do it right. We are seeking donations!

Do any of you know a cheap fix?
How much would it be to have them patch the cracks? I know they had one quote for cleaning out the cracks and filling it in with a substance that actually expanded. It was similar to the spray foam. Northern Indiana's weather has not been very nice to asphalt or cement these past couple years. I just drove the runway and see some large cracks. The sections seemed to have come down since the frost is all out of the ground.

Got any idea or funds you can donate?

Don't the PRA have ANY money set aside for such as this ? Why every time some thing happens do we need to "pony" up to bail the place out ? It should be ran as a business, if it cannot support its self then it should be closed ! I know I don't have a clue about anything and NO I am not willing to step up any more to see that things get done.

The old PRA has not saved one penny. We could get a loan as we have just become profitable again this year for the 1st time in 3 years.

However PRA's most valuable asset is our members!!!! They make the PRA and the world a better place to live and a little like heaven on earth. So many have already stepped up with donations and offers of labor.

They ROCK!

PRA is changing, we are not the old PRA... we are now profitable again and have more discounts that paid you more than our yearsly dues. Also this BOD is working on a new source of monthly revenue that will solve this problem forever with income projected from 1k to 50k per month.

There are no No's yet and the range is only because we have no idea how many people will participate world-wide. I project about 20K+ per month if only 2000 people get in on this $10.00 bargain each month.

If Indiana accepts our license request by next year we will have more money than we know what to do with and will start looking at funding chapters with rent, tools, and equipment as all we can spent this source of revenue on is for teaching or lobbing congress and the F.A.A. So now we are looking at creative way to call the fund teaching.

If this works soon PRA will have free rental co-owned rotorcraft at all the chapters and fly-in's and we will pay chapters to start and grow as we will need to finds way to spend the money. It cannot go to members or shareholder directly.

Good luck John,

No luck is involved here Bro. It's like throwing spit balls some will stick so throw every idea we have.

We really only have to copy what I've done at other charities and then just put in the time and labor to make it happen.

I'm willing to do that for at least another year now that things are starting to move at light speed compared to the old PRA. Then I'm turning a profitable running PRA over to someone else to just manage and I'm going flying full time!

It's finally getting fun adding PSF magazine and all the other discounts and programs coming on line.. we have CHANGED!

I would say, rent a concrete saw, cut slots across the raised bits, then rent a big mofo roller and squash it back down.... fill any gaps with concrete.... then paint over the area with thick tar/rubber paint (like a patch) ..... that should keep the water out and buy you a year or two to come up with a better solution....

Can we see some pics?

The raised bits need to be squashed down ASAP.... if someone happens to land on the sharp edge and roll up their machine (or worse) then guess who's fault it will be and whose insurance premium will go thru the roof?

Good luck....

Close .... but leave out the concrete

Grind out the cracks with a concrete saw (like you said) ... blow out the debris with compressed air , fill cracks with asphalt tar , seal the whole area with tar as well , can be topped with a sprinkle of small stone as a surfacer (pea gravel) and pressed into the tar

Reason for doing it that way is the cracks can expand and contract with temperature changes because the tar always remains a bit flexible.

If there is solid material in the cracks there is no room for expansion on hot days and it can buckle again.

In cold climates sealing it with tar is most important , otherwise water seeps under the pavement , becomes ice and expands and heaves everything upward.

Expanding ice has tremendous power , it can bust the strongest steel.

Our streets and highways are continuous pour concrete 7" thick .... once it is cured we go along with a concrete saw and make a cut every 40 feet or so and fill it with tar , allows for contraction and expansion , lasts 30 years or more.

.

I should also mention .... tar seals out the water (of course) ... but just as important it keeps sand and gravel and grit out .... that stuff will pack in there tight during cool temps and not allow room for expansion when it is hot ... sand cannot be compressed.

Hope that makes sense
.

That's right Arnie, like the black squiggles the put in cracks on roads to keep water out....same thing..... but getting rid of the edges that can smash a wheel or make an aircraft bounce is quite urgent IMO, if someone damages a machine, or worse, someone gets injured, the PRA's insurance will get a good workout.... really, the airfield should be closed until some sort of smoothing occurs.... or display the damaged runway white cross at the start of the runway, highlight the damaged portion with appropriate paint or yellow beacons each side of the runway at the damaged section and definately get a notam published in an attempt to warn pilots and bring the damage to everyone's attention.... ASAP

Then the simple fix (temporary) can be done by members with a cutter and a roller.... you have to work out why it is happening too, prolly water, so run some spoon drains away from where the water is coming from..... if water is trying to cross under the runway, consider digging a trench and burying a concrete pipe across the runway and sealing over that....

Whatever is done, the airstrip needs to be closed or just limited to PRA members who are advised and perhaps sign something to show they know the issues and avoid them.... the last thing you want is someone 'dropping in' in a nice twin FW and leaving their props and motors scattered along the runway

Notam.... urgent IMO, the PRA needs to be able to demonstrate due care to those who may 'drop in' and get damaged/injured (or worse) Seek legal advice

I wish I could help

Edit: I would like to see pics and measurements of the size of any sharp steps

Maybe paint a great big rebel flag on the runway where the damage is.... then no one will want to go near it

When I build a rolling helipad that will be put on it......

Thank you my friends!

It turns out that the FAA has their own way of repairing about every kind of surface problem there can be.
Jeff Tiption send it to me so we must follow their rules.
We are working on a Notam now.

.

THANKS JOHN ..... it will be interesting how the FAA method compares to the street method , likely similar is my guess.

Good luck with everything.

I would still try and grind any steps or cut and squash down the worst of it. Can you show us some pics?

I reckon the PRA should try to attract some other entities to use the airfield, things like music festivals or be a venue for car/truck shows, camping and outdoor shows, boat shows?, circus, maybe a drag strip or something, so the land can make the PRA some income, as well as just having some gyros land on it? I am sure members would understand if they are given a months notice that the airfield will be closed for a weekend here or there for a car show or something.... especially if events like that can provide good income?

If the land can earn income in other ways than purely being an airport, then the profits can be used for upkeep Maybe Mentone could be the next 'woodstock'?

IMO, the PRA has bought the land, that is done.... the least the land/airport can do is earn some money..... rather than just sit there and fall into disrepair?

I would put it to the members to see if they would back the airport being used as I suggest, they may be inconvenienced with the airport being a no fly zone a few times a year, but the income can provide top class repairs and or renewed runway, which will benefit them the other 48 weekends a year

Edit: John, did the PRA not forsee repairs or the condition of the airport when they bought it? Or did they just say "goodie.... an airport, lets buy it? I can see from google maps, the cracks are right the way down the length of the runway? They have not suddenly appeared? They look to have been there for years?

Arnie, a runway begins about 2 yards under ground in its foundation... the roads, they normally just pack, add a foot of base then tar or concrete over that. Depending on the gross weights of the aircraft the airport supports, the layers under the blacktop may be 10' deep.... especially at the touch down points....

Muz is right. I have spent two years in Austria building roads and grading the ground plus excavating for buildings.
Even a simple driveway was quite extensive prep work if we wanted it to last.
In the Alps winters are similarly harsh as in IN.
9 months of snow with brutal mountain drafts.
Makes driving on the serpentine roads pretty challenging as the sun melts some of the snow and evaporates completely just to leave a 30 feet strip that was in the shadow os a huge tree in tact and freeze over. Nothing compares to hitting that ice patch in a steep turn 8ö km-h!!!!
Don't ask how I know
Anyways. Foundation is the trick.
If the underlayment is not proper the cracking appears prematurely.
Also re-surfacing can be done only one way for acceptable results.
They have to grind into the existing asphalt in a special pattern for the next layer to grip.
Lot's of adhesive has to be used to achieve success.
Or it will peel and crack faster then you can say "oh shit".
Unfortunately the price of a good quality adhesive renders it almost as expensive as just scrape the asphalt off and lay a new one.
But that was Europe. I m not into it here so I don't know the prices.
Either way. A runway has to be way better quality than a regular road.
So I assume people will make the right decisions about the repair.
Not seeing the damage it's only a guess work.

The in laws, wife an chillrens drove from Aiken to St. John, New Brunswick Canada about 25 years ago.
We drove the Airline Road Hwy 9 between Bangor Maine and Calais New Brunswick.
Along the way there was a road repair crew working on a section of the highway. It looked to me that the section they were repairing they had dug down at least 6 feet and were laying new gravel. I could see the sandwich layers from the bottom to top of the undisturbed part of the road had large rock at the bottom and smaller rock and gravel toward the top layer

Also I noticed a lot of fresh new grave sites. I asked my father in law what gives with all these new grave sites.
He said the ground just recently thawed enough to dig the ground to bury them.
Down south we don't have to worry about that kind of thing.