Takeoff pad suggestions?

I'm wondering what might be the best size for a small cement take-off area on a grass circle?

The club I belong to is considering adding a grass circle not far from the paved circle. Because we have so many months of wet weather making for soft, soggy ground, we're thinking of a small cement pilot's circle for better footing. Also we'd like to have a hard surface area to start and take off from.

Do any of you have suggestions for how large or small the takeoff area should be? I understand the Brodak site has an arrangement like this. Does this work, do you like it, and what improvements, if any, would you make? Thanks!

I have an idea, might not be a good one but here goes.

I have been told that you try and take off with a tail wind. So the take off spot changes. What we have is a 4ft wide 20 ft section of conveyer belt. After we are done roll it up and throw it back in the trunk.

Thanks
Paul

When I was younger and lived in Illinois, (not Illi-noise) we flew in a hay field. We took off from a folding table. The table was one of those lunch room type tables you see in schools. If you can hand launch your airplane you can take off from a table. The neat thing about a table is, you can set in a chair while fueling, starting, launching, working on the airplane. Once the airplane takes off the pilot needs to step back about 15 or 20 ft.

Hi Jerry Why don't you just email John Brodak and ask him how long he made his runways??? I'm guessing they are 30-35 feet in length. I have flown off the Brodak circles and I like it. You get the best of both worlds, take off on hard surface and land on grass. Also nice for OT with vintage motors--won't tear things up if an inverted landing might occur, like would happen on asphalt!!! Cheers, Roy D

One thing you might want to do is make sure there are no edges sticking up that could tear out the landing gear if you should happen to land right at the end of the runway...

If there will ever be combat flown at your grass circle you might want to consider placing the runway pad outside the radius of a combat pitting circle (whatever that distance is for your local rules). And you can make the diameter of the pad the same as the diameter of the combat/racing centre circle.

A.

The GSCB has three launch pads. The circle sizes are 60', 65' and 70' from the center of the circle to the center of the pad. Pads measure 6'X30', as I recall (I'll measure), and are not quite adequate for long lines.....the "back" or "stunt" circle has two center circles, offset to allow longer lines. The center circles are 5', I believe.

The GSCB field is amid a swamp/wetland/bog, and the pads tend to "float"....one sank about 3", one rose about an inch and another rose about 3"....

At the Nats/WC this year, our AMA came up with circle centers for the combateers that were 3/4" ply, covered with roofing paper to make the less slippery (or to make them hot?).

See Ya

The question has been answered, this is just added fodder...

The reason the GSCB pads are heaving is they have no footing below the frost line to keep them stable. They are floating and as the ground freezes and thaws they move around. This is why building codes specify footings under cement pads for houses.

Around here the frost line is only 18 inches but up north it could very well be 3 feet or more. Digging down 3 feet for a take-off pad may be a little overkill but if you want it stay put that is what you need to do.

>The question has been answered, this is just added fodder...
>
>The reason the GSCB pads are heaving is they have no footing
>below the frost line to keep them stable. They are floating
>and as the ground freezes and thaws they move around.
>
Freeze line??? Sounds similar to our 12 inch water table.

>Around here the frost line is only 18 inches but up north it
>could very well be 3 feet or more.

Up north, like Atlanta?

Jerry I may be full of it here, but I believe the cement pads at Brodaks are the same size as the AMA carrier decks. A ten foot diameter center pad would be nice too. The carrier deck sizes are in the rule book. They call for an eight foot wide, forty one , feet three inches to forty four feet in length over all. It would be nice to have a ramp at the stern end for those real low landings. And you can fly carrier as well as PA.