Darryl Smith, Courier & Press
Skylane Pilots Association Treasurer Jim Schmitt checks the weather via his smartphone after installing a new GPS in his custom built airplane at Skylane Airport. Schmitt had wanted to test fly the new GPS which provided the pilot with far more information than the old one. Technology gets better with time, Schmitt said - better and cheaper.
Darryl Smith , The Courier & Press
Kenny McAtees small, fuel efficient Aerotrek A220 manages to travel at 120 mph while weighing in at only 640lbs. McAtee and his son Daniel fly the aircraft on a regular basis from the grass runway at Skylane Airport in Evansville.
By Darryl Smith Special to The Courier & Press
Hidden behind a small forest northeast of the intersection of St. Joseph and Diamond avenues lies an airport of a different kind.
A lush, green, 2,000-foot by 142-foot stretch of well-manicured grass forms the only runway for Skylane Airport at 2029 Allens Lane. It is lined with 45 large white airplane hangars.
"It's kind of like a car club," says Jim Schmitt, a member of the board of directors and field maintenance manager at Skylane. "I got my license out here in 1981 and been flying ever since then.
"Most people come out here to hang around. Every day we meet out here and we go to lunch, and occasionally on nice weather days we're out flying somewhere to lunch."
Brandon Burgdorf calls it a $100 hamburger to fly down to Patti's at Grand Rivers, Ky., on Lake Barkley.
"Or we might fly to Rough River for breakfast," says Burgdorf, a pilot at Skylane.
While the cockpits in these mostly two-seat aircraft are not spacious, the view, the sensations, the freedom and the excitement are what draw the followers and eventually the passion to own a plane.
While Schmitt built his own airplane for $20,000, many of the pilots at Skylane have small, light aircraft, purchased used from around the country, that are good on fuel.
Hank Meador and some friends, on the other hand, restored a 1940 Porterfield to better-than-new condition. The high-wing, tail-wheel aircraft requires special training to fly as it does not have a single wheel in the front like most modern aircraft. Instead, the Porterfield gets around on the ground with two wheels in the front and one on the very back.This configuration often is referred to as a "Tail Dragger" and makes visibility very low while taking off and landing.
Meador said he would ride his bicycle to Skylane every chance he had.
"The old dude that used to own this property was named Tom Crane, and I would wash his airplane for him and he would give me a ride," Meador said.
"In 2000, we formed the Skylane Pilots Association and bought the property. We added some hangars to it and we paid it off in 2010 and burned the deed," Meador said. "We bought it just to keep flying as reasonably priced as you possibly can. Like our fuel here now is $5.31 per gallon for 100 low-lead and over at the big field it's close to $7 per gallon."
Kenny McAtee and his son Daniel fly their 640-pound, 120-mph Aerotrek A220 out of Skylane Airport. They said they like the airport mostly because of the grass runway.
"It's more fun to fly off grass, it's easier to land, and I only live 3 miles from here, too, so it's close to home," McAtee said. "And we own it! Part of it."
"Every little city has an airport, from Carmi to Henderson. We fly to eat usually," McAtee said.
"Why do you fly, Daniel?" McAtee asked. "For fun!" his 28-year-old son responded.
"Can't fly too long nowadays, gas costs too much," McAtee said. "All the economical planes fly around and all the gas guzzlers fly once in a while."
Most pilots at Skylane will tell you they have been fascinated with planes and flying since they were kids. Brandon Burgdorf is no exception. Burgdorf grew up in the neighborhood right beside Skylane.
"I actually grew up in that house right there," he said pointing from his hangar while preparing to fly a plane he recently purchased, his very first.
"I've been flying since I was about 11 years old," said Burgdorf, now a union sheet metal worker.
"I remember him as a kid," Jim Schmitt recalled. "He would always be standing at that fence when you taxied out, waving like crazy and you had to wave back to him."
"I always loved watching them and I called over here one day and the right guy answered the phone — W.C. Sisk. I asked if they gave airplane rides and he said, 'Yeah, come on over,' so that's how it all started," Burgdorf said.
While owning your own plane may seem a dream, a quick Internet search yielded results of everything from used two-seat trainers similar to Burgdorf's 1971 Grumman for less than $12,000 and a $10,000 1973 Biplane on Aerotrader.com. Attaining the certification to fly a traditional aircraft could cost around $5,000 to $6,000, according to Burgdorf.
"Everybody, when they start out, they're doing it on a song. They don't have much money, they take maybe one hour lesson a week, which costs about $100," Schmitt said. "You don't have to buy the most expensive airplane. You know there's airplanes out there that cost a lot less than your sports cars, so it can be done if you want to."
The field's flight instructor left for another airport but Skylane is considering getting another in the next year or so.
For now, the airplane owner-pilots at Skylane Airport continue their routines of gathering in front of hangars, flying to airshows, meals in other states, and sharing a passion for flight within their very own airport.
Read more and photos: http://www.courierpress.com
A lush, green, 2,000-foot by 142-foot stretch of well-manicured grass forms the only runway for Skylane Airport at 2029 Allens Lane. It is lined with 45 large white airplane hangars.
"It's kind of like a car club," says Jim Schmitt, a member of the board of directors and field maintenance manager at Skylane. "I got my license out here in 1981 and been flying ever since then.
"Most people come out here to hang around. Every day we meet out here and we go to lunch, and occasionally on nice weather days we're out flying somewhere to lunch."
Brandon Burgdorf calls it a $100 hamburger to fly down to Patti's at Grand Rivers, Ky., on Lake Barkley.
"Or we might fly to Rough River for breakfast," says Burgdorf, a pilot at Skylane.
While the cockpits in these mostly two-seat aircraft are not spacious, the view, the sensations, the freedom and the excitement are what draw the followers and eventually the passion to own a plane.
While Schmitt built his own airplane for $20,000, many of the pilots at Skylane have small, light aircraft, purchased used from around the country, that are good on fuel.
Hank Meador and some friends, on the other hand, restored a 1940 Porterfield to better-than-new condition. The high-wing, tail-wheel aircraft requires special training to fly as it does not have a single wheel in the front like most modern aircraft. Instead, the Porterfield gets around on the ground with two wheels in the front and one on the very back.This configuration often is referred to as a "Tail Dragger" and makes visibility very low while taking off and landing.
Meador said he would ride his bicycle to Skylane every chance he had.
"The old dude that used to own this property was named Tom Crane, and I would wash his airplane for him and he would give me a ride," Meador said.
"In 2000, we formed the Skylane Pilots Association and bought the property. We added some hangars to it and we paid it off in 2010 and burned the deed," Meador said. "We bought it just to keep flying as reasonably priced as you possibly can. Like our fuel here now is $5.31 per gallon for 100 low-lead and over at the big field it's close to $7 per gallon."
Kenny McAtee and his son Daniel fly their 640-pound, 120-mph Aerotrek A220 out of Skylane Airport. They said they like the airport mostly because of the grass runway.
"It's more fun to fly off grass, it's easier to land, and I only live 3 miles from here, too, so it's close to home," McAtee said. "And we own it! Part of it."
"Every little city has an airport, from Carmi to Henderson. We fly to eat usually," McAtee said.
"Why do you fly, Daniel?" McAtee asked. "For fun!" his 28-year-old son responded.
"Can't fly too long nowadays, gas costs too much," McAtee said. "All the economical planes fly around and all the gas guzzlers fly once in a while."
Most pilots at Skylane will tell you they have been fascinated with planes and flying since they were kids. Brandon Burgdorf is no exception. Burgdorf grew up in the neighborhood right beside Skylane.
"I actually grew up in that house right there," he said pointing from his hangar while preparing to fly a plane he recently purchased, his very first.
"I've been flying since I was about 11 years old," said Burgdorf, now a union sheet metal worker.
"I remember him as a kid," Jim Schmitt recalled. "He would always be standing at that fence when you taxied out, waving like crazy and you had to wave back to him."
"I always loved watching them and I called over here one day and the right guy answered the phone — W.C. Sisk. I asked if they gave airplane rides and he said, 'Yeah, come on over,' so that's how it all started," Burgdorf said.
While owning your own plane may seem a dream, a quick Internet search yielded results of everything from used two-seat trainers similar to Burgdorf's 1971 Grumman for less than $12,000 and a $10,000 1973 Biplane on Aerotrader.com. Attaining the certification to fly a traditional aircraft could cost around $5,000 to $6,000, according to Burgdorf.
"Everybody, when they start out, they're doing it on a song. They don't have much money, they take maybe one hour lesson a week, which costs about $100," Schmitt said. "You don't have to buy the most expensive airplane. You know there's airplanes out there that cost a lot less than your sports cars, so it can be done if you want to."
The field's flight instructor left for another airport but Skylane is considering getting another in the next year or so.
For now, the airplane owner-pilots at Skylane Airport continue their routines of gathering in front of hangars, flying to airshows, meals in other states, and sharing a passion for flight within their very own airport.
Read more and photos: http://www.courierpress.com
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