[Kargon]

Originally Posted by Dangaras

There are so many negative nellies who throw out every excuse why this shouldn't be done at their specific club! Every club that has put geotex in can't stop raving about how great it is and they have nothing but regrets aboit not doing it sooner.

Yes there are concerns but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The club execs better get with the programme or they wont be in an exec role for long!

If a club of 100 put in $10 each the cost would be more than covered with lunch and coffee for the work party.. I for one would contribute more since I love warbirds and the retracts are part of the scale beauty. My repair costs in the last 3 years from crappy fields far exceeds the cost of an entire Geotex runway..

Then come out this Sunday for our Warbird fun-fly and check out the runway for yourself.

Here is the info...https://www.rccanada.ca/rccforum/showthread.php?t=200361

[4*60]

Great info! Was considering this a few years ago and as a result of this info I may raise the point here in BC. Looks great for electrics etc., etc.

[ogopogo]

Originally Posted by Kargon

Then come out this Sunday for our Warbird fun-fly and check out the runway for yourself.

Here is the info...https://www.rccanada.ca/rccforum/showthread.php?t=200361

going to be doing just that

[Argus]

Nice looking field.

The latest addition to our runway two months ago was a geo-fabric runway

Is the geo-fabric used on your runway similar to landscaping fabric found at building supply/hardware stores, except being heavier/professional grade?

Thanks for your concern. I am interested in the material, but am concerned about heli usage not plane usage. Our club is considering this for heli pads, but I would rather the club didn't spend money on something not up to the task. Cement would be best, but not an option at our location.

If you want to use concrete (but is considered to not be an option), what about using patio blocks- I do know they come (or used to) in sizes up to 24"x30". Lot easier to remove than poured on site concrete.

[Kargon]

Originally Posted by Argus

Nice looking field.

Thank you


Is the geo-fabric used on your runway similar to landscaping fabric found at building supply/hardware stores, except being heavier/professional grade?

The geo-fabric is more like the blue tarps that you can get at Canadian Tire but denser material, tighter weave and much tougher, the fibers are so strong that they would cut into your skin before breaking if you tried to break a single fiber.

[gothicbunny]

Originally Posted by Argus

If you want to use concrete (but is considered to not be an option), what about using patio blocks- I do know they come (or used to) in sizes up to 24"x30". Lot easier to remove than poured on site concrete.

The problem with patio blocks is there would still be a seam for skids to catch in and possibly cause a tipover.

There is a local club that just put down a geo textile runway recently. I think we just need to go take a look to have a better understanding of the material.

Has anyone painted runway lines or anything on theirs? I would also be curious if it would take that well and just adds a little extra touch.

[Sharpy01]

More Info on Geo Runway in earlier thread if you missed it.

https://www.rccanada.ca/rccforum/show...=137831&page=3

Thread has their strip at 600 x 34'

[Yard ape]

We also at the London club followed Sun Parlour Rc clubs lead and put down geotext. the club loves it. Put about $1400 into it. $1200 for the 15x300' roll $100 to deliver, $100 for sod staples 2x6". once laid down the fabric tightened drum tight in the sun after 3-4 days. we just put Round-up down to kill the grass, rolled it and put the down the rwy in 2hrs. We used GTF-404 fabric.

YA.

[Dangaras]

After flying twice on Sunday, both were using the runway I have to say it wasSOOOOO much better than the usual grass runway!

A little short and coud use taxiways but an amazing surface! There were a couple of repairs that were well fixed and of no concerns.

A few Dandelions were pushing through the staples but those dirty little s can grow on fresh lava as far as I know, and were also of no concern.

The small trench around the runway was perfect for keeping the wind from getting under the fabric.

It was drum tight and supported a 10lb model without flinching.

Thanks for hosting the event...

[Argus]

Found an article on wikipedia regarding airfield construction during WW2. There were a few different materials used for temporary advance airfields used by the Allied tactical airforces.

Runway types[edit]Instead of using rough, unimproved dirt strips, engineers used surfacing material necessary to strengthen the soil to support the weight of the aircraft and as a measure of insurance against the wet weather. Airfields were initially single runway landing strips which were laid down east–west (09/27) unless local conditions dictated a different runway direction.[1]

Sommerfeld Tracking[2]
ALGs laid in the UK were of Sommerfeld Tracking a form of stiffened steel wire mesh.

Square-Mesh Track (SMT)[2]
The surfacing material selected for the building of advanced landing grounds during the first weeks after the Normandy invasion was known as square-mesh track (SMT). SMT, a British development, was material composed of heavy wire joined in three-inch squares. It was chosen over other surfacing materials because it was very lightweight, allowing sufficient quantities to be transported across the English channel on over-tasked landing craft. Easily workable, a SMT landing mat for fighters could be laid like a carpet in about one week.

Prefabricated Hessian (SMP)[2]
After the initial batch of airfields was completed using SMP, the Army aviation engineers switched almost exclusively to another surfacing material known as prefabricated hessian (burlap) surfacing (PBS or PBS). Light and easily transportable, PBS did not create the dust problem encountered with SMT fields. Made of an asphalt-impregnated jute delivered in rolls 300 feet in length and 36 inches or 43 inches in width, PBS was laid in overlapping layers to produce a dust-free fair weather surface. It was also common to build airstrips using both SMT and PBS, laying SMT on top.

Pierced Steel Plank (PSP)[2]
To provide an all season durable airfield for the Ninth Air Force's medium and light bombers, a third type of surfacing material known as pierced steel plank (PSP), or Marsden Matting was introduced on the Normandy bridgehead in July 1944. It consisted of 10-foot-long (3.0 m), 15-inch-wide (380 mm) steel planks joined together and laid perpendicular to the line of flight. Long used in other theaters, PSP would have been ideal for all airfields on the continent, but its limited availability and greater weight made this impractical. Moreover, because of supply problems, construction of even a PSP fighter-bomber field could take a month or longer, while similar PBS and SMT fields could be constructed in two weeks and one week, respectively.

In addition, Sod and Earth runways were built for Emergency Landing Strips (ELS) and Refueling and Rearming Strips (R&R). Captured airfields contained a wide variety of runways, most commonly Asphalt; Concrete; Macadam or Tar-Penetrated Macadam

The one most interesting is the Prefabricated Hessian - an ashpalt impregnated burlap.