Dirt airstrip

Jeff NunanJeff Nunan
in General Discussion
Hi,
I am considering purchasing a Lance or a Cherokee 6. I frequently fly into a 2700ft dirt airstrip, elevation sea level, and would like opinions on which aircraft would be most suitable. Is the Lance landing gear able to handle a well-compacted dirt strip? Would one aircraft be better suited for taking off and landing in 2700ft?
Thanks in advance for your opinions

Comments

  • flyguydonflyguydon
    Both can do it but the 6 would take it better. 2700 is plenty for either to get out, but if it is wet or has dew... you'd want to put it on the numbers as the braking will not be good after landing!
  • JoeBJoeB
    Piper's specs say the take-off distance over a 50-foot obstacle is 1,800' for the 6-260 and 1,350 for the 6-300. The Lance is in between at 1,660. Any one of those will get you out of a 2,700-foot hard dirt strip.

    I am based at a 2,900-foot asphalt strip with a 190-foot displaced threshold. My aircraft is a fixed-gear Toga - basically a 6-300 with the semi-tapered wing. The plane gets in and out of there quite nicely. I'm comfortable operating it to and from 2,000-foot strips.

    Lance's have very similar performance to my plane and do fine at our field as well. I haven't heard of them having any particular issues with the gear.
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