CHUKAR FLATS, OR

Chukar Flat Airstrip is a jewel.

The runway lies on a silty bar on the east side of the river. The flat is about a quarter mile long and 100 yards wide. It is covered with low brush and grass. Upstream, to the south, the river makes a bend to the East within 1/4 mile. Downstream 3/4 mile, to the north, the river bends to the West. This makes the upstream approach and downstream takeoff easier.

The runway is a little bumpy. It is silty soft, but even small tires wouldn't sink in much. Using it when wet would be inadvisable, though the sandy silt would probably drain pretty fast after the rain was over. Grass and very low brush pretty much covers the runway, but there aren't any surprises like rocks or holes. The runway measures 1000' in length. The south end has perhaps another 100 feet of bumpy terrain until the low fence. The north end has more like 200 feet to the fence.

The lone tree has a picnic table under it, and there are a couple of weatherproof boxes with fishing stuff, soggy toilet paper, old issues of AOPA magazine, a pair of sneakers, and four chunks of charcoal. A fishing pole and reel, not assembled, lay under the tree. Also present is a golf club that had been converted to a weed cutter. More importantly, there is a small spade under the tree. It should be used to bury any waste, so the place will stay as nice as it is now. There are a few tie downs to the north of the tree. The bar would be a delightful place to camp.