Airport Manager's Corner

The “high-speed taxiway” or the dogleg of asphalt leading from the Northwest end of Airport Drive South to the approach end of Runway 12 is a taxiway, and it is not suitable or authorized by the Company for takeoff operations.  Takeoffs are authorized to begin from the run-up pad on either end of the runway with the aircraft aligned with the takeoff heading (“intersection” takeoffs or takeoffs using less than the full runway length are similarly not authorized) .  The entire “useable" length of the dogleg is ~120’.  If the extra 120’ of runway length is “necessary" to safely complete the intended takeoff or provide an acceptable abort margin, the planned flight should not be flown out of Summerland Key Airport and should be reconsidered.  On hot days with a mission that requires operation at weights or configurations that are near the edges of the envelope when operating out of FD51, I will typically take off at a weight or configuration to safely operate from FD51 with appropriate safety margins and fly to Marathon to pick up the balance of the passengers/fuel.  

“What if I overrun and run into the Marina wall?”  This brings up several discussion points.  For the last 66 years of our airport’s operation, critical hazards have been present on both ends of runway:  1) there is a canal, transiting boats and opposite-side seawall when landing runway 30, and 2) there is a busy road on the departure end of runway 12.  In my last 11 years here, I am aware of only two overrun incidents, but they were both the result of significant, compounded and avoidable pilot error.  The nature of operations from FD51 REQUIRES pilots to mitigate these surrounding hazards as pilot in command for EVERY flight and properly plan their landings with contingency-planning for go-arounds, just as MANY other airfields around the world - where runways are shoehorned in between known hazards - have similar operational requirements for pilots in command who wish to utilize them.  But this begs the question:  what causes an overrun during landing or abort specifically at FD51?

“What if I lose my brakes?”  Most General Aviation aircraft can test their brakes before landing.  I personally, will tap the brakes as part of my landing checklist after I drop the gear.  If one of the pedals repeatedly goes to the floor, I know I should plan accordingly and possibly divert to Marathon where aerobraking will be sufficient to stop the plane.  Let’s say, though, that I didn’t notice my brakes weren’t working, and I touched down in the touchdown zone (more on that later) and tapped the brakes only to find the pedal(s) going to the floor.  Depending on the winds and my ability to aerobrake, I might personally execute a go-around - yes, even though I am already on the ground - and probably divert to Marathon.  

“I like to stay high to avoid the power lines.”  If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard this… Usually, I hear this when talking to a pilot after observing a scary approach:  the pilot had chosen to be significantly higher than necessary (in one case, the pilot said he wanted to be at 300’ AGL) until crossing the 35' power lines.  After crossing the wires, the pilot pushes the nose down and, trading altitude for airspeed in the dive for the runway, accelerates and then attempts to flare approximately 10-20 knots above their ideal approach speed.  This leads to the aircraft floating down the runway, often past the midpoint of the runway as it bleeds off energy.  In the last runway overrun I witnessed, this exact scenario played out on Runway 12, but rather than go-around when the aircraft was floating, the pilot pushed the aircraft onto the runway at about the half-way point, striking the nose gear, then the mains then the nose gear and the mains until settling on all three gear with about 1/4 of the runway remaining.  During the floating and the porpoising, the pilot could not effectively aerobrake or use wheel brakes, leading to the overrun onto the road at the end of Runway 12.  Thankfully, the cars going either direction recognized the roadway incursion and stopped to accommodate.  I personally prefer to fly a disciplined pattern with a consistent but slightly steeper (~4 deg) approach from rolling out on final to touchdown to comfortably avoid hazards like the wires while maintaining a more airspeed-stabilized approach. 

“The runway is short.”  The landing distance is adequate for every airplane that the Company authorizes to lands here.  The fastest way to make this runway with adequate landing distance into a “short" runway, though, is to land WITH the wind.  We have 3 (soon to be 4) windsocks in the neighborhood.  We have the highest ratio of windsocks to feet-of-runway in the continental United States - if not the world.  There is no reason for any of us to land WITH the wind.  That said, having made this mistake more than once myself (thankfully not here, though), my personal policy is that, if things feel abnormal and rushed during the base-to-final turn and I feel inexplicably behind the plane on final, I will go around and re-evaluate the winds.  I have conveyed this technique to my students and many of those for whom I give Flight Reviews, and the feedback has been positive.  

"I didn’t go-around because the runway is too short.”  In EVERY one of these cases I am aware of, the runway isn’t too short; the decision to go-around was made far too late.  There are too many combinations of aircraft and pilot proficiency levels operating from Summerland Key Airport for me to provide a one-size-fits-all go-around criteria.  Instead, I will tell you what I do and why I do it, and you can reflect on and/or develop your own criteria as Pilot in Command.  There are several definitions for “touchdown zone,” and most are directed at larger runways, but, practically speaking for a runway of our length, the touchdown zone is typically referred to as the first third of the useable landing distance of the runway.  (If you ask my dad, it’s the numbers or nothing - ha!) Utilizing the displaced threshold on Runway 30, there is 2,115' of runway useable for landing.  The “P” in the “PRIVATE” lettering closest to the Runway 30 displaced threshold is ~600’ from that threshold.  That is just under the first third of the runway, but it is a clear indicator to me of runway remaining while I am landing.  So, the touchdown zone in my mind for runway 30 is roughly from the threshold line to the “P.”  If I am floating down the runway and I see the word “PRIVATE” disappear under my nose without the main landing gear touching the runway, I will personally go around.  The touchdown zone numbers are roughly the same when landing runway 12 and utilizing the “P” in the “PRIVATE” closest to Runway 12’s displaced threshold, and I employ the same go-around criteria when landing Runway 12.  

“I didn’t abort because the runway is too short.”  In the same way, the runway is not too short for an abort; the decision usually is made too late.  There are two kinds of abort criteria:  1). Low-speed abort criteria (probably anything under 60 knots for most of us) where I will reduce power and apply the brakes for pretty much anything not working like it was when I added power and 2) High-speed abort criteria - near rotation/lift-off speed - which is another matter.  My personal high-speed abort criteria at FD51 is:  any flight control or engine control malfunction.  Everything else, I will take flying in day/VMC conditions if I discover it at high speed.  The most recent example of a failure to adhere to high-speed abort criteria was the A36 Bonanza where the pilot pulled back on the yoke to rotate at about 75 knots and the yoke wouldn’t move (the control lock was still installed).  At that moment, the pilot should have reduced power and applied the brakes.  Had the pilot done so at that moment or shortly thereafter, there would have been plenty of runway to safely stop without damage to the aircraft.  Instead, the pilot attempted to use the trim to take off because the pilot was concerned there was insufficient runway remaining to abort because “the runway is short.”  In the time it took the pilot to attempt this, the aircraft accelerated significantly, and once the pilot saw the "trim takeoff" wasn’t going to work, the pilot attempted the abort - several hundred feet further down range and about 30 knots faster than when the pilot first discovered the problem.

I have seen several go-arounds at FD51, but I have seen many more scary landings here that SHOULD have been go-arounds.  I try to find and “attaboy" every pilot who does a go-around either in person or on the radio when things aren’t going their way.  There is no shame in a go-around, and if anyone ever gives you flack for performing a go-around at FD51, send them my way.  

Summerland Key Airport is one of the most unique airfields in the world, but it DOES have historically-existing nearby hazards, and it is not necessarily suitable for all pilots or all aircraft.  Our Company works very hard with FDOT, the FAA, Monroe County and our Shareholders and Licensees to ensure the safety of those who fly in and out of FD51 as well as the safety of the surrounding community.  We ask our pilots to exercise sound judgement with respect to their personal proficiency and the capabilities of their aircraft to determine whether or not Summerland Key Airport is a suitable match for their intended operations. 

Our President, Bob Raskey, was awarded the 2023 FAA Flight Instructor of the Year, and I have been both a flight instructor and aviation safety officer in both in the general aviation world and in Navy tactical (fighter) aircraft for 17 years or so.  If you are concerned about any of these existing hazards or want to discuss any other safety concerns while operating from Summerland Key Airport, please do not hesitate to ask either myself or Bob.  Either or both of us would be happy to discuss these concerns with you one-on-one and/or go for a flight (or a few) to ensure your intended aviation operations out of Summerland Key Airport are appropriate, safe and rewarding.