Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - Wolfeboro's Little Airport & Ralph M. Horn

ApS · 09-08-2007, 05:55 AM

An identical amphibian, but in silver, flew low over the airport runway yesterday. It appeared to be giving homage to our bygone Wolfeboro assets of float- and land- plane havens. Since the Republic SeaBee amphibian continuously operated out of the Wolfeboro Airpark for half a century, I saw yesterday's flight as an omen for me to post an update!

Ralph Horn always bemoaned that he hadn't bought the heavily forested eastern approach to the airport, as landing approaches had always been a challenge from that direction. (Some pilots would say "challenge" isn't a strong enough word).

His abutter, Brad Frankum, never "harvested" those big white pines, and allowed his extensive estate to return to Old Growth. While most of the airport-end of Wolfeboro Neck is packed with soggy clay, Frankum's area is one giant granite outcropping. (Now heavily dynamited and fractured).

While not an expert in geology, the old ledge appears to have halted the glacier's southern push of lake bottom clay from 20,000 years ago. From the original grass strip, the paving of the runway had always been fraught with big puddles in summer and frost heaves in spring. The first paving didn't last one year!

But last year, those old Forest Giants were felled from the southern end and the entire paved runway was bulldozed. What had been the old runway was filled with a bazillion truckloads of dirt to extend it several hundred feet—from where it had previously ended in a soggy rockpile. That rockpile, in turn, had been "harvested" from the dredgings of the Walgreen's McMega-Boathouse moat nearby.

The dynamiting for that moat shook the ground and air ten times worse than any New Hampshire earthquake has. I'll bet it was heard in Center Harbor!

The entire runway "terra-forming" got a hydroseeding last year, so it now looks like a pasture. (Well, it did in Spring, before our present drought

).

The intent was to make housing lots, but it's a perfect grass landing strip today, with the approach opened up and "the runway" finally extended.

Maybe the new owners heard that FedEx is now paying Big Bucks to lease air-delivery rights for their smaller freight aircraft! (Which is especially true today, as even the future of Rochester's Airport—Skyhaven—remains gloomy).

Here's a newer view of the hanger—in the distance—during the "terra-forming":

09-08-2007, 05:55 AM	#15
ApS Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florida (Sebring & Keys), Wolfeboro Posts: 5,788 Thanks: 2,084 Thanked 742 Times in 532 Posts	2005/2006 "Terra-Forming" An identical amphibian, but in silver, flew low over the airport runway yesterday. It appeared to be giving homage to our bygone Wolfeboro assets of float- and land- plane havens. Since the Republic SeaBee amphibian continuously operated out of the Wolfeboro Airpark for half a century, I saw yesterday's flight as an omen for me to post an update! Ralph Horn always bemoaned that he hadn't bought the heavily forested eastern approach to the airport, as landing approaches had always been a challenge from that direction. (Some pilots would say "challenge" isn't a strong enough word). His abutter, Brad Frankum, never "harvested" those big white pines, and allowed his extensive estate to return to Old Growth. While most of the airport-end of Wolfeboro Neck is packed with soggy clay, Frankum's area is one giant granite outcropping. (Now heavily dynamited and fractured). While not an expert in geology, the old ledge appears to have halted the glacier's southern push of lake bottom clay from 20,000 years ago. From the original grass strip, the paving of the runway had always been fraught with big puddles in summer and frost heaves in spring. The first paving didn't last one year! But last year, those old Forest Giants were felled from the southern end and the entire paved runway was bulldozed. What had been the old runway was filled with a bazillion truckloads of dirt to extend it several hundred feet—from where it had previously ended in a soggy rockpile. That rockpile, in turn, had been "harvested" from the dredgings of the Walgreen's McMega-Boathouse moat nearby. The dynamiting for that moat shook the ground and air ten times worse than any New Hampshire earthquake has. I'll bet it was heard in Center Harbor! The entire runway "terra-forming" got a hydroseeding last year, so it now looks like a pasture. (Well, it did in Spring, before our present drought ). The intent was to make housing lots, but it's a perfect grass landing strip today, with the approach opened up and "the runway" finally extended. Maybe the new owners heard that FedEx is now paying Big Bucks to lease air-delivery rights for their smaller freight aircraft! (Which is especially true today, as even the future of Rochester's Airport—Skyhaven—remains gloomy). Here's a newer view of the hanger—in the distance—during the "terra-forming": __________________ Every MP who enters Winter Harbor will pass by my porch of 67 years... Last edited by ApS; 12-20-2012 at 05:50 AM. Reason: ...direction of approach is east, not south...