Sail Plane
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Flight Engineer; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Glider
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150; Flight Crew Total 29000; Flight Crew Type 100
No Specific Anomaly Occurred All Types
General None Reported / Taken
Airport
The Van Sant Airport; Erwinna; PA is located on a knoll having the crest near the middle of the main Runway 6/24 [7/25] which is utilized by powered aircraft and gliders. Recently; Runway 6/24 was improved by the removal of some of the crest of the knoll; however this work was done such that there is a sharp edge between the northern edge of the middle one third of Runway 6/24 and the terrain north of the runway which comprises a ramp/tie down area and the extension of glider Runway 5/23. This sharp edge prevents a low wing glider from crossing that area and thus clearing the Runway 6/24 [7/25] to the north after landing or during an aborted takeoff. Furthermore; the side slope of Runway 6/24 having the northern side higher than the southern side precludes the possibility of a low wing glider lowering a wing during a cross wind landing or takeoff when the cross winds are from the north/northwest. Gliders landing long on Runway 23 have the risk of dropping off (at perhaps slow speed) the sharp terrain transition between Runway 6/24 and extended Runway 23. Another risk is that Runway 6/24 continues to be on a shallow knoll such that a glider that lands and stops near the center of Runway 6/24 cannot clear the runway due to the terrain sharp edge to the north and the drop off of the terrain to the south of the runway precludes that option; furthermore a glider must roll beyond the area of sharp terrain transition to clear the active runway; if the glider does not have sufficient energy to do so; or the pilot does not foresee this safety issue; the glider would be stopped possibly on the blind side of the hill so to speak. Van Sant is an uncontrolled airport; having a Unicom frequency which some pilot utilize and some do not. It is suggested that the sharp terrain transition along the northern edge of Runway 6/24 be removed to create a rounded shallow transition of terrain such that a low wing glider can safely transition to clear the runway after landing or an aborted takeoff. If the knoll of Runway 6/24 can be further removed; such that a low profile aircraft such as a glider; could be seen from any position on Runway 6/24; that would be an additional safety enhancement.
Glider pilot reports that recent 'improvements' at the Van Sant airport (9N1) to remove some the crest in the middle one third op the turf Runway 7/25 have left sharp transitions at the runway edges preventing low wing gliders from exiting in that area.