By Rick Sorrels
Special to KP News

Local airports are among the Key Peninsula’s best-kept secrets. These are real airports for takeoffs and landings, with real airplanes, helicopters, and, of course, pilots.

Pilot John Mercer stands with his helicopter named “Evinrude” for the character in the Disney movie “Rescuers” (the dragonfly serves as a motor for a leaf-boat carrying the two mice characters, Bianca and Bernard). Photo by Mindi LaRose

Clifford Howell, who retired after 30 years with Northwest Airlines as a 747 captain, has his own private airport alongside his residence in Lakebay. Howell has been flying for 43 years. He’s owned the secluded Lakebay property since 1976, and developed the grass runway in 1979. He flies his souped-up four-place Cessna 182 into and out of “Howell Field” at least twice each week during the summer. One can tell when friends are visiting by the sight of four or five airplanes parked together.

“I’ve never had an accident or incident involving an airplane in my whole life,” Howell said. “Modern airplanes are so quiet that my neighbors’ chainsaws and lawnmowers are a hundred times more offensive. The most exciting thing that ever happened here was when a C-130 military cargo plane swooped down one day for a practice approach.”

Another private airport was built along the shores of Rocky Bay about 30 years ago by Bob Hoyt, who owned a car dealership in Auburn. Three adjoining property owners have rights to use the 1,200-foot asphalt runway that has a unique 74-foot rise from one end to the other, which makes landings somewhat “interesting.”

John Mercer purchased one of the three lots in 1999, and recently purchased a second. Mercer owns a Cessna 210 and a Robinson helicopter he uses to commute daily from Rocky Bay to his aeronautical engineering firm in Kent, which manufactures guidance systems, and is currently designing autopilots for helicopters. Mercer holds a rarely obtained doctorate degree in aeronautical engineering.

“I learned to fly while I was still in high school. I’ve been flying for 48 years,” Mercer said. “My wife earned her pilot’s license 27 years ago.”

Asked about some of the more memorable moments at his airport, he said, “A couple of years ago, a neighbor was ‘on approach’ to the runway in his Aerocoupe, which developed engine troubles. He had to ditch it in Rocky Bay. Approximately five years ago, a local man was flying nearby when he lost a piece off the propeller of his Piper Cherokee. He did a forced landing at our airstrip without incident. After getting the prop fixed and inspected, he obtained permission from the FAA to fly it to the nearest repair facility for permanent repairs.”

The Rocky Bay runway is in the center of the photo, with Mercer’s house visible on the left. Photo by Mindi LaRose

Both Howell and Mercer report good relations with their neighbors. Bob Yurg has lived alongside the Rocky Bay runway for the past 12 years. “I like it. I just wish there was more air traffic. It’s a novelty; we get a kick out of it,” he said. “With controlled access gates and surrounding trees, very few people know that the runway is here. Noise is not a problem; there are no safety concerns. There have never been any accidents.”

Paul Holmquist, director of the Airports District Office for the Federal Aviation Administration region that includes Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, said FAA’s primary concern is safety. “Aircraft and airports are tightly regulated. Registration of private airports with the FAA is mandatory,” he said. “Registration allows us to annotate aeronautical charts so that pilots are more aware of potential air traffic, and potential landing sites for emergency situations. Registration allows ‘med-evac’ pilots to find unfamiliar airports quicker when lives are at stake.”

Private airports are identified on aeronautical charts with a red “X,” with a notation that permission must be obtained from the airport owner before landing, according to Holmquist. “This relieves the airport owner from liability if something should happen during unauthorized use,” he said.

Up through the 1960s, Americans held a heartfelt dream to commute to work in “skycars” or “carplanes.” The dream is not dead yet. The aeronautical dream is still alive on the KP.