Good news: The Washington ADIZ is no more! Bad news: As of 17 February 2009, the ADIZ was replaced by the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA). Kentmorr Airpark is NOT in the SFRA, so you can fly into and out of Kentmorr without having to file flight plans, talk to Potomac TRACON, or squawk a special transponder code.
However, the SFRA, which is a 30 NM circle around DCA VORTAC, is only about 1.6 NM west of the end of Runway 28. If you enter from or depart to the west, you must follow the Washington SFRA procedures (See 14CFR [FAR] 93.331 through 93.345 or click here to go to the rule). As long as you stay to the north, east, or south of the airport, you will be clear of the SFRA and can follow the procedures below.
Note that you must have conducted training if flying VFR within 60 NM of the DCA VORTAC. See 14CFR 91.161 for this requirement or click here.
We recommend you enter left traffic for runway 28 by flying upwind and turning crosswind over the shoreline of the Bay. See the picture below. Note that folks can also enter left traffic via a standard 45 degree entry south of the field-but stay north of the southern tip of Kent Island. Also, folks entering on an SFRA flight plan may use a standard 45-degree entry.
On departure, turn to the east as soon as you can safely do so unless following an SFRA or IFR flight plan. The edge of the SFRA is 1.6 NM from the west end of Runway 28. Please fly your plane safely; worry about the SFRA later.
For left traffic to Runway 10, you can enter downwind directly from the east. See the picture below. You can also use a standard 45-degree entry. Please note that we prefer you to use Runway 28 when winds are light—that helps keep our neighbors happy.
The taxiway and parking area for transients is on the north side of the airport, away from the houses. Most people park near the Chesapeake Bay since that is closest to the restaurant. We suggest you lock your airplane while you are parked here to align with TSA's recommendations for airport security. We also encourage you to secure your airplane with a prop lock, although that is not mandatory.
The preferred runway for noise abatement is runway 28 for both takeoff and landing (calm winds). Avoid takeoffs to the east when possible. There are no lights on the runway and no published instrument approaches, so airport operations are limited to day only. Note that we have no fences, and we occasionally have visitors to the runway that operate at night without lights (see the photo below). Meeting one of these friends during a night landing or takeoff could spoil everyone's evening.
The runway can be soft after heavy rains, especially on the east end. We will publish a NOTAM closing the airport to transients in this case ("CLSD TNST" or "RWY 10/28 CLSD TNST"in NOTAM-speak). If possible, we will also mark the runway with orange X’s—but please check the NOTAMS since we sometimes cannot mark the runway.
There are displaced thresholds at both ends which are marked with orange cones. You can use the areas outside of the cones for takeoff, and we encourage this if you need the runway length.
We have a huge goose population on Kent Island, and they like our grass. If you see them on the runway, make a low pass and they will leave.
We cut the grass ourselves. If you see the mower, make a low pass and we’ll clear out and let you land.
Everybody loves airplanes—stop by to see ours, and we’d love to see yours.