Grass runway matting - effects on performance?

[Dr_Tre]

Hi all, I am shortly to start operating from a grass airfield which has had the strip reinforced with plastic matting. I'm not sure if its S2T Grass Reinforcement Perfo (http://www.perfo-uk.com/) or something similar. I'll be chatting with the regular operators at the new strip but I thought i'd also get your views, experiences and tips for operation on this type of surface.

Primarily I am interested in the positive and or negative effects the surface has on (Light Single A/C) take off and landing performance. There seems to be little info on CAA or other GA websites that I can find.

Thanks in advance

:ok:

[Dr_Tre]

Cheers, will give them a try..........anyone else???

[IO540]

I know somebody (abroad) who wants to do a 600m runway with something like this. I'd be interested to hear any input, tips, etc.

[flybymike]

It has been in place at Bagby ( often known as Bogby) for several years and has now settled in excellently. Some caution is required during the bedding in process and pilots are usually urged to avoid heavy braking where possible until it is firmly established, the alleged threat being that if you don't, the stuff will wrap itself up in your propellor just after landing.

Years ago it used to cost about ten quid a square metre. I wouldn't fancy having to pay for say 600x18 sq mts for a full runway....Bagby just use it on the heavily trafficked (if there is such a verb) central runway section.

[IO540]

At £10/ sq m that would be £100k for a decent bit of grass...

Mind you, a hard runway would cost a lot more, and the green stuff can be done covertly which is a huge bonus.

[61 Lafite]

I tried for a helipad and access to a hangar. We did what we thought was a fairly comprehensive base for it, but it still moved in wet conditions.

Sadly we ended up ripping it out and putting in a concrete area. The base requirements for the perfo matting to accomodate heli-moving machinery meant it was cheaper in the end to stick the concrete down.

If you are manoeuvring powered fixed wings under prop power, they probably have the power to compensate for any movement of the plastic as the heavy wheels move over it. Unfortunately motorised equipment to move a/c doesn't have that power and fails to be able to move the aircraft up what is a very slight uphill lump at all times.

It is a little slippery when wet, but it is constructed with dimples which reduce this.

I do now have about 150 sqm of it going begging, though!

Lafite

[Mike Cross]

Logic suggests that it will give better take-off performance in wet conditions because the wheels won't be bulldozing mud in front of themselves.

We have some patches of it at Popham on the taxiways but not on the runway. One side effect seems to be that it doesn't get lost in long grass. I suspect that because the grass is growing in tufts through the holes it stays short due to the movement of aircraft flattening it over the hard surface rather than pushing it down on to a cushion of other blades of grass, which is what would happen on a plain grass ssurface.

[Dr_Tre]

Logic suggests that it will give better take-off performance in wet conditions because the wheels won't be bulldozing mud in front of themselves. It is a little slippery when wet, but it is constructed with dimples which reduce this Good points folks, I suppose that the rejected take-off stopping distance and landing perf requirements are the ones to be wary of here. Its tricky as i'm sure the strip won't want me conducting RTO's and heavy breaking unnecessarily but I would feel more comfortable if I had a bit of a 'personal database' about this stuff with which to rely on.