Years of cooperative efforts with between the New Mexico Airstrip Network, New Mexico Pilots Association and the Recreational Aviation Foundation have paid off, with the reclamation of Cuba Airstrip.
“We convinced the Bureau of Land Management that Cuba Airstrip could be a valuable asset for them, as well as a recreational asset for aviation,” reports RAF New Mexico Liaison Ron Keller.
The BLM-owned airstrip had been used for sagebrush spraying, but had fallen into disrepair with ruts, cattle tracks, and erosion on the runway surface.
The 3,800-foot airstrip lies at an elevation of 6,798 feet and appeals to recreational pilots because the Continental Divide Trail runs adjacent to the airstrip.
RAF Director Emeritus Rol Murrow joined Keller, outgoing NMPA President Joyce Woods, and others on the planning/steering committee, and they started meeting with the BLM field office responsible for the airstrip.
“Rol developed an improvement plan for future amenities, members of the Airstrip Network created a maintenance and operations plan, New Mexico Aviation Division offered funding and technical work, and New Mexico Pilots Association and the RAF provided technical guidance. This has been a total team effort,” Keller said.
Phase 1 is nearly complete, according to Keller, who notes the strip has been graded and FAA registration and charting is in progress. More work is planned, but for now the airstrip is useable, he reports.
See RAF’s Airfield.Guide for details.