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Request Permission to Land at Private Island Airports

Many appealing strips are not open to the public, but often you can get in if you ask.

Plane landing in the sunset
Private airports on islands tend to be quiet, picturesque places. [Credit: iStock]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Private island airports offer pilots a unique and appealing experience, providing access to picturesque, out-of-the-way destinations.
  • Landing at these special airfields typically requires prior permission, which is often a method for owners to track visitors rather than to deny access.
  • The article highlights several diverse examples, including historic strips like Klenawicus Airfield in New York, short turf runways such as Witherspoons in Maine, a coral strip at French Frigate Shoals in Hawaii, and community-owned fields like Trade Wind Airport in Massachusetts and Blakely Island Airport in Washington.
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The words “private island” conjure all sorts of pleasant images. For pilots, the topic of private island airports is similarly appealing. Receiving permission to land at a private airfield can give pilots a special feeling, like they are privy to a well-kept secret.

Private strips often are located in picturesque, out-of-the-way places that you would never visit if you could not fly there. Gaining access to these special locations might require picking up a phone to call for permission to land. But usually this procedure is just a way for the airport owner to keep track of visitors, not a means of keeping them out.

Jonathan Welsh

Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4

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