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A Diamond in the Rough

Wakonda Beach State Airport circa 1970

R33

Wakonda Beach State Airport

1948 - 2006

By Glenn Plymate
Supervisor of Airports, Oregon State Board of Aeronautics, 1962-1965

This story about the evolution of the Wakonda Beach airport begins in 1948 when a rough airstrip was graded out about three blocks east of a section of the Oregon coast known as Wakonda Beach. It was a small strip, about 160-170 feet wide and 1,700 long, surrounded by trees, and with poor approaches on both ends. It was parallel to the coastline, just south of Wakonda Beach Road and about 900 feet east of Highway 101. The strip was on three parcels of property owned by Jesse and Edyth Plankington and another parcel owned by Henry McMillan. In October 1948, Plankington advised the State Board of Aeronautics that grading had been done and asked for advice on what grass seed to use.

In 1949, Plankington contacted Aeronautics and asked for help in getting timber down on property south of his strip. He also discussed leasing the strip to Aeronautics for $1 per year and having the State develop it as a "safe landing field." He was advised that public funds could not be used on private property and that more property was needed to the south for a longer strip.

On June 13, 1951, an offer from Plankington to donate the airstrip was received favorably by the Board of Aeronautics. It took nearly a year for acceptable deeds to be prepared, but titles to the four parcels were transferred to the State Board of Aeronautics on May 20, 1952. The airstrip, which encompassed about 8.7 acres, was given to the State with the mutual understanding that it would be made more usable for aircraft.

Aeronautics endeavored to make the airstrip more useable, but little was done in the next four years to make it safer. During that time Plankington arranged for the purchase of an additional 1.4 acres adjoining the south end of the airstrip to make it longer. This would add 300 feet of length. It was purchased in 1956 for $3,000 by the State Board of Aeronautics. Avigation easements were also acquired from two adjacent land owners for approach protection.

This now made the property for the airstrip 2,000 feet long but there was still a problem with the dfficiult south approach and trees and wires on the north end of the strip, as noted in a letter dated April 4, 1958.

The Plankingtons also owned property around the airstrip and had divided it into lots they hoped to sell to pilots who would build vacation homes nearby. To stimulate interest, the Plankingtons sponsored annual fly-ins in the late 1950's but they were not well attended. So, as a further inducement, they held a fly-in on July 10, 1960 and offered one of the lots as a door prize. There was a competing fly-in at the coast at a more popular airport (Nehalem Bay) and it drew a majority of the pilots that day. Only 10 airplanes showed up for the Wakonda Beach fly-in, but Plankingtons honored their promise of a give-away lot to the lucky pilot -- providing the winner built a coastal home on it. The size of the lot was 50 by 100 feet and it was valued at $500. Although there was no view of the ocean, it was adjacent to the airstrip, perfect for a fly-in cabin.

Wakonda Beach State Airport property in 1956, about10 acres, 200' wide by 2,000' long. Aerial photo circa 2002

In those days the airstrip was difficult to find. Even though it was on the charts, it was hard to spot since it blended in with the coastal terrain. Surrounded by trees and with obstructed approaches, it was not used by many pilots. There were trees and wires on the north, and a hill and trees on the south which demanded precise speed control and expert descent management for landings. It was not an airport for novices. In the few times I've been there, I personally witnessed a Cessna 140 run off the south end of the landing strip, ending up in a ditch, and the same thing the next day on the north end with a Cessna 172. Another time, I saw an Aeronca Champ snag the wires over the road at the north end and splat down about 400 feet from the end of the runway. More recently, in 1997, two men were very seriously injured trying to take off to the north in an overloaded Cherokee 140, skipping off a roof and crashing into a tree about 200 feet northwest of the runway.

Clearly, the airport was hazardous. It was dangerous to use and required more skill than an average pilot had to land and take off safely. It was not an airport the State could be proud of. More land was needed. In August 1961, Plankington wrote and suggested widening the airstrip 50 feet on the west side and lengthening it 600 feet to the south. A month later, the Board instructed the Director "to obtain estimates on the cost of bringing this airport up to minimum safe standards." On October 25, 1961, the Director was further "instructed to negotiate with property owners for acquisition of title and easements for the improvements at this airport … if it cannot be made within 90 days, the airport will be closed until this can be accomplished." The Board of Aeronautics was getting serious about making the Wakonda Beach State Airport safe and more usable.

In 1962 a concept was developed that showed a realignment of the runway to orient it away from the hill on the south, and extending and widening the airstrip. Property owners were contacted and shown what would be needed to improve the airport. It would be a more attractive airport, too. By making the airstrip more accessible to ground transportation and working with the State Highway and Parks Departments for access, it would be closer to the beach and facilities at Beachside State Park. The concept also provided aircraft camping and sites for private hangars and cabins. A rough estimate for clearing and grubbing was prepared in February 1962, and the Board allocated $16,000 for property purchases. In July the Board was advised another $5,000 would be needed.

Negotiations with seven property owners took several years with two deeds being acquired in 1962, two in 1963, one in 1965, and one in 1966. Although compensation for the seventh parcel had been agreed to in 1963-64, title was not transferred until January 9, 1970. The final result was State ownership of enough land for an airstrip 250 foot wide and long enough for a 3,000 foot runway. In all, 16 additional acres were purchased, making a total of approximately 26 acres owned by the State. The purchases included two one-acre parcels north of Wakonda Beach Road to allow removal of an older house and clearing of close-in obstacles in the north approach path.

All the additional property was free and clear, and there were no reversionary clauses to require aviation use as those in the deeds for the original donated property. Final cost of the additional land totaled $28,500.

There were two points of egress for the larger airport site -- one near the northwest corner off of Field (Second) Avenue and the other at the southwest corner off of Highway 101 across from Beachside State Park. Negotiations with State Highway and Park officials were favorable for allowing pedestrian access across the highway near the south aircraft parking and camping area, and with the U.S. Forest Service for aircraft camping and picnicking on land adjacent to the airport on the south.

Orange lines depict 16 acres of additional land purchased by the State to make the airport safer and more usable.

By early 1965, planning and engineering had been completed and on March 22 an application for federal matching funds was submitted to the FAA. The proposal showed a realigned runway, longer and with better approaches, and asked that it be considered for accomplishment during the construction season of 1966.

The cover letter for the application extolled the airport's location and its proximity to nearby community facilities, and pointed out the cost-effectiveness and aesthetic beauty of the proposed expansion while still complying with safety and aeronautical requirements. A copy of the application is appended as an exhibit.

The project was nearly "in the bag" and State funding was in place. The amount paid for the additional property plus the value of the original donated land would cover a major portion of the local share of the project. FAA matching funds would pay for the rest. The estimate for the cost of the project was $121,176. The FAA would have paid $67,262 (55.59%) as its share in matching funds. The FAA responded with a proposed further realignment that would have cut through a new two-story house. This was impractical and the State was not prepared to underwrite such an expensive alternative. The application sat for more than a year, but finally the FAA gave its approval in August 1966, justifying the site as the only one available and qualifying it as the best for aeronautical suitability and development cost. It was recommended as a modified Basic Utility Stage 2 airport with a waiver for lateral clearance and transitional zone criteria, to be included in the 1966/67 National Airport Plan.

In spite of the expenditures and the efforts made during the 1960's, the improvements never happened. The project application languished, and the airport sat almost untouched for the next 40 years. Worse, knowledge of the project seemed to erode and drop into a crack. Out of sight; out of mind.

Because of turnover in personnel and the changes in administrations since the beginning, it would have been difficult to keep such an improvement project on the front burner. When the project began, State aviation was administered by an autonomous Board of Aeronautics -- a five person board dedicated to the promotion of aviation in Oregon and aggressively pursuing development of new airports. This changed later. The Board was abolished and aviation became a sub-department under the Oregon Department of Transportation, to be eventually succeeded by the current Department of Aviation with a seven person board. To add to the difficulties in maintaining continuity there have been at least ten directors of the department and innumerable changes in staff in the 58 years since the first airplane touched down at Wakonda Beach.

In 1985, a permanent NOTAM was issued stating landings to the south and takeoffs to the north are not recommended. Maintenance was lacking. Mowing of the strip which was first done by Aeronautics personnel and later by the Highway Department, was arranged with a local airport user but, unfortunately, it had to be terminated in 1998 because of prohibitive insurance requirements. In 1999, a tractor was traded to the Newport Airport in exchange for mowing Wakonda Beach four times a year.

A two-plane hangar was built in the east tie-down area about 20 years ago, and some minor clearing of the approach paths has taken place from time to time. Power lines along the north side of Wakonda Beach Road are now underground, but, ironically, telephone lines were left in place. A sign-in register was added and the old, original outhouse was replaced by a rented port-a-potty.

Clearing of the additional acreage on the west side of the strip was done by a logging contractor in the winter of 1989, but there has been no clearing since. It was the wettest part of the year and heavy equipment left deep ruts along the sides of the runway, which are still there. Drainage ditches have not been maintained and there are several weeks during the rainy winters when the airstrip is literally unusable. As the aerial photo shows, there is considerable erosion along the sides of the airstrip.

In the last several years a number of ideas for development have been proposed but nothing has become of them. In 1992, there was a proposal to develop a 30-space RV park on 2.74 acres between the highway and the airport, but it went nowhere. In 1994, a hangar was proposed by a nearby neighbor but nothing ever came of it. And, in 1995, a development group proposed building a café, flight office and hangar, and a picnic area near the northwest end of the airport. When they learned of the potential for a realigned, longer airstrip they modified their proposal to move it to the south end with a taxiway cleared out along the centerline of the future realigned runway. This was a good plan and would have protected the potential for future development of a better airport. But the proponents did not keep in touch and they were not heard from after 1997. In the mid-1990's, correspondence files show that others expressed an interest in building hangars too, but nothing ever materialized.

An internal memo in 1996 gave advice to "use the current runway in planning development" -- an almost sure sign the proposal for a better airport had long been forgotten or had become very low on the State's priority list. This would not have protected the potential for a better airport.

There is yet more evidence that the prospect of a better airport was sinking into the abyss when, in 2004, an Airport Layout Drawing was prepared by a Louisiana firm under contract to ODA that, for whatever reason, omitted about half the property that had been purchased for the widening and lengthening of the airport.

The traffic count is low, less than three operations per day on average, and the count is restricted to small, light single engine aircraft only. Probably another reason so little attention is given to the airport.

Nevertheless, a substantial renovation is needed. Drainage is a major item. The eroded areas need to be filled and the entire strip needs to be smoothed and re-seeded just to protect what's there.

The ODA has indicated a desire to sell or lease the airport and asked for proposals from interested parties in February 2006. A major inhibitor is the condition of the airport, the extent of improvements needed, and the substandard, hazardous geometry the airport presents, even if it were in the best of condition.

But, it's not too late to turn Wakonda Beach into a real gem of an airport -- into a finely polished diamond -- using the extra land that was so wisely procured 40 years ago.

What can be done is carry out the original plan for an improved airstrip, longer, wider, and oriented away from the hill south of the airport, as shown below.

Clearing, cutting and filling, grading, compacting, adding a crushed rock base, and seeding for a turf runway would cost on the order of $200,000. A paved runway, turnarounds, and parking aprons could be added to make the airport usable year-round.

The Wakonda Beach State Airport as proposed in 1965. The potential for development is still there in 2006.

Money from aviation was used to buy the additional property for developing the airport and no funds from the general public were used. The State saw the airport as unfit in 1961 and set out to do something about it. Otherwise, it would have been closed.

All the groundwork was done but, for whatever reason, it was not followed up. This has remained a substandard airport for the last 40 years. The State owes the public a decent airport and the time to pay up is now.

The flying public will have a safe airport and the general citizenry of the State of Oregon will reap untold benefits from having a gem of an airport. It will serve a vital role in the state airport system and provide air access for an important coastal community.

Addendum
Rarely, can the evolution of an airport be traced to a single individual. But in the case of the Wakonda Beach airport, the person with that distinction is, undeniably, Jesse Plankington, who, supported by his wife, Edyth, had a vision for developing their property for use by the aviation community. Almost single-handedly, he carved out an airstrip and then turned it over to the State so it could be developed into a safer and more useable airport for enjoyment by the flying public. He is due an enormous amount of credit and gratitude for his creativity and foresight, and for his persistence for more than 20 years in leading the way and pushing for improvements. He was ahead of his time with his ideas and had an amazing energy for accomplishing them.

Local citizens were very much for having an airport. There are several letters in ODA's files and a petition signed by dozens of neighbors in support of the airport. One letter, in particular, stands out. It was written by Mr. and Mrs. Owens who lived the closest of any to the airport, right next to the north end. They said they liked the airport and only found one thing wrong. The airplanes were too noiseless and they liked hearing them so they could watch them take off and land.

The "lucky pilot" who won the drawing for that give-away lot in 1960 was me (the author). I, with my wife and kids, designed and built a fly-in cabin on the lot. By fall the cabin was far enough along that Plankingtons gave us a deed to the lot.

I met with Plankington several times over the next two years and no doubt gave him the idea that a wider, longer airstrip was needed, thus his suggestion to the State in August 1961, as mentioned in the text above.

In the fall of 1961, at a search and rescue meeting in Springfield, I discussed with Bob Dunn the need for improvements at the Wakonda Beach Airport. He was surprised at my knowledge of airport design and told me he was looking for an airport engineer to join his staff. We met in his office in November and I agreed to take the position, being hired as Supervisor of Airports, effective January 1, 1962. I held that position until March 31, 1965 when I left for a management position at the Oakland International Airport.

We have owned the fly-in cabin since 1960 and traded a parcel of land to the State in 1966 to make way for the proposed wider and longer airstrip. In later years, we leased surrounding land from the State as my way of contributing to Aeronautics -- a form of charity -- as payback for all that aviation has done for me. Currently, I believe I am one of only two lessees at the airport.

Exhibits
(The following exhibits are included in the printed version of this document)
Copy of letter and application to FAA, dated March 22, 1965
Copy of Engineer's Estimate of Cost, dated March 19, 1965
Copy of Airport Layout Plan showing proposed improvements, dated March 16, 1965