Gratiot Community Airport Cache Traditional Geocache
flys low: Out of service temporarily for maintenance. It will return.
Gratiot Community Airport Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Just an easy cache at one of my favorite places. Enjoy.
Welcome the Alma Airport Geocache. The Alma Airport has been at this location since 1969. In its current form it has a 5000 feet East/West runway known by there magnetic orientation “runway nine” and “runway two seven” referring too 090 degrees magnetic heading and 270 degrees for the other direction. Also a 3200 feet North/South runway 18 / 36. There are multiple instrument approaches serving 3 of the 4 runways for aircraft to utilize during times of low cloud ceilings and or visibility. So it is a true all weather and year around facility. It has a wide range of uses and types of aircraft the utilize it. Ranging from a tiny 1 person ultralight aircraft, to ultra long range business aircraft able to leap continents in a single bound from here, like a Gulfstream V (5). And crop dusters to medivac aircraft including helicopters. Feel free to wander up by the fence and take a minute to watch and maybe you will see something interesting come in or out. There are lots of interesting aircraft that frequent this airport, as every hanger has something different in it. But please do not cross the fence or touch an aircraft, they are VERY fragile and some are VERY expensive. If you are being watched from the terminal not to worry Airport management is aware of this cache and most airport patrons will not be a bother there probably be happy to see someone else enjoy this great community asset. Maybe this cache will entice someone to learn how to fly here like I did sometime ago. If you live nearby or are a amateur radio operator you may find it interesting to punch in 122.800 to listen to the local air traffic coming or going. Or you could key in 119.250 and listen to the direct line to Saginaw air traffic control but if you do that also punch in 126.450 and you should be able to hear the aircraft responding to the controller on 119.250 if you can scan between the two frequencies. Now remember that this is not Detroit metro or even Lansing airport so don’t be let down if you do not see an aircraft come or go, if you miss out then come back out some sunny weekend and it almost a guarantee to see something.
Now I have put in the cache several items from my old supplies that you may find interesting.
• A log book covered with stickers on it that are used on Pilots chart binders to keep them straight
• U.S. Airspace classification chart.
• A 2005 Michigan Aeronautical Chart, try and find the Alma Airport.
• 1 WAC (World Aeronautical Chart) these just cover a larger area than charts like the Michigan Chart. Try and find the Alma Airport.
• 1 IFR Enroute High Altitude Chart, This is used by aircraft flying above 18,000 feet. See if you can find the Alma Airport.
• 3 Jeppesen Sanderson, IFR Low Altitude Enroute Charts, these are charts made by a private company as compared to the government charts these are nicer and easier to use. Jepp chart # 29 & 30 and 31 & 32 try and find Alma again. Chart 47 & 48 was put in for a fun comparison, it is the New York area and more. If it is not windy fold that out and then fold out the one of Michigan #29 & 30 and look at the difference in the amount of airways and general congestion. See if you can find the 3 big NY area airports.
• An IFR plotter.
IFR means Instrument Flight Rules. We fly by just the instruments when the weather is bad or if were in the clouds. When the weather is nice pilots may choose to fly “VFR” and that means “Visual Flight Rules”. When flying that way you do not have to talk to Air Traffic Control if you don’t want too unless you want to land at an airport that has ATC. And they also use the first two types of charts that show ground detail as compared to the others that if you noticed they had no ground detail in them at all except for shorelines. Now if you look to the north you will see in the field east of the driveway a tall pole with what looks like a search light on top. That is the Airport Beacon. On one side it has a white lens and the other a green lens. Pilots will use that at night or during bad weather to spot the airport from miles and miles away. Depending on the colors tells pilot if it is a land airport or a military airport, helipad or a seaplane base. Now if you wander up to the fence and look out to the south you can see the runways and south of them are two more things, on the right would be the windsock and segmented circle. The wind sock shows the wind direction as aircraft should always try and land into the wind. And it is surrounded by the segmented circle that would normally indicate and non standard traffic pattern for the aircraft to fly to land here. If for say a town or noise sensitive area was needed to be avoided. But at Alma that is not necessary so the segmented circle just outlines the wind sock to make it easy to spot from the air, and it is lighted too. Straight to the south you can see a 30 foot antenna that is red and white. That is the AWOS Automated Weather Observation System. That machine measures wind direction and speed, temperature, dew point, visibility and cloud ceiling height and density and the it broadcasts that on 124.175 for the aircraft coming into land or take off. It also sends its observation findings to NOAA. Every hour or if a big change has happened it will send it as often as necessary.
Well there is some basic info about this great community asset. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Come back anytime.
Enjoy your stay at the Alma airport.
Cache is hidden with permission of the airport manager
Once again please do not cross the fence it triggers all kinds stuff silently. Thanks.
Flys low
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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