Need PIREP on Sugar Loaf Shores airport

[Hector]

For those of you who frequent the Florida Keys, I need a PIREP on this private strip located between Marathon and Key West. I contacted the owner and he said no problem at all if I want to use it. It is literally within walking distance of a house I'm renting there starting in the middle of July for vacation. My concern is the owner said the 20 feet in the center of the runway is nicely paved, but outside of that the runway is not in great shape with loose gravel. My other option is Marathon Key, been there before lots and its fine but 20 miles from Sugar Loaf Key and not as convenient. If any of you guys have used this strip I would sure appreciate your comments. Regards, Hector

[FAST FLIGHT OPTIONS LLC]

I tend to stay away from unimproved strips. LOOSE GRAVEL = POTENTIAL PROP/COWLING DAMAGE. Guess it depends on your skill level and the condition of your paint. I try to keep my paint job away from loose anything + Marathon has an FBO, fuel and instrument approaches. For me it would be a no brainer but to each their own

[fantom]

I landed there about seven years ago. Haven't been back since. Bad, but not terrible.

[Hector]

Well, I did go there made a low pass over the runway and decided it looked fine. Narrow runway indeed but perfectly manageable. It was really no big deal. The Sugar Loaf Lodge owns the runway and they charged me $10 per day. Since I stayed for 15 days I asked for and they gave me a monthly rate of $100. They have no fuel there so just make plans accordingly. They do have tie downs. The only business operating out of the field is a parachute jumping outfit. Friendly folks. While I was there I checked on my airplane a few times and saw other folks come and go (Cherokee 6, C-182, Archer). I will definitely use again next year. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2