Council Airport (U82)

Departing north from Mc Call, we circle the 18-mile shoreline of the Payette lake. Dark yet clear blue water, big green pine trees, and a few million-dollar houses tucked within the dense forest make the sightseeing tour well worthwhile! Heading west, the sun is beaming straight into my eyes, and the windshield reflection is so bright I need to zig-zag across the sky at an angle so I can keep an eye on the rising terrain below. We are keeping south of New Meadows and using the distant highway 95 as our only source of navigation.

Dropping into the Council Valley, we have trouble determining whether the airport is in fact an airport, or whether it’s a long road in front of someone’s house. The numbers typically painted on the runway are nonexistent, and the way the hangars are set back from the runway makes it almost look like a road in front of a ranch. The air is calm, the lighting is beautiful, and the landing is uneventful. Taking off is a bit different, however. The runway is on a slight decline, so starting off down hill, we get our speed up pretty quickly. Suddenly, it seems like the runway is ending, just a few hundred feet in front of me. I look down just shy of the 60 MPH I need to fly and think, “Commit or quit! We’re close; we’ll make it. Hmm, I thought this was longer… 3,000 something.” Lifting off with less runway in front of me than I’m comfortable with, I think, “Way too close!” Then I look down and notice that the descent angle has changed again and there are still 2,000 feet of runway left that I just couldn’t see while on the ground. After that, it all makes sense.

Following the small rivers and streams that cross through the golden rolling hills of this area, I can’t help but think how lucky I am to have been able to spend the afternoon doing something like this. The only radio chatter is a pilot practicing in Emmett, the sun is low on the horizon, the air is smooth, Jon is flying and my calculations have us on the ground in Boise just before the end of civil twilight.

Perfect end to a perfect weekend!