Plane Circling the Double Circle Airstrip to Land at the Fly-In
The airstrip at the old Double Circle Headquarters on Eagle Creek had planes landing on it for the first time in years. About 27 airplanes from at least 3 states came for the fly in last month. The APA, RAF, and AOPA along with the Clifton District of Apache Sitgreaves National Forest and local ranchers teamed up to sponsor the event which was well attended – and lots of just plain FUN. What a great group of interesting people the bush pilots are. They fly to remote airstrips, camp out with their friends in the pilot community and friends they make on the ground, and help maintain the airstrips and local historical sites in the areas. They certainly work hard. Several members joined Doug and I and the Forest Service and spent two weekends before the fly in doing maintenance and clean up of the area.
The Associations hopefully plan on raising funds to restore the old lodge at the headquarters and eventually making it a community center- as it was for years in the past. The Forest Service owns the headquarters area now and is working with the pilots and locals to preserve this piece of the American West complete with stories –and graves- of outlaws, Apache attacks, rowdy cowboys, and 25,000 cattle.
Having planes fly into Eagle Creek is part of the multi-use philosophy of the Forest Service. Grazing, hiking, hunting, camping, horseback riding- and now fly in camping all are part of the plan for public enjoyment of federal lands. And you just can’t beat the scenery, history, and wildlife in this remote corner of Arizona. Plus planes can be invaluable when you are as isolated as Eagle Creek is. An open airstrip could be used to bring firefighting material and help in, used while doing wildlife surveys both on the San Carlos Reservation which borders the headquarters and on Apache Forest, injured people can be flown to the Safford hospital in minutes rather than be driven for over 2 hours. At least one former Eagle Creek resident attributes saving his life to being flown to Safford when he had a heart attack. The airstrip is a win-win scenario for all concerned.
Besides, seeing the airplanes is a real treat. From vintage to sparkling new, the planes are a beautiful sight. We are very pleased to have the pilots land and camp on our FS permit. And we certainly are pleased that the Clifton District of the Apache Forest has the foresight to reopen the airstrip and help preserve the Double Circle headquarters. Several FS employees spent lots of hours clearing and cleaning and doing the necessary paperwork to make this happen. We appreciate them. I think Doug and I can speak for the local ranchers who came to the fly in. Everyone had a great time and was glad to see the bush planes and meet the pilots. Heck- several of us even got a free sightseeing flight. Now that was fun!
Planes Parked at the Double Circle Airstrip for the Fly-In
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