Reid International Airport, southeast of Roggen, Colorado, February 1992

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Reid International Airport, southeast of Roggen, Colorado, February 1992

Edited by David Barth February 2016. Photo was taken by David Barth.

Reid International Airport, east of Roggen,
Colorado, May 1981.

In May 1981 I moved my 1960 Cessna 172A from Jeffco Airport, Denver, to Reid International Airport, a gravel strip southeast of Roggen, Colorado. Roggen is a small town on I76 northeast of Denver. One reason for the move was that rental of the plane at Jeffco wasn't significant because pilots desired to fly more modern aircraft, and the income barely covered the tie-down fee. At Reid, the was no tie down cost and a farmer who lived south of Roggen flew it periodically and paid rental fees.

In this picture, the plane is sitting on the taxiway between the north end of the gravel runway and the parking area. The taxiway curves around the trees, house, and other farm-related structures, seen in pictures, below.

Reid International Airport, east of Roggen,
Colorado, May 1981.

This is my life-partner, Carol, with my 1960 Cessna 172A. The plane was tied down outside on a ranch south of Roggen, Colorado. Mr. Reid's plane was hangared in one of the buildings. The sign above the door says, "Reid International, Elevation 4420".

Reid International Airport, east of Roggen,
Colorado, May 1981.

This is me, David Barth, with my 1960 Cessna 172A at Reid International Airport.

Reid International Airport, east of Roggen,
Colorado, June 1989.

In this view, looking south, the gravel runway can be seen just to the left of the road. Mr. Reid was a United Airlines captain who ranched here and named his "airport" "Reid International". He owned a single-engine Cessna 210 which he kept hangared in one of the buildings in the picture. While a pilot for United, when weather permitted, he flew from his ranch to Stapleton International Airport, Denver, where he landed, parked his Cessna, and joined his crew to fly for United.

In the picture, at the far end of the runway, is a road running left and right. Along that road is a telephone line. Most takeoffs were to the south due to trees and building obstructions to the north. When taking off, if the plane was heavily loaded or the winds were strong from the north, the pilot could opt to fly beneath the telephone line in order to gain speed before climbing. Joel Shoeneman, a neighboring rancher who raised Charolais cattle, used this runway until he built his own strip on his ranch in the late 1980s.

On moon-lit nights, the light-colored gravel road and runway were easily visible, but Joel improved runway lighting by positioning several yellow, flashing lights of the type used at road construction locations along the strip to make night landings easier.

Reid International Airport, east of Roggen,
Colorado, February 1992.