S68 Orofino, ID
I originally found this airport in MS Flight Simulator while looking for scenic dams and reservoirs. Last summer, I got the opportunity to actually land here in my Saratoga. What a blast to overfly nearby Dworshak Reservoir and the dam, then land over the trees on the 2,500′ paved strip right on the river!
As there are no instrument approaches to provide guidance, I watched several YouTube videos of landings in larger planes to assure myself that I could get my Saratoga safely over the opposing river bank with trees and onto the runway. I also practiced short field landings with an instructor shortly before embarking on this journey. I ran the takeoff and landing numbers three times in Foreflight under different conditions with a 2x safety margin. There is no weather reporting on field, so we had to estimate winds from nearby stations and confirmed a slight headwind on the Garmin also when on final approach to Rwy 8 (video coming one of these days).
Upon landing, my friend and I were delighted to find what has to be the classiest pilot lounge I’ve seen yet, complete with a kitchenette and snack bar on the honors system. If we weren’t intent on seeing more of rugged central Idaho before the cloud decks came down, we would have stayed a lot longer.
Takeoff was equally interesting as landing. By my calculations after, we made it off in about 1,500 of 2,500 available feet of runway using the standard 25 deg flaps and short field technique. It was a warm afternoon with full tanks of fuel (cheap gas!), but the field elevation is only 1,005′ and I’m quite used to density altitudes above 9,000′ in the turbocharged Saratoga on warm days in Denver. Low-wing aircraft do not afford easy views of the river or trees below, especially in a nose up attitude, so we relied on side views and Garmin terrain avoidance (which was barking pretty much continuously) to keep us clear of the forested river banks. The river is reasonably wide, but I would certainly hesitate to take a low-wing into a valley much narrower. As it is, the river is the only way out until you reach the surrounding plateaus about 3,000′ above the river.
If you ever get the chance, Orofino is worth the visit. Just run your numbers (including density altitude) twice to make sure you can get in and back out. Thanks to all the folks who maintain such a beautiful and inviting stop for pilots!
2nd Wind Aviation 