Tierra Linda Pilots association
🡦 Tierra Linda Ranch - Kerrville, Texas
our airport history
The Tierra Linda Ranch airstrip is the oldest amenity on the ranch. The airstrip was constructed by Harold Martin, a general contractor, who bought property on the ranch in November 1962. He lived on lot 602, adjacent to the Wrangler’s Home. As a general contractor he had access to heavy earth-grading equipment and graded the present-day airstrip. Originally, the airstrip was hard-packed gravel and caliche dirt. To this day, one can see the garage on lot 602 which was originally built to be an aircraft hangar. Martin would taxi his aircraft on what is now Oak Alley to his hangar on lot 602.
After incorporation of the Tierra Linda Homeowners Association in May 1971, the airstrip officially became a ranch amenity. Over the early years the airstrip was improved, first with a cattle fence, paving, and then a large bay hangar holding several aircraft on adjacent common property. Later, after a windstorm destroyed the bay hangar, individual hangars were built at pilot’s expense on leased common property. There are now ten hangars built on common property.
Around 1977, a flying club was started. Founding members were Otto Kratovil, Vergie Harkey, Jerry Hood, Jack Throrn, Ben Terry, John Sheehan, Keith Doig, Mickey Riley, and Len Tucker. Over time others joined the club. Pooling their resources, the club purchased a Cherokee 150 aircraft (a four-place, low winged aircraft) for club use. Several club members had no flying instruction so in the early years Len Tucker, a certified flight instructor, offered instruction at Tierra Linda. The Tucker’s home served as the club and airport headquarter with Louise Tucker handling radio communications and going down to the runway for landing aircraft to scare off cows grazing in the vicinity (there was no runway fence at that time).
In the early 1980s a new club member bought the club assets and the club ceased to exist. In May 1985, the Tierra Linda Pilots Association was formed primarily to share the costs and benefits of a fueling facility. Founding members of the association were Bob Kee, Hudson Matlock, Ira Harkey, Dar Esh, Jim Murcklen, Bill Beddow, and Bob Yarbrough.
More recent milestones include the construction of a deer fence, a stand-alone fueling facility and a helicopter pad. The earlier cattle fence was not in good repair and often pilots had to depend on low passes to scare the cattle off the runway. Deer of course frequented the runway environment. The deer fence was completed in 2002. The fueling facility was originally nested among the hangars on common property. For improved safety the pilots association constructed the present-day free-standing facility. The helicopter pad is located near the northern runway end. A photo-electrically controlled red light and standard helicopter pad markings guide med-evac helicopters to the ranch, day or night.
Presently the airstrip is in active use both for pilots based at Tierra Linda Airport and for fly-in guests of residents (there are marked tie-down areas for this purpose), and for med-evac helicopter operations. Also, the Kerrville Senior Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol was founded by Jack and Gwynn Jackson and continues to be based here. The squadron is active in search and rescue missions, fire watch missions, and homeland security missions. It is one of the top squadrons in the state.
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WELCOME TO TIERRA LINDA AIRPORT
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Contact us for more information about the Tierra Linda Pilots Association, the requirements for membership, guidelines for hangar ownership, and details about the Tierra Linda Airport. Click to Contact Us.