Can gliders and powered aircraft co-exist on the same runway?

Doug Spencer wrote:
On Sat, 13 Jan 2007 04:14:45 GMT

Can anyone identify and airport where gliders and powered aircraft use
the same runway? Do they use opposite traffic patterns? Any other
operational issues?


At Santa Ynez, CA (IZA) the gliders use a long grass/dirt overrun area
on the east end of runway 8/26. The wind is usually from the west, so
gliders taking off under tow do interfere with powered traffic. Landing
both they and their towplanes usually stop short of the runway
threshold. IIRC they fly a right hand pattern, whereas powered traffic
uses left hand.

The gliding and powered operations seem to coexist without much problem
- but I, for one, never liked the distractions of aircraft and people
on the ground near the runway threshold. Once, long ago, the wind was
from the East, and I was about to take off on runway 8. Just before
taxiing into position a glider appeared (unannounced) making a downwind
landing. He landed long, and rolled down the remaining runway, past my
nose and into the grass at the far end. I was not amused.

David Johnson