BENTONVILLE -- Fly Oz, a network of recreational airstrips across the Ozarks, is the latest effort by Steuart and Tom Walton to grow and promote backcountry aviation in the Ozark Mountains.
Similar to Oz Trails -- a network of shared-use trails for hikers and bikers -- Fly Oz is a collection of airstrips on private property where owners have worked out agreements for the use of their land.
Unlike in Idaho, Colorado and other places where pilots flock for backcountry flying, Northwest Arkansas has few airstrips on public land.
The remote landing spots give adventure-seekers access to some of the best fishing, biking and scenic views in America.
The Fieldhouse at Bentonville's municipal airport, Louise M. Thaden Field, has become the jumping-off point for backwoods aviators. Open since 2018, the facility has a restaurant, lounge and other amenities for locals and tourists. Colorful single-engine planes sit outside the building before taking off for nearby excursions.
What began as an effort to reach pilots interested in recreational flying evolved into the establishment of a training program and flying club. The question being considered now is "how do we go beyond that to nonpilots?" said Chip Gibbons, director of the Fly Oz airfield network.
Gibbons said charter flights, fitting six to eight people, will be possible, connecting passengers to bike trails, campsites or swimming holes by air. There are more than 60 airstrips dotted across the region that give flyers direct access to popular outdoor destinations, including Trigger Gap, Kings River and Gaston's White River Resort.
The response from visitors about Thaden Field and Fly Oz has been glowing. Gibbons said most pilots claim to "have never seen anything like this. This is absolutely special."
As the group expands into charter work, one of the hurdles is finding enough qualified pilots. There are only a certain number of certified aviators, Gibbons said, and even fewer who do backcountry flying, which involves operating aircraft over rough or undeveloped terrain.
Because of the hazardous nature of flying close to rivers, valleys and mountains, the chief focus for the staff is safety, said Steve Johnson, a pilot and director of Fly Oz programs. A backcountry flight made national headlines last month when a small plane in Alaska crashed near the Misty Fjords National Monument, killing the pilot and five passengers.
"We work really hard to be the exception to some of that, through information and training," Johnson said.
So far the track record at Thaden Field has been good, Gibbons said, and the staff wants to keep it that way. Otherwise, the progress made to promote this type of flying in the region would be stopped in its tracks. To help pilots locate landing sites that are not generally available to the public, Gibbons developed an online airfield guide that designates between public and private lands.
One of the airstrips, often used for training, is northeast of downtown Bentonville at a remote area called Sugar Creek. On site is a hangar with an indoor lounge, which Oz 1 Flying Club members can access, as well as nearby camping areas.
Memberships, marketed as a way to rent airplanes cheaper, vary in cost. They can cost as little as $50 for one week or as much as $3,200 as a one-time fee, according to the club's website. They also allow access to a lounge on the second floor of the fieldhouse.
Over the past ten years, more people have been buying planes, not for business, but to have fun with, Johnson said. The team is banking on more interest in the coming years. Three more runways are under construction, he said.
From a safe cruising altitude, rivers turn into ribbons while trees and buildings transform into toy replicas. Landmarks like Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art or the Christ of the Ozarks become touchstones.
On the way to Trigger Gap on a recent flight, Gibbons warned that the dew point may be too low, resulting in heavy cloud coverage and a shortened flight. A few miles past Pea Ridge, the red Maule 7 plane was swallowed in a sea of white.
Gibbons turned the plane around and returned to Thaden Field, with passenger safety being the priority.