Salty Approach Pilot Guidelines
North (Upper) Captiva’s Salty Approach (FL90) is a unique airstrip located on a Florida west-coast barrier island 19 miles west of Page Field (FMY) in Fort Myers. North Captiva boasts beautiful tropical landscapes and year-round sunny weather.
Guest and Visit passes: Pilots flying to Salty Approach as a member’s guest, or as a renter of a member’s rental property, should apply for a guest pass. Pilots wishing to fly to Salty Approach as a visitor (not as a guest or member property renter) should apply for a visit pass. Visit passes are reviewed and issued on a case-by-case basis. An application for a guest or visit pass can be requested via email to the Salty Approach LLC managers at info.sallc@gmail.com.
There is no cost for a Salty Approach guest pass. Two types of visit passes are available: 1) one-day pass, $100; and, 2) seven-day-extendable pass, $700. Only one of each type of pass is issued per pilot per lifetime. The seven-day-extendable pass can be extended up to fourteen days (total) at a cost of $100 per day for each day beyond seven days. Days are counted by calendar and partial days are counted as full days. For example, arriving May 1st at 5:00 p.m. and leaving May 7th at 10:00 a.m. equates to seven days. If fewer than seven days are used by the pass holder between arrival and departure, all seven days of the pass are counted as being used; i.e. the pass must be used for contiguous days.
Guest and visit passes must be visibly displayed in or on the aircraft while the aircraft is parked at Salty Approach.
Insurance: Pilots operating at Salty Approach must have current insurance.
Click here to download and print the Salty Approach Guest or Visit Pass Application
Know the airport: As a private airstrip, Salty Approach is not governed by FAA guidelines. Requirements for a runway safety zone or for certain obstruction clearance do not apply at Salty Approach. Operating an aircraft into or out of the Salty Approach airstrip can be a challenge even for experienced pilots. Pilots operating at Salty Approach must be aware of its unique characteristics and must be prepared to address several approach-to-landing (or departure) conditions that are atypical of most airports. Our Pilot Guidelines document outlines a number of important points but it is not comprehensive. To ensure cognizance and promote situational awareness, pilots planning to operate at Salty Approach should become familiar with each item listed and should be prepared to respond to the unexpected.
Airstrip: The Salty Approach airstrip is oriented east-west and has a 6° west declination. The eastward runway is designated “10” and the westward is “28”. The airstrip is approximately 2000’ in length, 120’ wide and varies in altitude from approximately 1’ (east end) to 3’ (west end). Although the airstrip is 120’ wide, the usable runway width is approximately 40’ and includes a 50’ apron on the south side and a 30’ apron to the north. The active-use length of the airstrip is marked with small red or orange-colored flags that are placed at each sprinkler head along the strip. The active use length is biased northward – again, note that there is 50’ apron to the south and 30 apron to the north. Avoid taxiing or landing near the flags as there is a depressed (approximately 2’ in diameter area) around each sprinkler head that is well below the airstrip surface. Most of the airstrip is lined with trees (and houses) on both the north and south sides, with an average tree height of 30’. The airstrip extends the full width of North Captiva island and therefore both ends of the runway terminate into sandy beach areas that are often used by visitors.
The common traffic advisory frequency is 122.75MHz, which is also actively used by flight training schools for communicating use of the local practice area. The advisory frequency is equipped with a SayWeather automated weather advisory system that can be accessed with either 3 mic keys (winds only) or 4 mic keys (full advisory). Current conditions can also be accessed via ForeFlight, iFly or 8Flight EFBs, or through “SayWeather online” (SayWxAir) via www.saywxair.com/airport/FL90 (includes weather cam images) or via text by texting “M FL90” (for METAR, FL90) to 727 4SAYWX4 (727 472 9994).
Salty Approach operating rules allow take off operations from 1 hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset and landings from ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset. Touch and go operations are not permitted. A standard left-hand, 800’ pattern is used at Salty Approach.
Click here to download the complete Pilot Guidelines document
Salty Approach Operating Rules and Regulations