6MN9 - Benson Airport, Minneapolis
Benson Airport has a single Grass Runway, Runway 12/30 which is 2,000 feet long and 75 feet wide. It is 3 miles North of White Bear Lake, and has an activation date of August 1945.
It is a private field, so permission is required to land there. In recent years, an Animal Hospital has been constructed just to the right of the end of runway 30, as well as a Storage Facility that has been modeled and lit. The runway has not lights, so this is daylight only, the runway being marked with white cones with a black tip.
Helicopter operations can often be observed, as Mosquito Control flights are conducted using the field as a base.
A Water Tower marked White Bear Township, provides an excellent point of reference, but whilst we normally place aircraft on any airfield to provide some realism, there is no satellite image since 2012 that shows any aircraft parked. According to airnav.com, 25 Single Engine aircraft are based there, so they are all in the hangars.
History
Aviation began at this field back in the 1930’s when Roger Benson plowed and began flying from this field to the east of highway 96, which was part of his family’s farm. Sadly, World War II resulted in the loss of his life in November 1944 in the South Pacific after a crash from which he didn’t recover.
Roger’s younger brother John continued flying from the strip, and its use began to attract other enthusiasts, resulting in it begin registered with the State of Minnesota in 1950. The first hangar was built in 1951. John died in 1993 and donated the 66 acre plot which included the airport to White Bear Township, on condition that it remains an airport for 40 years.
Features
Unlit Windsock and Wind Tee. The Wind Tee automatically sets to show the active runway, though in reality, it may simply pivot with the Windsock. Calm condition preference is not known, so there can be a tendency to switch between runway ends in low wind situations.
Custom Models
All the hangars and the Club House are hand modeled, as is the Animal Hospital, Storage Company Buildings and Gas Station on HW 61. Cones with a black tip couldn't be found anywhere, so these are also custom.
Installation
Unzip directly into the Community Folder. It is recommended that any previous version should be deleted from the Community Folder first.
1 days ago
1 days ago
MNSceneryDesign
maxd200
3 months ago
CaptainMoonlight
This is a great little strip! Thanks! I've never been to this one irl.
2 years ago
ryanbatc