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Highlander takes 1st flight from airstrip
By Geoff Cox • Staff Writer
 | | Pilot Peter Eads, right, escorted Roberta Lambert on her first-ever airplane flight Saturday morning at Hannah Field. (Recorder photo by Geoff Cox) |
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MONTEREY - Roberta Lambert, native Highland resident who grew up in the Blue Grass area, is well-known county-wide for her dedication and service as county administrator. Over a lifetime, the self-taught woman has done many things, but she had never flown in an airplane. So it was only fitting that Lambert be the first county native in 25 years to fly out of the newly re-opened Hannah Field in Monterey.
The sky was blue and the windsock hung motionless as Lambert prepared for her flight. Calmly, she eyed the striped, four-seat Cessna 182 as the pilot, Peter Eads, approached.
A bush pilot with 15 years flying in places like Montana, Honduras, and Alaska, Eads is also a building contractor. His commute from Charlottlesville to a project in Highland County is the reason Hannah Field outside Monterey is again in use.
After airfield owner Jeff Ward got permission from supervisors this month to forge ahead with a conditional use permit, Ward re-opened the strip for private use, and Eads took advantage of the new convenience.
 | | An eagle eye view of (clockwise from top left) Main Street Monterey, Devil's Backbone, McDowell, Snowy Mountain at the head of the Blue Grass Valley and Hightown. (Recorder photos by Geoff Cox) |
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"I fly over to work in Blue Grass," he said. Eads is building a house on Ruckman Lane for Linda Himot and commutes with his three-man crew every day. After reaching an agreement with Ward, Eads invested more than $5,000 in repair work on the rundown runway.
Turning a two-hour drive into a 30-minute flight is a perk of doing business with Eads. "I offer benefits other contractors can't offer," he said of his mode of transportation.
Reportedly the first county person to fly out of Monterey's old airport in a quarter-century, Lambert climbed in and the plane taxied down to the end of the 2,000-foot runway, seemingly unafraid.
Neglected for years, the runway is now well-manicured, if a little lumpy. Reaching takeoff speed of 90 mph with 500 feet to spare, the plane lifted off.
Nearby, Highland Air Traffic Controller Richard Waybright, said, "I'm glad they got this thing in operation again." Noting the lack of overhead wires and lots of open space, he added, "They said we could set up a helicopter pad."
A deer crossed the runway. "He buzzes the landing strip before landing to clear deer," Waybright said, as Eads radioed he was coming in after a 15-minute flight north toward Franklin, W.Va., and down the Blue Grass Valley.
The green and white hightech plane curved around, dipped down, and neared the 70 foot wide opening for the landing. After a soft and bouncy touchdown, the plane turned around and Lambert got out.
"It was terrific. Made my day, maybe my year," she said with an irrepressible grin.
As well as flying for business and personal reasons, Eads volunteers his time and plane for the Mercy Medical Airlift program and the organ transplant service Angel Flight.
Eads discussed widening the strip in the future for more room to maneuver, especially at the entrance. "You've got to be right on it," he said. " It's intimidating to a lot of people. There's only 20 feet between the wingtips and trees. It's a tight little strip, but it's all right."
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