Quick Notes - Cat Island Bahamas airports

by Graham Email

New Bight MYCB
1. The runway at New Bight has been extended twice since the airport was originally constructed, from the West to the East each time, so the extensions are at the east (09) end of the runway. The first extension is poorly constructed, with numerous ruts and depressions. The second extension is of much better quality, better than the original main runway.
2. Like many airport runways in the Bahamas, there are no painted numbers or markings on the runway.
3. The ramp is of a reasonable size, and the off-ramp surface is hard-packed, so planes can be pushed onto the off-ramp and parked or tied down there.

Hawk's Nest MYCH
1. The runway is well-constructed, it seems to have been built from asphalt instead of the more usual island method of flowing tar and sand on top of packed coral.
2. 1500 feet at the Western end is a displaced threshold. This is of the same surface quality as the rest of the runway and can be used in emergencies or for takeoffs.
3. Despite some listings on the internet, there is no 100LL available at Hawk's Nest. The manager at at the Hawk's Nest resort office told me that they have not sold 100LL for 4 years.

Arthur's Town MYCA
1. This is a long runway, but there are no buildings on the airport at all, just the runway and the ramp. No attempt was made at a landing, so the quality of the surface could not be verified.

Cutlass Bay MYCX
1. THIS AIRPORT IS CLOSED. Ignore any comments to the contrary, including the Bahamas Piloting Guide. The main reason for the closure is that the Cat Island police placed 2 concrete blocks at the East end of the runway and a 56 gallon drum at the Western end of the runway. This happened 2 years ago. It is not currently possible to land a fixed-wing aircraft here.
2. The runway surface is in good condition, but grass is growing in cracks and at the edges of the runway.
3. The Easterly end runoff area is in poor condition, it has been torn up by the driving of heavy earth-moving equipment and trucks across it as a shortcut to the airport access road which leads to the (also-closed) Cutlass Bay Resort.
4. There is a tall sloped-roof t-hangar at the airport on the South-East corner of the runway. This is the only hangar on Cat Island. The hangar is owned by the owner of the Olivia D'Windriff estate (3 beachfront holiday homes east of Cutlass Bay).