How can you find out more information on private airfields? Who owns them and how to get in touch with the owners?

There are over a thousand private airfields across the U.S. and Canada, and many of them may be possible landing sites. I know of two sources of information on private airfields.

1. The Airplane Owners and Pilots Association ( http://www.aopa.org ) publishes an annual Airport Directory. You get one free when you join as a member; I think you could also order one from them. This book has a chapter for each state giving all the public use airports, but at the back it has a section of private airports. This section gives the location and contact phone for each airfield, although some private airfields are not included.

2. Each state has a "Bureau of Aeronautics" or "Department of Aviation" or similar. (You can find them in the phone book's blue pages under "state government." If they are not listed, try your state's Department of Transportation.) Most state aeronautics departments publish a directory of all airports in the state. These directories usually include information about private as well as public airfields. Normally they will send you a directory for free if you call and ask. You don't have to live in the state, either; just be a pilot and request the directory.

If neither of these methods work, you can call someone in the town where the airfield is, such as the town clerk's office or the librarian, and ask them "who owns that airfield on the north side of town?" They will sometimes be able to tell you.