Narrative:

On the morning in question, there was a heavy snow early in the morning and the departure was delayed from the usual AB30 or AC00 morning time until the WX cleared. The WX was about 700 ft broken, 2000 ft broken, as I recall at the time of departure, with an improving trend as the system moved eastward. I filed an IFR flight plan as there was forecast to be the possibility of IFR conditions in places to the west, although the destination and everything just west of kearney was already clear. The high wind associated with that front had not dissipated and was in the range of 40 mph. I was concerned that the plane might be flipped over by a gust of wind on the way to runway 36, which would require taxing with the wind which was coming from the northwest and then turning about 135 degrees to line up for runway 36. I asked mr X to meet me at the hangar, and he did so with another employee and helped me get the plane out. I asked him if he thought it would be appropriate for me to depart from the ramp so that I would not have to make the turnout in the open at the approach end of runway 36. He agreed that that would be a good plan and with mr X on the upwind wing and his employee on the downwind wing and myself and 2 passenger in the plane, we cautiously taxied south on the taxiway connecting the south hangar to the approach end of runway 36, a sufficient distance to allow for safe northbound departure, but still somewhat sheltered by the hangar building itself. I chose the departure point based on the fact that it was on the edge of the relative calm southeast of the hangar, but would allow me immediate access to the strong northwest wind, and therefore a short takeoff and allow me passage either to the left or the right side of the t-hangars which were a few hundred yards north of the south hangar. While doing the runup, I did note a 4-WHEEL drive vehicle coming south on parallel taxiway to runway 18/36 with an orange warning flasher running. That vehicle turned north near the south end of the taxiway, passed in front of me as I was aimed north and preparing to depart and went on north past my position toward the open doors of the south hangar. I did not recognize that individual, he did not act like he wanted to talk to me or had any concern about the activities that he so closely observed. When that vehicle was clear and after I had received IFR clearance, I departed toward the northwest, directly toward the t-hangars with the intention of turning either to the left or the right of them, depending on how much altitude I had, as going to the right would put me more over the normal departure path, but putting me left would allow me to point the plane directly into the strong wind. As anticipated, the takeoff run was short and I thought I had sufficient altitude -- by the time I got near the blocking affect of the t-hangars to be able to turn a little right, losing a little bit of the wind, but taking a course over the more typically used portion of the airport. I did not fly over the t-hangars. The departure and flight was otherwise uneventful. I was unaware that there was a concern on anyone's part until a day or 2 later when my son, who is taking flying lessons, said that there was talk around the airport about the apr manager filing some kind of complaint about me and requiring mr X to provide details. I was not made aware of this in any direct manner. Other than the fact that you are investigating details of the departure on feb/xa/99, I don't know, at this time, who is concerned or what about. If you have further questions, I would be happy to provide answers or if the concerned individual wishes to contact me, it would be all right with me if you gave him my name and number. I did leave a message for the airport manager on his message machine in case he was interested in speaking with me. I have not heard from anyone else concerning this.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PVT PLT USES THE RAMP AT KEARNEY MUNI ARPT FOR A TKOF INSTEAD OF USING RWY 36. THE WIND WAS FROM THE NW AT 40 KTS AND THE PLT WAS AFRAID THAT A DOWNWIND TAXI AND TURN INTO THE WIND MIGHT FLIP HIS ACFT OVER. THIS WAS DONE WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF 2 FBO PERSONNEL. THE ARPT MGR TURNED HIM IN TO THE FAA.

Narrative: ON THE MORNING IN QUESTION, THERE WAS A HVY SNOW EARLY IN THE MORNING AND THE DEP WAS DELAYED FROM THE USUAL AB30 OR AC00 MORNING TIME UNTIL THE WX CLRED. THE WX WAS ABOUT 700 FT BROKEN, 2000 FT BROKEN, AS I RECALL AT THE TIME OF DEP, WITH AN IMPROVING TREND AS THE SYS MOVED EASTWARD. I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN AS THERE WAS FORECAST TO BE THE POSSIBILITY OF IFR CONDITIONS IN PLACES TO THE W, ALTHOUGH THE DEST AND EVERYTHING JUST W OF KEARNEY WAS ALREADY CLR. THE HIGH WIND ASSOCIATED WITH THAT FRONT HAD NOT DISSIPATED AND WAS IN THE RANGE OF 40 MPH. I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE PLANE MIGHT BE FLIPPED OVER BY A GUST OF WIND ON THE WAY TO RWY 36, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE TAXING WITH THE WIND WHICH WAS COMING FROM THE NW AND THEN TURNING ABOUT 135 DEGS TO LINE UP FOR RWY 36. I ASKED MR X TO MEET ME AT THE HANGAR, AND HE DID SO WITH ANOTHER EMPLOYEE AND HELPED ME GET THE PLANE OUT. I ASKED HIM IF HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO DEPART FROM THE RAMP SO THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE TO MAKE THE TURNOUT IN THE OPEN AT THE APCH END OF RWY 36. HE AGREED THAT THAT WOULD BE A GOOD PLAN AND WITH MR X ON THE UPWIND WING AND HIS EMPLOYEE ON THE DOWNWIND WING AND MYSELF AND 2 PAX IN THE PLANE, WE CAUTIOUSLY TAXIED S ON THE TXWY CONNECTING THE S HANGAR TO THE APCH END OF RWY 36, A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE TO ALLOW FOR SAFE NBOUND DEP, BUT STILL SOMEWHAT SHELTERED BY THE HANGAR BUILDING ITSELF. I CHOSE THE DEP POINT BASED ON THE FACT THAT IT WAS ON THE EDGE OF THE RELATIVE CALM SE OF THE HANGAR, BUT WOULD ALLOW ME IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO THE STRONG NW WIND, AND THEREFORE A SHORT TKOF AND ALLOW ME PASSAGE EITHER TO THE L OR THE R SIDE OF THE T-HANGARS WHICH WERE A FEW HUNDRED YARDS N OF THE S HANGAR. WHILE DOING THE RUNUP, I DID NOTE A 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE COMING S ON PARALLEL TXWY TO RWY 18/36 WITH AN ORANGE WARNING FLASHER RUNNING. THAT VEHICLE TURNED N NEAR THE S END OF THE TXWY, PASSED IN FRONT OF ME AS I WAS AIMED N AND PREPARING TO DEPART AND WENT ON N PAST MY POS TOWARD THE OPEN DOORS OF THE S HANGAR. I DID NOT RECOGNIZE THAT INDIVIDUAL, HE DID NOT ACT LIKE HE WANTED TO TALK TO ME OR HAD ANY CONCERN ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES THAT HE SO CLOSELY OBSERVED. WHEN THAT VEHICLE WAS CLR AND AFTER I HAD RECEIVED IFR CLRNC, I DEPARTED TOWARD THE NW, DIRECTLY TOWARD THE T-HANGARS WITH THE INTENTION OF TURNING EITHER TO THE L OR THE R OF THEM, DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH ALT I HAD, AS GOING TO THE R WOULD PUT ME MORE OVER THE NORMAL DEP PATH, BUT PUTTING ME L WOULD ALLOW ME TO POINT THE PLANE DIRECTLY INTO THE STRONG WIND. AS ANTICIPATED, THE TKOF RUN WAS SHORT AND I THOUGHT I HAD SUFFICIENT ALT -- BY THE TIME I GOT NEAR THE BLOCKING AFFECT OF THE T-HANGARS TO BE ABLE TO TURN A LITTLE R, LOSING A LITTLE BIT OF THE WIND, BUT TAKING A COURSE OVER THE MORE TYPICALLY USED PORTION OF THE ARPT. I DID NOT FLY OVER THE T-HANGARS. THE DEP AND FLT WAS OTHERWISE UNEVENTFUL. I WAS UNAWARE THAT THERE WAS A CONCERN ON ANYONE'S PART UNTIL A DAY OR 2 LATER WHEN MY SON, WHO IS TAKING FLYING LESSONS, SAID THAT THERE WAS TALK AROUND THE ARPT ABOUT THE APR MGR FILING SOME KIND OF COMPLAINT ABOUT ME AND REQUIRING MR X TO PROVIDE DETAILS. I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THIS IN ANY DIRECT MANNER. OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT YOU ARE INVESTIGATING DETAILS OF THE DEP ON FEB/XA/99, I DON'T KNOW, AT THIS TIME, WHO IS CONCERNED OR WHAT ABOUT. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE ANSWERS OR IF THE CONCERNED INDIVIDUAL WISHES TO CONTACT ME, IT WOULD BE ALL RIGHT WITH ME IF YOU GAVE HIM MY NAME AND NUMBER. I DID LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE ARPT MGR ON HIS MESSAGE MACHINE IN CASE HE WAS INTERESTED IN SPEAKING WITH ME. I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM ANYONE ELSE CONCERNING THIS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.