I'm just a FS pilot, and I just happened to be looking at a magazine called Pilot Getaways and noticed a nice little airport resort with a 3000 ft grass strip runway. I thought I'd fly it in FS but to be as realistic as possible, I wanted to select an appropriate aircraft. I thought about using my Flight1 Meridian or PC-12, then I decided to check the info on the airport to see what types fly into it in case it would only accept a 172. I found just about everything else about the airport but could not find any reference other than time of operation, lighting, etc. How does a pilot find out if he has a suitable aircraft for a particular airport? Thanks. Tom

In real life? Call the airport. Especially with "soft" runways you will want to know the condition of the landing strip. This will determine what aircraft can safely operate there that day. These conditions can vary from day to day as the weather changes. If you can't call anybody then do a fly by to determine the runway condition for yourself. This does take some experience though, not the flying part, but being able to determine runway/landing strip conditions correctly.John M

Some airports runways have weight limits due to the strength of the runway. The restrictions will be listed in the published FAA NOTAM'S for the airport. If there are no weight restrictions listed, the main limiting factor is whether the performance capability of the aircraft will allow operation into and out of the airport. This can be determind from the performance charts in the Operating Manual.Limiting factors could be density altitude at the airport for taking off again. Obstructions in the takeoff path that the airplane can not clear due to the weight. For multi-engine aircraft whether enought runway remains to stop if an engine fails prior to V1 or "blue line speed".The FAR's (Federal Air Regulations) require that a pilot check:The runway lenghts of intended use and Takeoff and landing performance of the aircraft before each flight.Hope this helps,Ed Weber

Thanks for the help guys. Regards, Tom

Runway weight limits for U.S. airports are listed in the Airport Facility Directory entry for that airport. I don't recall ever seeing a NOTAM for runway weight restrictions unless the restrictions were new or temporary.

In addition to all that has been suggested thus far, you would also consult your aircraft's POH to determine whether 3k runway is long enough for you to have adequate obstacle clearance on take off and sufficient rwy to land safely given your anticipated weight, density altitude, and runway surface conditions at the time.