What makes Fantasy of Flight's runways so special?

When Kermit Weeks first spotted the property he would transform into Fantasy of Flight, the foremost thought in his mind was how to align his runways. He wanted a cross configuration to maximize landing options: a longer runway favoring the prevailing wind direction, and a shorter one crossing it for accommodating lighter aircraft that are more susceptible to cross-wind conditions. Moreover, it was important to protect his landing approaches as to not fly over potential neighbors. He had to be able to align them to come in over a lake, a swamp, or his own property. Most importantly, they needed to be grass to accommodate his treasured early tail skid aircraft with no brakes.
Normally, a grass runway is created by finding a large flat space and leveling it a bit if necessary so your airplane doesn't bump around too much. However, a normal grass runway would never accommodate landing a B-29 on it!

While Fantasy of Flight's runway look like a normal grass runways, everything about Fantasy of Flight is unique, and there is far more than meets the eye. Beneath the forgiving Bahia grass and layer of top soil lies an 18" stabilized clay road base, complete with crown and swales for drainage. It was built to DOT standards, and the only thing we didn't do was pave it. It is strong enough to bring home a heavy B-29 but still allow for the gentle landing of a Jenny.

Says Kermit, "After a couple years watching the grass come in, we realized we had built a road and then tried to farm on it!" And while it took a while to fill in, it was worth it as it is perfectly suited for the operation of the World's Greatest Aircraft Collection! The price for this luxury? Enough to make it probably the most expensive grass runway in the world!