GLENEDEN BEACH — Failing to reach an agreement on a bill that would have funded TSA security checkpoints, Congress threw U.S. airports into chaos last week, then went on vacation — some by private jet.

But one airport defied the bedlam: Siletz Bay State Airport, located three miles south of Lincoln City just off Highway 101.

There are no long lines or delays at the sleepy, 80-acre airport located off the third hole of Salishan Golf Course in the tranquil shoreline village of Gleneden Beach, but experienced flyers like Kevin Lane of Portland, Ore., pack their sleeping bags and walking shoes, anyway — there’s no airport shuttle to food and bars a mile distant.

“They warned me, but it was just so beautiful yesterday I wouldn’t believe them,” said Lane, who was socked-in after landing the day before in his handmade airplane. “I just need a couple of blue holes to line up in this scud, or I’ll be spending the night, again.”

These are the brave hearts of civil aviation, modern-day Lindberghs who turn a lunch date into an adventure or throw lighter fluid and briquets into the back seat. According to Oregon Dept. of Aviation records, about 4,000 takeoffs and landings per year are logged at ‘S45’, a fraction of the 100,000 made at the state’s busiest airport in Aurora.

With a rustic camping area next to the ramp and a cheap shack for a pilot’s lounge, it’s not exactly an Airport Hilton. But the 3,300-ft. airfield — built in 1971 on donated land with federal funds — has runway lighting, a rotating beacon, windsocks to judge the gusts, tiedowns and hangars, though no running water.

“When the Oregon coast isn’t covered in fog, our favorite stop is Siletz Bay State Airport,” reported Adventure Pilot, a popular web site for aviators. “You’ll find other aviators with their tents pitched against their airplanes or at campsites tucked into the nearby woods.”

A stage for medical evacuation flights and U.S. Coast Guard helo crews, Siletz Bay would serve as a launch point for firefighting aircraft in the event of another Tillamook-style “burn.” Large enough for private jets and turbo-props, the airport also attracts the one-percenters who live in the Salishan hills or fly in for corporate meetings at the resort. Mainly, the string of small coastal airports that includes Siletz Bay, Tillamook and Newport serve as emergency off-ramps to keep flyers from flying into dangerous situations.

With no personnel, maintenance costs run between $6,000 and $15,000 per year. Currently, about 30 tenants own hangars on airport land leased for 20 years, at about 20 cents per square foot. Several businesses have operated at the strip, including a flight service, training school and seasonal bi-plane rides.

Meanwhile, aviator Kevin Lane peered at the layer of clouds gliding north over the runway as he planned the next stage of his weekend adventure in the 175 m.p.h., ‘RV-6A’ he built 20 years ago for $40,000.

“This isn’t so bad,” said Lane, who once circled Mt. Denali in Alaska and has flown to the Bahamas, twice, in the two-seat airplane. “There’s a community hall breakfast, and a four-star resort you can walk too. I’ve been stuck in worse places.”

Just as he was pulling his sleeping bag from the back of the aircraft for another night at Siletz Bay State Airport, the clouds parted. He tucked the camping gear away and climbed into the plane, gave a thumbs-up and started the engine.

“I see my hole,” he shouted as he closed the windscreen and taxied away.