Airports around Framingham MA

[[email protected]]

Hi all,

i may have a chance to move to Framingham MA and curious about a place
to park my old Bonanza.
Any good airports with hangar space available?

How does Mass deal with general aviation, is it friendly?

Thanks

Dave

[Aaron Coolidge]

wrote:
: Hi all,

: i may have a chance to move to Framingham MA and curious about a place
: to park my old Bonanza.
: Any good airports with hangar space available?

: How does Mass deal with general aviation, is it friendly?

Hi Dave. Around Framingham there are close airports: Hanscom Field (BED) and
Norwood (OWD). Hanscom has airline service, military, and is rather busy.
It's run by Massport who also run Logan. There is a curfew. It's rumored
to be expensive. Norwood is GA only.
A bit further and you get to Stow (6B6), Lawrence (LWM), Worcester (ORH),
and Mansfield (1B9). Stow has the most expensive gas in MA, not excepting
Logan. Hangars are rumored to be available in Lawrence. Worcester is also
run by Massport, although it no longer has airline service. Mansfield has
a 20-year waiting list for hangars and expensive fuel to boot.
The next step gets you to Fitchburg (FIT), Beverly (BVY), Marshfield (3B2),
Taunton (TAN), and Cranland (28M). Fitchburg is rumored to have hangars.
The state is not too bad. The Mass Aeronautics Comission wants their
yearly registration fee (don't be late or they'll issue a warrant). There
is no sales tax on aircraft or aircraft parts, or on labor. All pilots are
supposed to have a state-issued picture ID to get onto any airport, these
IDs usually open the gate with an electronic lock (and cost $35, I think).
Pretty much, you can pick your poison. Expensive or far away, or you can
get both if you look around.
Drop me a line if you want.
--
Aaron C.

[Bob Noel]

In article >,
Aaron Coolidge > wrote:

> Hanscom has airline service, military, and is rather busy.
> It's run by Massport who also run Logan. There is a curfew. It's rumored
> to be expensive.

not a rumore. tis the truth. KBED is expensive.

$110/month for a tie-down (plus the joy of being put on the grass
if Massport has a large bunch of jets come in).

Hangars are more than $350/month (and we've had frequent increases
in rents). But the waiting list is, at least last report, over 200. Massport
is even considering charging to be on the waiting list (just what you'd
expect from a GA-friendly airport, eh?)

From Framingham, I'd strongly recommend Norwood.

Good luck.

--
Bob Noel
no one likes an educated mule

[ShawnD2112]

Aaron,

What about Marlboro? Is that still open and viable? I started taking
lessons there in the late 70s, early 80s. Back then it was extremely GA
friendly and very relaxed.

Shawn

"Aaron Coolidge" > wrote in message
...
> wrote:
> : Hi all,
>
> : i may have a chance to move to Framingham MA and curious about a place
> : to park my old Bonanza.
> : Any good airports with hangar space available?
>
> : How does Mass deal with general aviation, is it friendly?
>
> Hi Dave. Around Framingham there are close airports: Hanscom Field (BED)
> and
> Norwood (OWD). Hanscom has airline service, military, and is rather busy.
> It's run by Massport who also run Logan. There is a curfew. It's rumored
> to be expensive. Norwood is GA only.
> A bit further and you get to Stow (6B6), Lawrence (LWM), Worcester (ORH),
> and Mansfield (1B9). Stow has the most expensive gas in MA, not excepting
> Logan. Hangars are rumored to be available in Lawrence. Worcester is also
> run by Massport, although it no longer has airline service. Mansfield has
> a 20-year waiting list for hangars and expensive fuel to boot.
> The next step gets you to Fitchburg (FIT), Beverly (BVY), Marshfield
> (3B2),
> Taunton (TAN), and Cranland (28M). Fitchburg is rumored to have hangars.
> The state is not too bad. The Mass Aeronautics Comission wants their
> yearly registration fee (don't be late or they'll issue a warrant). There
> is no sales tax on aircraft or aircraft parts, or on labor. All pilots are
> supposed to have a state-issued picture ID to get onto any airport, these
> IDs usually open the gate with an electronic lock (and cost $35, I think).
> Pretty much, you can pick your poison. Expensive or far away, or you can
> get both if you look around.
> Drop me a line if you want.
> --
> Aaron C.

[Bob Noel]

In article >,
"ShawnD2112" > wrote:

> Aaron,
>
> What about Marlboro? Is that still open and viable? I started taking
> lessons there in the late 70s, early 80s. Back then it was extremely GA
> friendly and very relaxed.
>
> Shawn

If you mean Minuteman-Stow, yep it's still there.

--
Bob Noel
no one likes an educated mule

[Peter Clark]

On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 07:12:31 -0400, Bob Noel
> wrote:

>In article >,
> "ShawnD2112" > wrote:
>
>> Aaron,
>>
>> What about Marlboro? Is that still open and viable? I started taking
>> lessons there in the late 70s, early 80s. Back then it was extremely GA
>> friendly and very relaxed.
>>
>> Shawn
>
>If you mean Minuteman-Stow, yep it's still there.

I think he means Marlbooro, 9B1. The runway is only 1659x45 though.
No night, no T&G, no instrument approaches.

[Judah]

"ShawnD2112" > wrote in
. uk:

> Aaron,
>
> What about Marlboro? Is that still open and viable? I started taking
> lessons there in the late 70s, early 80s. Back then it was extremely
> GA friendly and very relaxed.
>
> Shawn
>

While it's pretty close to Framingham it's probably not a good airport for
a bonanza. I believe the takeoff distance for a Bonanza over a 50' obstacle
(trees on one end, buildings on the other) is longer than the runway there
by about 500'.

[Aaron Coolidge]

ShawnD2112 > wrote:
: Aaron,

: What about Marlboro? Is that still open and viable? I started taking
: lessons there in the late 70s, early 80s. Back then it was extremely GA
: friendly and very relaxed.
: Shawn

(Sound of hand hitting head) Durn it, I LIVE UNDER THE DOWNWIND LEG for 14
at Marlborough and I never thought of it. As others have mentioned, it's
small and has really high trees at one end and a chainlink fence (with a
stop sign on it) at the other. On of my flying buddies took his 63 Bonanza
in there once. He keeps telling the story of how all the old-timers came
out to watch when he left. He asked "What? You've never seen a Bonanza
before?" and they replied "We just want to see the crash!"

Marlborough never ocurred to me because it's not lighted and has no IAP.
Of course, if you want to fly at night you could just land on Rt 20, like
those guys in the Warrior a couple years ago (Ran out of gas, at night,
Boston App. vectored them to Marlborough the nearest airport which they
couldn't find - go figure - so they landed on Rt 20 the main drag in town.
One tank was empty, the other full.)

--
Aaron C.

[ShawnD2112]

Yeah, I always thought the stop sign was a great piece of installed humor.
Funny about the trees, too, because my Dad used to fly out of there back in
the early 70s and he tells the story of how one night some of them just
mysteriously disappeared. Sounds like they've grown back (or others have
taken their place as obstacles).

Shawn

"Aaron Coolidge" > wrote in message
...
> ShawnD2112 > wrote:
> : Aaron,
>
> : What about Marlboro? Is that still open and viable? I started taking
> : lessons there in the late 70s, early 80s. Back then it was extremely GA
> : friendly and very relaxed.
> : Shawn
>
> (Sound of hand hitting head) Durn it, I LIVE UNDER THE DOWNWIND LEG for 14
> at Marlborough and I never thought of it. As others have mentioned, it's
> small and has really high trees at one end and a chainlink fence (with a
> stop sign on it) at the other. On of my flying buddies took his 63 Bonanza
> in there once. He keeps telling the story of how all the old-timers came
> out to watch when he left. He asked "What? You've never seen a Bonanza
> before?" and they replied "We just want to see the crash!"
>
> Marlborough never ocurred to me because it's not lighted and has no IAP.
> Of course, if you want to fly at night you could just land on Rt 20, like
> those guys in the Warrior a couple years ago (Ran out of gas, at night,
> Boston App. vectored them to Marlborough the nearest airport which they
> couldn't find - go figure - so they landed on Rt 20 the main drag in town.
> One tank was empty, the other full.)
>
> --
> Aaron C.
>

[[email protected]]

Thanks for all the information about Framingham.
Haven't gotten the job offer yet, but hoping.

BTW, what are the hangar rentals going for in that area?

Dave

Aaron Coolidge wrote:
> ShawnD2112 > wrote:
> : Aaron,
>
> : What about Marlboro? Is that still open and viable? I started taking
> : lessons there in the late 70s, early 80s. Back then it was extremely GA
> : friendly and very relaxed.
> : Shawn
>
> (Sound of hand hitting head) Durn it, I LIVE UNDER THE DOWNWIND LEG for 14
> at Marlborough and I never thought of it. As others have mentioned, it's
> small and has really high trees at one end and a chainlink fence (with a
> stop sign on it) at the other. On of my flying buddies took his 63 Bonanza
> in there once. He keeps telling the story of how all the old-timers came
> out to watch when he left. He asked "What? You've never seen a Bonanza
> before?" and they replied "We just want to see the crash!"
>
> Marlborough never ocurred to me because it's not lighted and has no IAP.
> Of course, if you want to fly at night you could just land on Rt 20, like
> those guys in the Warrior a couple years ago (Ran out of gas, at night,
> Boston App. vectored them to Marlborough the nearest airport which they
> couldn't find - go figure - so they landed on Rt 20 the main drag in town.
> One tank was empty, the other full.)
>

[Mr. Smith]

Marlboro 9B1 is closest, although it is the shortest runway in MA (1650 ft).
But those who use it claim you get used to short landings & takeoffs

Norfolk 32M is nearby, but I keep hearing it is going to close etc.

Hopedale (1B6) is a desolate little airstrip with no services although some
fuel is available. I fly in and out of there a lot and there appear to be a
few tiedowns available.

These are each small-time landing strips without a lot of facilities.

[Ron Natalie]

ShawnD2112 wrote:
> Yeah, I always thought the stop sign was a great piece of installed humor.
> Funny about the trees, too, because my Dad used to fly out of there back in
> the early 70s and he tells the story of how one night some of them just
> mysteriously disappeared. Sounds like they've grown back (or others have
> taken their place as obstacles).

Sounds like a private strip around here. There are some pesky trees
off the end of the runway that the community that owns the airstrip
wouldn't cut down unless they were diseased. Well, it seems one night
they caught the almost-aways-fatal "chainsaw" disease.

[ShawnD2112]

Yeah but Plum Island made it work. Maybe a call to them about how they did
it might help?

Shawn
"Aaron Coolidge" > wrote in message
...
> Mr. Smith > wrote:
> : Norfolk 32M is nearby, but I keep hearing it is going to close etc.
>
> Norfolk is a sad story. Its owner was killed in a banner-towing crash a
> few
> years ago. Since then, all of the aircraft have been kicked out. Several
> groups have been trying to re-start this field, with no success as of yet.
> It is not officially closed, as a call to flight service will verify, but
> the town won't let anyone base there. It's one of those "I own the runway
> but someone else owns the taxiways & tiedowns" things, like Plum Island.
>
> --
> Aaron C.
>

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the info.
I'll need a hangar since I have a bunch of tools and other things to put
there.
Putting the old Bo on ropes doesn't seem like fun.

I still haven't gotten the job offer, still waiting. Would love to get
to the Northeast.

BTW, I do IFR certifications in my spare time, what do people get for
those up there?

Cheers

Dave

Mr. Smith wrote:
> Marlboro 9B1 is closest, although it is the shortest runway in MA (1650 ft).
> But those who use it claim you get used to short landings & takeoffs
>
> Norfolk 32M is nearby, but I keep hearing it is going to close etc.
>
> Hopedale (1B6) is a desolate little airstrip with no services although some
> fuel is available. I fly in and out of there a lot and there appear to be a
> few tiedowns available.
>
> These are each small-time landing strips without a lot of facilities.
>
>

[Steve Foley]

I think Worcester (ORH) has hangar space available.

Worcester has some issues, though. The airlines have all pulled out, but the
airport doesn't seem to have any interest in maintaining GA. Last time I
checked, gas was $1.00/gallon higher than Spencer, 4.3 miles to the west.


"Aaron Coolidge" > wrote in message
...
> wrote:
> : Thanks for the info.
> : I'll need a hangar since I have a bunch of tools and other things to put
> : there.
> : Putting the old Bo on ropes doesn't seem like fun.
>
> I decided the difference between an outside tiedown at $50/mo and a hangar
> at >$300/mo + 20 year wait wasn't worth it for me. Good luck in your
> hangar search!
>
> : I still haven't gotten the job offer, still waiting. Would love to get
> : to the Northeast.
>
> You'll be shocked at the delta cost from most places! "Fixer-upper" houses
> go for >$350,000!
>
> : BTW, I do IFR certifications in my spare time, what do people get for
> : those up there?
>
> Had one done last week. $340. Last time, it was $200. Some shops charge
> over $500 for them.
> --
> Aaron C.