Ok... This is kinda catching me by surprise... and I must say that some
of this is marginally frustrating.. but I also have to temper that
frustration with the recognition that SWRFI (now to be called the "Texas
Fly In" is growing and must change to meet that growth.
That being said, I fall in the status of an attendee, and wanna be, not
a staff member of any kind with SWRFI. After attending my first SWRFI
last spring, flying in to New Braunsfels from Houston, I thought that
overall the flyin did fairly well considering the weather hurdles that
we endured (sustained rains over several days softened the ground
substantially). My only other grand aviation experiences were the Wings
Over Houston airshow (perenially held in Oct) and my First OSH in 2002.
Dave S wrote:
The following is mail that I recieved as part of a mass-mailout from the
organization of SWRFI. Given that this is a public announcement sent to
the persons who have an interest in the organization or have
corresponded with it, I am going to take the liberty of reposting it
here and unedited (well.. other than the topic comments). I will make my
own comments in a reply to this original post.
PASTE
The South West Regional Fly In wants to thank you for your part in the
2004 fly-in and to let you know your SWRFI Board has made two major
changes relating to SWRFI, and we wanted to tell you about them and
enlist your support. First, we have streamlined our organizational
structure, and second, we are moving the Fly-in.
The streamlined structure was approved by representatives of the
constituent chapters, and consists of a Board of Directors and its
Executive Committee (EC). The EC is the 7 elected officers (a Chairman
was added) and three Directors-at-Large. Besides the EC, the Board
additionally has six Directors elected from the general membership.
These two groups manage the business of the Fly-in. Backing the Board
of Directors we will have an Advisory Committee of EAA Members, Fly-in
Chairs, and Chapter representatives that will meet twice a year with the
board for input and ideas.
Reorganization: No comment. I am not involved in the political end of
the organization and only know one of the persons named below personally.
The second major change was to move the event to Hondo, Texas in 2005.
This decision was reached with a great deal of regret. We consider New
Braunfels, its public servants and its citizens to be among the best in
Texas. It is a great place to visit.
New Braunsfels is a very popular destination for thousands of tourists
every year. Booming "aquatic based" and "historic town based" economy. I
have gone there frequently (annually) for over a decade to camp, raft
the river and shop.
In planning for the 2005 Fly-In, your Board members took a careful look
at our potential for future growth and what that growth would require in
terms of facilities and safety, especially safety. After the last
Fly-In, there were many comments fed back to the Board regarding the
activity on the taxiway at New Braunfels, and the interactions between
vehicles, people and the aircraft on display. In addition, the consensus
was that we needed parallel runways; one for high speed and heavy
traffic and one for lower speed aircraft, as well as a good venue for
ultra light, powered parachutes and rotorcraft.
Further, our experience in 2004 showed us what a disaster a rainstorm
could be. We had to reorient the entire fly-in and we could not have
survived had more aircraft shown up. We know that the New Braunfels has
near and long-term plans to correct drainage, but that alone would not
result in enough dry space during heavy rains.
We have another problem looming on the horizon were we to remain in New
Braunfels. The airport is undertaking a multi-year growth effort to
include lengthening runways, developing an industrial park and bringing
in more industry. All of these endeavors will be great for the city,
but disruptive to a developing fly-in.
Ok.. here is where I have to say something in the context of the past 3
paragraphs.. This was the first year back in New Braunsfels after a
number of years in Abilene. A lot of these issues that are being raised
are concerning to me, because these issues surely predated the move back
to New Braunsfels. The runway config has been static for a LONG time at
BAZ/New Braunsfels.
Texas has been known for having sustained rains before, given our
proximity to the Gulf Coast and the habit of frontal systems stalling
over the central texas region mingling with moisture flowing in from the
Gulf. The very fact that the fly in organizers were able to pull off a
re-arrangement in the face of having most of the turf rendered unuseable
is a testament to their flexibility.
I agree that the active taxiway right up the middle of the displays on
either side of the main ramp was a difficult factor to deal with, and
aircraft movements required significant marshalling involvement. Any
time you have active aircraft mingling with lay public, you are
increasing the risk of an accident occuring. No contest on that point.
I guess my point is.. New Braunsfel's future airport expansion plans are
not a secret. These issues should have been known and considered BEFORE
moving there, rather than after.
Unfortunately I do not have the experience of having attended Abilene,
so I am unable to comment on what New Braunsfels was/is in relation to
the event there.
In our final analysis, the mixture of vehicles, aircraft and people
dictated by the New Braunfels layout is an accident about to happen, and
an intolerable circumstance. With these considerations in mind, the
Board decided it was time to move on. Our emphasis here was the airport
facility itself and how it could safely meet our needs. This was
foremost in our thinking and overshadowed other concerns.
Safety is clearly an overriding concern. But.. if the overall
arrangement was unsafe after the fact, it should have been foreseable
before the fact. Either that, or perhaps I am just not grasping the
scale of how much re-arranging was done after the storms softened the
grounds.
Hondo is ideal for an event. It not only has parallel runways but also
several others that we can utilize if needed. It has more ramp space
than most airports in Texas. Everyone---people, planes, and vendors
will be on concrete. The city of Hondo is supportive beyond belief. We
really have a recipe for success and future growth. We can envision an
event with 5,000 aircraft conveniently handled and tied down. Our air
show line will offer good viewing and the performers will be flying over
open land. There is plenty of camping and lots of facilities available.
Ok.. room for 5000 aircraft. However, geography and populace need to be
considered. Hondo is about 25 miles from Central San Antonio, however it
is somewhat more "isolated" than New Braunsfels is (which is about 15-20
miles NE of San Antonio). The airport is on the edge of the small town
of Hondo, and then its a significant drive to get anywhere. One of the
web links I found says there are 1000 hotel rooms within 30 miles of the
airport... most of those are at least 20 miles away and centered around
Fiesta Texas/Sea World and University of Texas San Antonio.
New Braunsfels had hundreds of hotel rooms within 5 miles of the airport
and also worth considering...they had PLENTY of non-aviation attractions
within a very short drive of the airport.. 10 miles had "Old Town
Gruene", downtown New B, restaurants, some river venues and the Outlet
Mall up at San Marcos, as well as all the events/locales along the I-35
corridor.
Part of the appeal of taking a friend and his wife to SWRFI at BAZ was
grabbing a car, lunching off site, and she dropped us back off and went
shopping (her plan all along).
What I am seeing is a migration from Abilene (a Class C airport town,
and college town with an Air Force Base).. to New Braunsfels.. smaller,
but with lots of infrastructure nearby.. to what I am percieving as a
small town in the sticks... but hey.. its got a big airport.
I'm sorry... but this smacks of poor planning and lack of foresight,
feeling the need to move twice in two years. This sort of instability
can cause the loss of attendance and vendors. Keep in mind, in the
larger towns, some of the attendance was local folk who heard about the
event coming up and went to check it out.. that will be lacking in
smaller town venues.
We are somewhat more distant than before and there are fewer motels in
the immediate area. We have solutions to these concerns. Again, first
and foremost, we needed an airport to stage a safe, comfortable fly-in.
Hondo fills that need better than any other facility in central Texas.
So, for 2005 its on to Hondo! Your continuing participation is
essential. Please join us in Hondo, May 13-15. 2005, and help make our
fly-in one of the most enjoyed in all of aviation.
Ok.. now.. to balance my statements.. The guys who are doing this are
all volunteer.. they all have other jobs and interests. They are not
career staffers like some of the folks in Oshkosh are. Part of this was
the result of human nature.. not foreseeing the possibilities. These
guys are trying to 1) ensure the safety of the event 2) ensure the
survival of the event and 3) encourage the eventual growth of what is a
major aviation event in the South Central US.
Truth is, driving, its only about an hour longer drive, IF that.
Flying.. its maybe 20-30 mins MAX difference, depending on how the
arrival procedure is constructed. If I fly in and camp, the center of
town appears to border the airport.. hopefully everything I need will be
closer to the plane than having to walk from the north 40 at OSH to
wherever you have to now go (since walmart and the grocery store closed)
Its been said "If you build it, they will come". Lets see if this will
turn into a "Field of Dreams" or not. I will be going, gripes and all.
Last year I also made a comment regarding the fly in that I wanted to be
part of the solution, not the problem, so if I can get my personal and
professional life lined up, I would like to try and staff the event in
the future.
Dave
Houston, TX
Sincerely, Your Board of Directors:
Chairman/President Stan Shannon Director at Large Gary Garvens
Director at Large Wayne Nelson Director at Large Dick Smith
Director Harry Cook Director Bill Gunn
Director Don Parsons Director John C. Schmidt Jr.
Director Boyce Vardiman Director Norris Warner
VP 1 Bill Tarver VP 2 Don Staats
VP 3 John Sommer Secretary E. D. Yeos
Treasurer Gene Kent CPA Hobby Stevens
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