Here we go again

Sorry if this shows up multiple times, but my (Charter's) news server
has gone screwey again.


We have some turf wars going on and it looks like the pilots may be
the losers.

First: we have a small airport with two runways 18/36 at 3000' X 75
and 06/24 at 3800' X 75. No scheduled flights or even charters at
present.

We are finally reaching the point where pilots are congregating around
a couple areas on the field around and in specific hangars, or several
hangars. Up till a couple years ago the place was dead except on week
ends and after work in warm weather. Now we have a lot of activity
most of the day what with the pilots congregating. They've also
restored a couple planes and purchased another.

These are active pilots who fly a lot. The one couple has flown a new
SR-22 nearly 500 hours since last June when they purchased it new.
The guys in the one hangar are flying at least 30 hours a week (maybe
as much as 50 with three small planes (two tail draggers and a 150)
There are a couple instructors in there as well.
After flying they hang around the hangar, have a couple beers and eat
pop corn.

As one of the Airport advisory members told the city, "this is the
kind of activity we should be encouraging".

Basically they know every one on the field.
As the AOPA says, they are our best security as they'd instantly
recognize, or rather not recognize any one not normally there..

The FBO has taken exception to this. He does not like the pilots
parking on the field around the hangers. Actually, he has a feud
going with a couple guys in the one hangar and classes any one else
over there as being with them and against them. The cars do not
impede aircraft movements. No one drinks and flys.

He has bent the city's ear to the point they have a draft of new
regulations, but at least are asking for pilot input.

Did I mention a couple of the guys in there are mechanics? The ones
he's feuding with?

There is another group on the other side of the field but he can't see
them from his hangar and isn't feuding with any of them (at present)

They do not want any cars on the field except when the pilots go to
their specific hangar. Parking will be in designated areas, No
alcohol on the filed (zero tolerance meaning none even in cars or
trucks) Cars will require a permit be displayed in the window at all
times. I have a bad back and need to park right by the hangar.
Your wife and kids, or friends will need to be escorted in to your
hanger, or be escorted out to the plane after you taxi to the ramp.

Landings will be on runways only. No grass and no taxiways. This
kinda puts a crimp in tail draggers on windy days, or practicing
emergency landings, or real soft field landings.

This came about when a tail dragger practicing emergency procedure
landed on a taxiway. (Some of the help doesn't recognize safe and
unsafe operations. If it's different, then it must be unsafe) Good
thing they weren't watching when I did an engine out and over shot the
turn to the runway while still 20 feet in the air.. It was safe, but
would probably have scared the crap out of the one individual.

There's much more, but the changes run about 5 pages not counting
another set for ultra lights and another set for "parachute"
operations.

He's been bending enough ears that the city is doing a lot of this out
of CYA ignorance and trying to pretend they have a big airport.
Once they got the city attorney involved they are trying to cover
every possible legal alternative.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

In article ,
Roger wrote:

Sorry if this shows up multiple times, but my (Charter's) news server
has gone screwey again.


We have some turf wars going on and it looks like the pilots may be
the losers.


It seems to me that these sort of problems occur on 100% of small
municipal airports here in the U.S. Almost always due to someone wanting
all the taxpayer subsidized marbles for themselves. Someone wants to be
the sole fuel supplier, the only FBO, the exclusive flight school on the
field. Doesn't matter that there are regs against "anti-competitive"
practices on government supported airports. The jerks who always want to
make "their" airfield and keep all the busines for themselves can't see
that activity begets activity. Put a fast food restaurant or gas station
out by itself. It will fail. Put it on a strip with a dozen others and
they all thrive.

Oh, and God help you if you are conspicuously having fun...

--
Take out the airplane for reply

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 11:05:05 -0500, Wallace Berry
wrote:

In article ,
Roger wrote:

Sorry if this shows up multiple times, but my (Charter's) news server
has gone screwey again.


We have some turf wars going on and it looks like the pilots may be
the losers.


It seems to me that these sort of problems occur on 100% of small
municipal airports here in the U.S. Almost always due to someone wanting
all the taxpayer subsidized marbles for themselves. Someone wants to be
the sole fuel supplier, the only FBO, the exclusive flight school on the
field. Doesn't matter that there are regs against "anti-competitive"
practices on government supported airports. The jerks who always want to
make "their" airfield and keep all the busines for themselves can't see
that activity begets activity. Put a fast food restaurant or gas station
out by itself. It will fail. Put it on a strip with a dozen others and
they all thrive.

Oh, and God help you if you are conspicuously having fun...

A bit of an update:

There was a meeting Tuesday evening between the Airport Advisory
Committee, City Attorney, Airport Manager, and pilots, for the pilots
to give their input. A very well attended meeting with near 90
pilots in attendance.

Our AOPA rep also had presented the AOPA's evaluation of the proposed
rules and some suggestions.
There were so many in attendance that most (all but one) of the
Advisory Committee wanted the pilots to form a committee as they
didn't think they could get anything done with that many people. One
commissioner stuck to his guns and after a bit of discussion pointed
out we'd already solved one issue (the ultra lights) and were half way
through the second (parachute activity) and it looked like the
interactive approach was working well. Sooo... They kept going.

Due to this meeting, they Advisory Commission voted to scrap the
separate rules for the ultra lights and treat them the same as other
planes are far as airport rules. The ultra light pilots pointed out
that they were not only proposing rules that were dangerous, but
requiring the ultra lights to do specific operations opened them up to
some big liability. The AOPA had said basically the same thing.

They also voted to streamline the rules pertaining to Jump (
parachute) operations to be inline with other airports.

We only made it part way through the hangar and land lease rules, but
it looks like progress is being made there as well.

They are setting up another meeting to finish up the lease/renting
rules and regs as well as general airport rules. We only got a little
way into the alcohol on the airport as well as camping issue. So far
I think we will end up in alignment with most other airports our size
who allow both camping and alcohol in the hangers.

They say camping is against the zoning, but they allow the spray crews
to camp on the field and it's allowed at the fair grounds which has
the same zoning. One pilot said he'd never seen any camping and I
said it was a relatively common thing. Just those who did it were a
bit on the discrete side. (When I was in the T-hangar one guy was
camped in there all summer - I never asked him whyG)

The gal that got so up tight about the tail dragger landing on a taxi
way while practicing emergency procedures should have been there
yesterday.

We have cop dusters in for Gypsy Moth control. They were taking off
on 6 and landing 24 while the rest of us were using 24 and it was a
busy day.

We'd kinda make a "Y" off the inbound end of 24 where the spray planes
would turn left and we'd be turning left onto final going in opposite
directions.

With the open dialog I don't think the FBO is going to be nearly as
successful in getting his way as he had thought. Many of the issues
he has been fighting were found to be pretty much "non issues", or not
problem issues. Of course we still have a long way to go and I doubt
we will be able to finish up in another two hour meeting.

With a light wind out of the South it's common for the tail draggers
and literalists to use 18 while the bigger and heavier high
performance stuff uses 06. That makes for an interesting pattern mix
which works fine unless some one starts a *long* down wind, or flys a
wide pattern for 18.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com