"I want to thank Mayor Daley for tearing down his airport."

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AOPA ePilot Volume 7, Issue 2 January 14, 2005
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BOYER BLASTS AIRPORT MANAGER FOR PRAISING MEIGS DEMISE
Did you think you'd ever hear someone in general aviation singing the
praises of Meigs-killer Mayor Richard Daley? Believe it. In a January
11 "Chicago Tribune" story, the manager of Lansing Municipal Airport
in Lansing, Illinois, was quoted as saying, "I want to thank Mayor
Daley for tearing down his airport." AOPA President Phil Boyer
responded with a letter blasting Airport Manager Robert Malkas. "I am
at a loss for words to express my complete incredulity," Boyer wrote.
"How absolutely ludicrous to refer to the aviation tragedy of Meigs
Field in such a manner, much less celebrate its demise because of your
airport's gain." Boyer went on to point out that AOPA did everything
it could to save Meigs. Out of the battle came such innovations as the
AOPA Airport Support Network ( http://www.aopa.org/asn ) and the
"Meigs Legacy" provision that provides for hefty fines for anyone who
closes an airport or runway without giving the required notice. For
more see AOPA Online
( http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsite...0113meigs.html ).

Larry Dighera wrote:

BOYER BLASTS AIRPORT MANAGER FOR PRAISING MEIGS DEMISE

Thanks for posting this. Even though AOPA is my "home page", somehow I missed
this article.

George Patterson
The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 22:08:48 GMT, "G.R. Patterson III"
wrote in ::



Larry Dighera wrote:

BOYER BLASTS AIRPORT MANAGER FOR PRAISING MEIGS DEMISE

Thanks for posting this. Even though AOPA is my "home page", somehow I missed
this article.


You're welcome.

IIRC, it seems that airport managers are also in favor of user fees as
well. It sort of makes one wonder what they think they'll be managing
if they get their wishes.

In article ,
Larry Dighera wrote:

IIRC, it seems that airport managers are also in favor of user fees as
well. It sort of makes one wonder what they think they'll be managing
if they get their wishes.

Big airports with airplanes burning Jet-A because there won't be any
small airports.

--
Bob Noel
looking for a sig the lawyers will like

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005, Larry Dighera wrote:

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 22:08:48 GMT, "G.R. Patterson III"
wrote in ::



Larry Dighera wrote:

BOYER BLASTS AIRPORT MANAGER FOR PRAISING MEIGS DEMISE

Thanks for posting this. Even though AOPA is my "home page", somehow I missed
this article.


You're welcome.

IIRC, it seems that airport managers are also in favor of user fees as
well. It sort of makes one wonder what they think they'll be managing
if they get their wishes.

Condo blocks.

Brian.

No mention of the followup where the airport manager says he was being
sarcastic and the quote was taken out of context?

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 23:02:37 -0800, Brian Burger
wrote in
.ca::

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005, Larry Dighera wrote:

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 22:08:48 GMT, "G.R. Patterson III"
wrote in ::



Larry Dighera wrote:

BOYER BLASTS AIRPORT MANAGER FOR PRAISING MEIGS DEMISE

Thanks for posting this. Even though AOPA is my "home page", somehow I missed
this article.


You're welcome.

IIRC, it seems that airport managers are also in favor of user fees as
well. It sort of makes one wonder what they think they'll be managing
if they get their wishes.

Condo blocks.



http://www.rppi.org/ps254.html
Conclusions

For several decades, some observers have recognized the importance
of the profit motive and private ownership at U.S. airports. As
long ago as 1930, in a study of the airport industry conducted at
Harvard University, one of the main objectives was to explore the
interplay of private ownership and managerial "calibre."
Similarly, this report finds a revealing interplay between private
ownership and managerial culture.

Understanding the relationship between private ownership and
managerial culture is particularly important because it has the
potential to serve as common ground in the airport privatization
debate. The stimulation of a managerial culture at airports which
is responsive to passenger needs is highly desirable for all of
the main stakeholder groups in the debate—airlines, state and
local officials, and the traveling public. Given this background,
the following conclusions may be drawn from this report:


http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/news00q4.html
Airport managers propose efforts to exclude GA
Oct. 5, 2000 — Randall Walker of the Clark County Department of
Aviation in Las Vegas and Virginia Buckingham of MASSPORT in
Boston today claimed before the House aviation subcommittee that
general aviation is responsible for air transportation
inefficiency. Both blamed GA for their inability to expand
capacity at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas and Boston's Logan
International. Each wanted to restrict these airports to airline
traffic only. However, longtime AOPA supporter Rep. Jim Oberstar
(D-Minn.), the House Transportation and Infrastructure's Ranking
Minority member, jumped to the defense of GA. He told Walker, "You
haven't made your case" about keeping GA out of McCarran. He said
GA has a right to land at all airports if properly equipped.
Walker backed off saying he does not want to push GA out of
McCarran but would prefer that they use the Henderson Airport
instead. (By law, any airport receiving federal funds cannot
restrict access. GA accounts for only five to 10 percent of the
traffic at most hub airports and is not a factor in causing
airline delays.)


http://www.rppi.org/transportation/ps216.html
For these reasons, in parallel with the proposed devolution of
surface transportation to the states, airport funding and
responsibility should be devolved to the entities (mostly
municipalities) which own Americas airports. In 1987 the U.S.
Department of Transportation published a study on the possible
defederalization of air-carrier airports. It explored the ability
of airports to increase revenues enough to make up for the
elimination of federal AIP grants, the attitude of airport
managers toward defederalization, and the feasibility of a PFC
(which at that time was not legal). DOT researchers made use of a
survey of the management of the 288 largest airports, as well as
interviews with financial experts and a review of airport
financial statements.

The study used the commonly accepted typology of airports as
large, medium, or small hub airports and non-hub airports. The
survey found that 55 percent of large hubs favored
defederalization, as did 69 percent of medium hubs and 56 percent
of small hubs. These airports account for the large majority of
all airline service. For the smallest (non-hub) airports, only 31
percent favored defederalization. That is because federal funds
make up a much larger share of the budget of the smallest
airports. According to the DOT report, to make up for elimination
of federal grants (as of 1985), large hubs would need an average
of five percent increase in total revenues, compared with a 20
percent increase for non-hubs.

On 23 Jan 2005 01:47:45 -0800, "Ben Hallert"
wrote in .com::

No mention of the followup where the airport manager says he was being
sarcastic and the quote was taken out of context?

I didn't see that. Perhaps you'd be good enough to provide it.

Well, they even appended it to the AOPA article:
UPDATE: Phil Boyer received a faxed letter today (January 13, 2005)
from Malkas. In his response Malkas told Boyer: "I'm sorry you
misunderstood the intention of my comments regarding the closing of
Meigs Field. ...The comments were meant to be sarcastic to Mayor
Daley's action." On the basis of emails to AOPA since the newspaper
story was published, members found Malkas' comments clear... and
inexcusable. "We all know the media can twist someone's words," Boyer
warned. "You never say something like that, not after what we've all
been through. Even if uttered in jest, that quote was way out of line."

On 23 Jan 2005 08:48:50 -0800, "Ben Hallert"
wrote in . com::

Well, they even appended it to the AOPA article:
UPDATE: Phil Boyer received a faxed letter today (January 13, 2005)
from Malkas. In his response Malkas told Boyer: "I'm sorry you
misunderstood the intention of my comments regarding the closing of
Meigs Field. ...The comments were meant to be sarcastic to Mayor
Daley's action."

Classic double-speak if you ask me.

On the basis of emails to AOPA since the newspaper
story was published, members found Malkas' comments clear... and
inexcusable. "We all know the media can twist someone's words," Boyer
warned. "You never say something like that, not after what we've all
been through. Even if uttered in jest, that quote was way out of line."

"Clear and inexcusable" seems about right.

Thanks for the update.