Death of a Gliderport, California City

On Friday, January 17, 2014 5:54:40 PM UTC-8, wrote:
Today ME Aviation announced that they would cease towing operations at California City on 3 Feb due to inability to sustain a economic business due to Sponsor discriminatory actions against gliders which among other violations of Public Assurances are the subject of a FAA part 13.1 Complaint filed today.



The last towing days are 1 and 2 Feb and we are looking for a maximum turnout of glides for breakfast at 1100 AM and launches beginning at 1 pm on Sat and Sun. Our objective is to get as many sailplanes over the the airport as possible. Try for a 2 hr fly duration and the same on Sunday. Sunday evening we pack out and trailer thru the city. Make your own trailer signage.



Prepare to meet a lot of old friend and form alliances to fight this. Cal City is not the only airport under attack. 29 Palms gliders just got no notice to leave.



John Shmoldas

Cal City has been dead for a long time--over the past few years I've driven by the place on the weekend and the tarmac was completely empty, no gliders, no towing, no GA airplanes. In the early 1990's I was a member of the Douglas Soaring Club. Every weekend there would be over a dozen pilots (and many students) showing up. There was even a waiting list to join!

But for lots of reasons, none of which had to do with the city of California City, members started to leave the club. After 1998 things went downhill even faster. Soaring in Southern California is dead for all practical purposes just like it is all over this country.