Bad news day in Sacramento

When I was working in Silicon Valley, I once went to the testing area
in our company. Casually mentioned to the engineer there that I was a
pilot. Was immediately treated to a 20 minute diatribe about RHV -
about how it needs to be closed - about how annoying these little
planes were flying overhead when he went out to relax in his backyard.

He went on and on about how the little planes were mostly just
flying round & round ( pattern ) and about how they were mostly
foreigners who came to San Jose from far away to fly round and round in
his backyard.

The guy is so obsessed that he created a website:
http://www.reidhillview.com/.
Scary.... I would say that he was just a real estate investor buying
a house at a depressed "airport-nearby" price, getting the airport
closed, selling the house at a massive profit, and moving on to the
next airport - except he was so passionate. This was maybe six years
ago; the website is still up.

When I mentioned that the airport was already there when the houses
went up, I thought he was going to hit me, He said something to the
effect that pilots better bow
to the will of the people, or there would be consequences! ( I
imagined mobs of
villagers with torches....

RHV is actually the busiest training airport in the Bay Area.

These days, I mostly don't mention being a pilot - am never sure how
people will react.

- Jerry Kaidor