Restricting Glider Ops at Public Arpt.

(rjciii) wrote
The Southern Eagles Soaring made a formal complaint to the local FAA
FSDO in ATL concerning the LaGrange-Callaway airport(LGC)restricting
glider flying to weekends only and unwillingness to rent hangars to
club members....
The club has since tried every conceivable
way to educate the airport authority about our operations and convince
them that we do not constitute a hazard to other aviation activity at
LGC to no avail. Now it seems we can't convince the FAA of that,
either. Help!

You're not going to want to hear this, but I have only one thing to
tell you. Move to someplace where you're wanted. There's really no
other solution. In all likelihood, you're going to lose this fight.

It's a matter of federal regulation that publicly funded airports are
to be open to all users participating in recognized aeronautical
activities, without discrimination, subject to reasonable regulations
as necessary for safety. The definition of recognized aeronautical
activity is fairly broad; it includes soaring, ultralights of all
sorts, skydiving, and pretty much any aeronautical activity regulated
by the FAA in any way.

On this basis, I have seen many groups (and been part of one) that
have brought the FAA into the picture when airport management has
tried to drive the activity off the airport. In every case, the
eventual outcome was that the operation moved to another airport or
shut down within a few years at most.

I suspect this is because the airport managers that try to drive out
the glider pilots, ultralight pilots, and skydivers are basically
ignorant and authoritarian. The same kind of people dominate the FAA,
and are pretty much unwilling to really go to bat against their own
kind.

Therefore, while the FSDO folks can't openly support the airport
manager in a flat-out prohibition, they can allow him to make rules
'for safety' that will cripple the operation. It won't help that most
of them will not know a thing about gliders, and might actually
consider such prohibitions reasonable. Even if they do bring in a
token glider 'expert' - like the glider-rated inspector at our FSDO -
odds are he will (a) still be a typical fed and (b) won't be much of a
glider expert. Would you believe the only glider-rated inspector at
our home FSDO, the guy who does all the initial CFI rides in gliders,
has never trained a glider student, never flown glider XC, and has
less than 50 hours in gliders?

So basically, you can expect that the airport manager will be able to
make rules at will, and that the FAA will not stop him. That's just
the way it is. And don't count on any substantive help from SSA,
either.

The only real chance you have of winning the battle is political. You
need to win over the airport board and get them to rein in or replace
the airport manager. If you fail to do this, you will be gone from
the airport by the end of the decade. Count on it.

Michael

(Michael) wrote:

Move to someplace where you're wanted. There's really no
other solution. In all likelihood, you're going to lose this fight.

You are correct, sir--I don't like what you have to say, but I do
appreciate your candor.

Our club relocated to its present airport because it was
uncerimoniously run out of another "public" airport. So when do we
stop running away? What's to say that the next airport we operate out
of doesn't have a change of heart and decide to disciminate as well?

The current location suits our club's needs very well considering half
our members are from N. Atlanta and half from Alabama. LGC is
equidistant and sufficiently south of the ATL Class B airspace. It
also has lots of open grass infield and long runways. No, I think
we'll stand our ground and fight for our rights. I suspect the
airport board is counting on the contrary.

It is hilarious (not) that the situation you describe concerning your
local FAA's glider "expert" is exactly what we are dealing with here.
Matter of fact, everything you describe is deja-vu except for the bit
about the airport board firing the airport manager--here they're all
in bed together. We have bent over backwards for four years now, all
the while attempting every way possible to persuade the airport
authority to change their minds. But persuasion is only effective if
one is dealing with receptive and reasonable people. We truly are not.
What we got for our effort is a letter stating that "the board has
unanimously decided to terminate glider operations..." Now is time
for the gloves to come off. At least we intend to put up the best
fight we can, hope for some support, and simply not go timid into the
night! Too bad it seems thus far that we cannot rely on the FAA to
enforce their own regulations.

Politics??? Anybody out there have any expertise on how to blackmail
someone?

rjciii wrote:

Anybody out there have any expertise on how
to blackmail someone?

All I know is what I hear from the politicians:

"Never get caught with a live boy, or a dead girl."




Jack

(rjciii) wrote
Our club relocated to its present airport because it was
uncerimoniously run out of another "public" airport. So when do we
stop running away? ... No, I think
we'll stand our ground and fight for our rights.

I'm a Texan by choice, and I can certainly respect that. Remember the
Alamo. But also remember that the defenders of the Alamo died there,
to a man.

I suspect the
airport board is counting on the contrary.

I suspect the airport board is counting on driving you out with
untenable regulations, complaints, and anything else they can think
off. I doubt they're counting on you giving up the fight.

I've seen more than one such fight. Sometimes they drag out for
years, but in the end the airport board always wins.

It is hilarious (not) that the situation you describe concerning your
local FAA's glider "expert" is exactly what we are dealing with here.

It's how the organization works - it's inherent to the system.

Do you also believe me now when I say you will get no substantive help
from SSA? The reason is simple - they might like to help, but they
really have no capability to fight the FAA in any way. They don't
want to admit that, because it will hurt fundraising efforts.
Therefore, they will urge compromise - meaning accepting whatever
rules the airport manager dreams up and the FAA approves.

Matter of fact, everything you describe is deja-vu except for the bit
about the airport board firing the airport manager--here they're all
in bed together.

I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I've seen the airport
board fire the manager - I only said that this would be the only way
for you to win. I don't expect it to happen.

Too bad it seems thus far that we cannot rely on the FAA to
enforce their own regulations.

But then we never could. Even the inspector general of the DOT admits
that.
http://www.avweb.com/pdf/brinell_report.pdf

Michael