Why GA is Dying

Years ago I was talking with Bill Sweet [Air Show America]
and he told me a story about something that happened to him.
He was flying to an air show and stopped for the night and
put his plane in a hanger and the operator, a friend of his
let him stay over-night in the hanger with his airplane.
During the night he said he heard a DC3 taxiing on the
airport and looked to see what was going on. He then went
back to sleep.
The next morning there were more than a dozen airplanes
sitting on the ramp, firewall forward missing and the
avionics were all taken. Later the DC3 was caught and they
had rigged a canvas and chain hoist on a rail out the door.
They'd taxi near a Bonanza or C210 and if the couldn't steal
the airplane, they'd use power saws or cutting torches to
remove the parts they wanted.

Drug smugglers, plain thieves, and terrorists all want your
airplane. But we need to still be able to have airport
kids, lookers, and future students feel welcome.The major
airports have bigger budgets and more threats. Should we
all carry a dozen official government ID cards? I hope not.
But a digital camera [or Polaroid] can take a picture of the
people who are allowed on the ramp. It is just security,
everybody on the ramp needs to be escorted or instructed in
safety around airplanes, prop/jet blast, danger zones for
props and rotors, nothing will get your airport closed
faster than a headline, Toddler Killed by Private Plane's
Propeller.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
. ..
|
| "Stubby" wrote in
message
| ...
| Nobody is forcing you to use that FBO. Frankly, I like
the idea of them
| keeping tabs on people hanging around planes they are
responsible for. If
| I owned a plane, I might seek out a place like that.
|
|
| They are not keeping tabs on people hanging around the
airport. There are 2
| gates to the ramp and both are wide open all day. The
gates are not
| monitored. Automobiles are allowed on the ramp. Bikes are
allowed on the
| ramp. People are allowed on the ramp. No ID, no anything
other than an
| active GA community to keep an eye on things during the
day. At night, one
| gate is open and there is a security person around.
|
| I'm fine with that. I don't need/want big brother at the
airport. I don't
| want to have to sign in or card in or have to meet guests
at a security
| gate. That kind of security just isn't necessary at a GA
field.
|
| The issue today was that the kid was taking pictures
instead of just
| pointing and talking. Why you'd need to have an ID to
take pictures (as
| opposed to walking the ramp or driving on the ramp) is
unknowable. And, why
| someone with the FBO would fabricate a rule about having a
photo ID to take
| pictures is bizzarre.
|
| KB
|
|
|
|
|

Jim Macklin wrote:
Years ago I was talking with Bill Sweet [Air Show America]
and he told me a story about something that happened to him.
He was flying to an air show and stopped for the night and
put his plane in a hanger and the operator, a friend of his
let him stay over-night in the hanger with his airplane.
During the night he said he heard a DC3 taxiing on the
airport and looked to see what was going on. He then went
back to sleep.
The next morning there were more than a dozen airplanes
sitting on the ramp, firewall forward missing and the
avionics were all taken. Later the DC3 was caught and they
had rigged a canvas and chain hoist on a rail out the door.
They'd taxi near a Bonanza or C210 and if the couldn't steal
the airplane, they'd use power saws or cutting torches to
remove the parts they wanted.

Drug smugglers, plain thieves, and terrorists all want your
airplane. But we need to still be able to have airport
kids, lookers, and future students feel welcome.The major
airports have bigger budgets and more threats. Should we
all carry a dozen official government ID cards? I hope not.
But a digital camera [or Polaroid] can take a picture of the
people who are allowed on the ramp. It is just security,
everybody on the ramp needs to be escorted or instructed in
safety around airplanes, prop/jet blast, danger zones for
props and rotors, nothing will get your airport closed
faster than a headline, Toddler Killed by Private Plane's
Propeller.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

I visited a friend (in New England) at a large county (but uncontroled)
airport, with a small regular commuter airline, and parked my plane on
the ramp. During the visit he gave me one of his old high powered deer
rifles as a present. When I went back to the plane I walked right
through the terminal with it and out to my plane. Started up and left.
No one gave me a second look. I laughed about it most of the way home.

Jim

On Sat, 22 Jul 2006 15:43:07 -0700, jfleisc wrote:

During the visit he gave me one of his old high powered deer rifles
as a present. When I went back to the plane I walked right through the
terminal with it and out to my plane. Started up and left. No one gave me
a second look. I laughed about it most of the way home.

But did you see a lot of deer around the FBO as you walked through? I
didn't think so. You'd obviously scared them all away.

Now, don't you feel guilty?

- Andrew

the ramp. During the visit he gave me one of his old high powered deer
rifles as a present. When I went back to the plane I walked right
through the terminal with it and out to my plane. Started up and left.
No one gave me a second look. I laughed about it most of the way home.

Jokes on you; there are no more high-powered deer anymore.

Jim Macklin wrote:

The next morning there were more than a dozen airplanes sitting on the ramp, firewall
forward missing and the avionics were all taken. Later the DC3 was caught and they
had rigged a canvas and chain hoist on a rail out the door. They'd taxi near a Bonanza or
C210 and if the couldn't steal the airplane, they'd use power saws or cutting torches to
remove the parts they wanted.

Drug smugglers, plain thieves, and terrorists all want your airplane.


If they were wealthy enough to have learnt flying and owning a plane,
why would they be stealing? Have I missed a tongue-in-cheek thing here,
Jim? )

Ramapriya