The Airport Fence

The Visitor wrote:
Blueskies wrote:
Do you fly Young Eagles also?


Not yet. There is a group at my airport that does this, as well as a
Big Brother and Big Sister Airlift thing.

At my airport there is an airside deck with plastic chairs. People are
afraid to try to enter the building (flying school) let alone go on to
the deck and sit down. I find them at the parking lot fence by the
ramp.I have put a few fathers and sons on that deck. They get to sit
down, sip a soda and have a much better view of things.

This always ****es me off. An airport authority or FBO goes to the trouble
of putting in a observation deck or the like and then fails to put up a sign
that calls it such and and says it is open to the public.

On Aug 21, 11:27 am, "Gig 601XL Builder"
wrDOTgiaconaATsuddenlink.net wrote:
The Visitor wrote:
Blueskies wrote:
Do you fly Young Eagles also?

Not yet. There is a group at my airport that does this, as well as a
Big Brother and Big Sister Airlift thing.

At my airport there is an airside deck with plastic chairs. People are
afraid to try to enter the building (flying school) let alone go on to
the deck and sit down. I find them at the parking lot fence by the
ramp.I have put a few fathers and sons on that deck. They get to sit
down, sip a soda and have a much better view of things.

This always ****es me off. An airport authority or FBO goes to the trouble
of putting in a observation deck or the like and then fails to put up a sign
that calls it such and and says it is open to the public.

A lot of places have closed those observation areas. I seem to
remember at least place had done so way before 9/11. Sad, when
growing up, no trip to Miami was complete without a visit to the
observation deck at MIA. Lots of Connies, DC-6s, and a few of the
very new 707's and DC-8's . . . .

take care . . .

John

Jay Honeck wrote:

It's almost as satisfying as flying. I can't describe it, but I do
encourge it, if you are able to steal 10 or 15 minutes out of a busy
day. It is well worth it for all concerned.

We need to clone John, and get one of him stationed at every airport
fence in America. Within 15 years, the airports would be booming
again.

Jay Honeck

GA activity at my airport with over 400 planes is not great. Perhaps
100 plus ops a day where a T&G counts as two ops.

What is the general status of GA activity around the country?

Ron Lee

GA activity at my airport with over 400 planes is not great. Perhaps
100 plus ops a day where a T&G counts as two ops.

What is the general status of GA activity around the country?

Our airport has been much more active this last month, after a VERY
down period. From January through June, I'll bet flying was down 30%
from the year prior -- but starting right before Oshkosh things really
started to pick up.

I'm hopeful that it will continue, as people come to grips with $4-per-
gallon avgas....
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56933
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

("Ron Lee" wrote)
What is the general status of GA activity around the country?


In the spring and summer of 1999, 2000 and 2001, I could sit outside (with
my scanner) and watch plane after plane fly over the house. We are on a line
between the Gopher VOR and the end of runway 09/27 - two miles from the
threshold. Weekends were especially busy.

These past few years, nothing, nadda, zip (for hours at a time) is more the
norm.

Sad.


Paul-Mont
Minneapolis/ St Paul
VFR Terminal Area Chart (TAC)
http://skyvector.com/#24-117-3-1530-580
(GEP) 085 -- off the Gopher Vortac, starts (precisely) over "our" house.

On Thu, 23 Aug 2007 03:52:52 GMT, (Ron Lee)
wrote:

What is the general status of GA activity around the country?

I've noticed a lot less people flying since avgas went up and they
started wasting perfectly good corn squeezins by putting it in
unleaded gasoline...

Ron Lee wrote:
Jay Honeck wrote:


It's almost as satisfying as flying. I can't describe it, but I do
encourge it, if you are able to steal 10 or 15 minutes out of a busy
day. It is well worth it for all concerned.

We need to clone John, and get one of him stationed at every airport
fence in America. Within 15 years, the airports would be booming
again.

Jay Honeck

Anecdotal of course, but ops seem down at KFIT. I'd guess maybe 75% of
what it was 2 yrs ago. The guys over at the flight school note also that
the number of new students they are getting is down. I don't know how
they stay in business.

Take someone (a non-pilot) flying.

KC

Ron Lee wrote:
Jay Honeck wrote:

It's almost as satisfying as flying. I can't describe it, but I do
encourge it, if you are able to steal 10 or 15 minutes out of a busy
day. It is well worth it for all concerned.
We need to clone John, and get one of him stationed at every airport
fence in America. Within 15 years, the airports would be booming
again.

Jay Honeck

GA activity at my airport with over 400 planes is not great. Perhaps
100 plus ops a day where a T&G counts as two ops.

What is the general status of GA activity around the country?

It is all but dead at some local airports and somewhat alive at others,
but not great. The airport where I learned to fly, N38, has an FBO that
sells fuel, but no longer has maintenance services, instruction,
aircraft rental or even consistent pilots and aircraft to fly scenic
tour rides. These were all there until about 8 years ago when the
long-time operator retired.

7N1 is in better shape, but it just underwent a renovation like N38 did
about 8-10 years ago and I'm hoping it doesn't suffer the same fate.
N38 went downhill shortly after the renovation as hangars were torn
down, etc., and not all of the promised new ones were built. 7N1 is
facing a somewhat similar problem now. It seems easy to get money for
the runway improvements and lights, but hard for maintenance buildings
and hangars.

ELM is quite GA hostile now, at least for anything less than kerosene
burners. Hangars are being torn down and existing hangars not
maintained. I haven't checked lately, but I don't think the current FBO
(there have been 3 different ones in the last 5 years or so) rents
aircraft any longer or has flight instruction or maintenance available.
And fuel costs are incredible (100LL is more than $5/gallon). They
have a great building and cater will to transient pilots, but there is
no real local GA support.

I'm not real optimistic about GA in this area longer term. 7N1 is the
only bright spot at all and the operate there isn't too far from
retirement. I fear that when he does retire, the fate will follow N38.

Matt

Jay Honeck wrote:

I'm hopeful that it will continue, as people come to grips with $4-per-
gallon avgas....
--

Come to grips? That is pretty cheap.

Typical price in Canada 1.37 to 1.50 per litre, so multiply that by 3.8

Take off six cents per dollar for the exchange.

Yes, I would come to grips pretty easily with that.

John

GA activity at my airport with over 400 planes is not great. Perhaps
100 plus ops a day where a T&G counts as two ops.

What is the general status of GA activity around the country?

Ron Lee

My flying club has had to take on more members just to keep the fleet
flying as much as it used to with fewer members. Everybody is flying
less due to the cost rising while their incomes are not keeping up.

Dean