Getting out after 21 years

[NuGuy]

Good luck Fins, I feel your pain.

You usually can't fight city (or county) hall in this situation. Doing so would cost equal to 3 years flying.

Retreat, retrentch, regroup, and live to fight another day...

Nu

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

I feel that day is coming to more and more airports. Even the smaller ones I fly into don't have the same friendly feeling.

I'm in the process of building a private strip/hanger for the plane. Nothing beats taking off and landing while talking to no one and knowing that no one really cares, lots of freedom .

If the good ol' days in aviation are still here, I found it.

Nice...more details for curiosity.... size, general location, hanger type, etc...

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

~~~^~~~,

It looks like times are changing. One extreme is the story in Ohio where the city wants evict people out of their own homes to create high dollar real estate developments. The intent? Raise the tax base!

However, the other arguement is..Ohio again....the Hoover vacuum company. Guys pissed off cause they're losing thier jobs cause they can't compete with China, even though their Grandpappy worked for this Hoover town.

I suggest you stick with flying, but you'll have to adapt. Find an airport that doesn't want G-jets and their Jet-A and avionics. Create a grass strip somewhere. Incorporate a flying club... make it work....

AOPA may not help because they support G-jets as well. Its political. But use AOPA to start your own flying organization etc....

Make it work. Don't give up.....

 

[DaveJ]

It's just not the same anymore

Newt's district, eh? Must be RYY.

I keep my airplane at PDK and we have much the same issues. Nofree-lance A&Ps unless you have the proper insurance.

The airport is issuing key cards for airport access and will revokeyour card if you are caught not blocking the entrance until the gatecloses. Gates that used to be unlocked are now all locked.

 

[dalegribble]

In response to airports limiting free lance CFI's:

While flight schools that operate at a given airport may not welcome a guy doing free lance, due to the fact that they pay rent, insurance etc... it is illegal to not let an airport user obtain flight instruction from anyone he/she wishes. Most airoprt "mgrs" say it is not allowed is because the individual does not have a business license. Remember, they want a cut of the revenue too. Job security for them, and a business license in some places requires a place to do business.

I have found that more often than not a free lancer is usually a retired, or current airline, military, or corporate pilot whom enjoys teaching and will not put up with the crap dealt to instuctors at most flight schools. I have never referred anyone who is interested in flying to the local flight schools. The free lancers are just more experienced and offer a better value for the dollar. This is not to say that all flight schools and fllight scool employees are bad. Just my time proven experience.

If you are a CFI and some one tells you that you can not instruct free lance, sue the SOB's.

Also, please post the name of the FBO that is doing this. So what they gave airnav a hard time. Let them try to sue you for it. You are not lying, just simply stating your unhappiness with their policies. There is nothing malicious, or illegal about that. Let us know so we can bobmard the owners with complaints and serve them with no fuel or mx business.

This is a sound off board. Guys bad mouth MAJOR corporations on a routine basis on this site and God bless them for doing it. This is how word gets out and their is nothing wrong with that.

 

[Goose Egg]

I like the idea some people have posted about a fly in community, but I need an instrument approach to keep my schedule.

I'm still not seeing what is keeping you from finding another airport with an IAP to base out of. Seriously, with GPS, they're as common as crabgrass. I'm with avbug; if you really still wanted to fly, you would.

-Goose

 

[KlingonLRDRVR]

If you don't like how the airport is run get yourself on the airport commission so YOU have a say in how everything, including that FBO, is run. I did...

Klingonlrdrvr

 

[OviedoBob]

Went on the www.airnav.com site today, went to RYY, and saw thatAtlanta Northside Aviation has requested that airnav.com not publishany comments about them! Wow.

I use this site as well as AOPA's site to look at FBO comments for mytravels. Kinda turns me off when I see a FBO requesting not toair comments about them.

I wonder what scared off airnav.com?

 

[Vector4fun]

All that security stuff is rather common and "old" news at any airport that has scheduled air service. Now it's spreading to the larger GA fields. One or two large FBOs control (read buy) the city or county politicians and they have a monopoly. It's a mutual back scratching thing. If I hangered my aircraft at the airport I work, I'd have to deal with much, if not all the same things. Instead, I drive 50 minutes in the opposite direction to hanger my plane at a nice County airport that welcomes GA. Still a few restrictions, but nothing I can't live with. Got a key to the gate by showing a copy of my insurance. Pilots run the airport board, not political hacks. That's the only difference.

 

[fastandlow]

It's not worth quitting over. Find a smaller airport. A private strip maybe. Some larger airports are nice. Ellington in Houston is a large city airport that seems to be managed fairly "reasonably". They have some of the same requirements mentioned above, but are seldom enforced (close the hanger door!).

The big airports are nice with all the ammenities, but you've got to find the smaller private strips for total comfort. My "other" airport has an area for shooting (target, clay pigeons and dove when in season), lots of chairs for sitting to talk, judge landings all while enjoying a cold adult beverage. Several free-ranging airport dogs and one cat. Nice selection of several warbirds, antiques, homebuilts and spam cans. Grass-roots American aviation at it's best - while it lasts.