oh gawd....a rant

murphey

murphey

Touchdown! Greaser!
PoA Supporter
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
11,878
Location
Colorado
Display Name
Display name:
murphey
We've been flying Young Eagles out of a Class D airport under the Class B of DIA/DEN for years and years. Airport gets the schedule in December for the following year (we're booked with various groups 18 months out). A few years ago the airport started the Warbird & Classic Car show on one of our scheduled dates. Fine, we moved to the following week for that event.

Now, it's a pancake breakfast and flyin with all proceeds going to a very worthy cause. But when did they schedule it? Right. On one of our rallye days.

Folks, we fly one Saturday a month, you've known the schedule for months (years!) why do you spring this on us one week before our rallye? There are 50 kids and parents that have already made plans for this date.

This isn't a money issue like the car show. The airport is using this as marketing, the only income will be the fuel sales ($3.99 instead of $4.49) Most of the EAA chapter are based at the airport, pay rent at the airport, buy gas at the airport, eat at the restaurant at the airport use the A&P shops at the airport, so it's not like we're just using the pavement.

On top of it, the airport will not provide any ramp management, meaning our ground crew will be dealing with not only our 12-15 airplanes but everyone flying in. Who will be really POd that they can't park close by, because we're there. No, I'm not going to call the CAP cadets to come help.

sheesh.
 
Last edited:
Have you discussed your rant with the airport manager? Good place to start.
 
As rants go it has basis and certainly passion. It lacks polish and spends too much time on minor details. However it does illustrate the disdain that airport management has for anyone else that uses 'their' airport. Sometimes I think I aught to pack up my plane and move. Oops, sorta going off on a rant of my own. I'll give it an 8/10 for a one-time ranter.
 
Clark1961 said:
As rants go it has basis and certainly passion. It lacks polish and spends too much time on minor details. However it does illustrate the disdain that airport management has for anyone else that uses 'their' airport. Sometimes I think I aught to pack up my plane and move. Oops, sorta going off on a rant of my own. I'll give it an 8/10 for a one-time ranter.
Click to expand...
Recommendations how I could polish it up?

Let's see, I did include a comment about CAP. Oh, I see, I forgot about the AOA.

Allow me to update - about half of the aircraft involved in the YE event do have AOA installed, altho I don't. I'm not sure how many have ADS-B Out installed, haven't asked.
No need for a pencil, and since I'm on Basic Med, no need to worry Dr B about my Class 3 nor ADD/SSRI/ADHD/traffic tickets/addiction to 55% or better chocolate....did I leave anything out?

Thank you, I feel much better.
 
Is there a wY both events could be held on the same day?
 
murphey said:
Recommendations how I could polish it up?

Let's see, I did include a comment about CAP. Oh, I see, I forgot about the AOA.

Allow me to update - about half of the aircraft involved in the YE event do have AOA installed, altho I don't. I'm not sure how many have ADS-B Out installed, haven't asked.
No need for a pencil, and since I'm on Basic Med, no need to worry Dr B about my Class 3 nor ADD/SSRI/ADHD/traffic tickets/addiction to 55% or better chocolate....did I leave anything out?

Thank you, I feel much better.
Click to expand...
As with any written word, time is an essential ingredient. Record that rant today and set it aside. Read the rant in a day or a week to see if it stirs the same emotion, to see if it captures the necessary points, to see if it needs spellcheck. Yes, the best part of polish is time.
 
Clark1961 said:
As with any written word, time is an essential ingredient. Record that rant today and set it aside. Read the rant in a day or a week to see if it stirs the same emotion, to see if it captures the necessary points, to see if it needs spellcheck. Yes, the best part of polish is time.
Click to expand...
Spellcheck - do you check your spells, or your spelling?
 
An anonymous tip to the car event’s insurer that it shall be surrounded by whirling props of death and scary little airplanes should take care of it.

Think of the children.
 
Young Eagles and a pancake breakfast fly in on the same day. Sounds like an aviation smorgasbord. I would embrace it. Compare it to the hundreds of airports out there with no GA activity. Sounds fun to me.
 
Rockymountain said:
Young Eagles and a pancake breakfast fly in on the same day. Sounds like an aviation smorgasbord. I would embrace it. Compare it to the hundreds of airports out there with no GA activity. Sounds fun to me.
Click to expand...

I agree - oh to have such problems around here... (note: we do have a few active EAA chapters and fly-in breakfasts around here. But I'd love to have the "too much GA support/activity" problem :) )
 
Rockymountain said:
Young Eagles and a pancake breakfast fly in on the same day. Sounds like an aviation smorgasbord. I would embrace it. Compare it to the hundreds of airports out there with no GA activity. Sounds fun to me.
Click to expand...
I'd just like the smorgasbord to be spread out a bit more, like over 2 week ends. I worry about the physical logistics of the event. But I'm only a tenant and have little or no say in the matter.
 
murphey said:
I'd just like the smorgasbord to be spread out a bit more, like over 2 week ends. I worry about the physical logistics of the event. But I'm only a tenant and have little or no say in the matter.
Click to expand...
I tend to agree with murphey on this one. The physical layout of the ramp, fuel pumps, and terminal will tend to concentrate operations. The pancake feed could be located far enough away from fueling and terminal by using the west end of the ramp but something tells me that it won't be done that way. Historically, planning for these operations has had little regard for possible interference between aircraft movement and pedestrian movement on the ramp...and historically includes events this year. I just stay away from these events if I know ahead of time.
 
murphey said:
Recommendations how I could polish it up?

Let's see, I did include a comment about CAP. Oh, I see, I forgot about the AOA.

Allow me to update - about half of the aircraft involved in the YE event do have AOA installed, altho I don't. I'm not sure how many have ADS-B Out installed, haven't asked.
No need for a pencil, and since I'm on Basic Med, no need to worry Dr B about my Class 3 nor ADD/SSRI/ADHD/traffic tickets/addiction to 55% or better chocolate....did I leave anything out?

Thank you, I feel much better.
Click to expand...

I'm sure AOPA is somehow at fault for not doing enough to help you out. I'd add something about that.
 
Fortunately I teach the YE ground school the evening before and I'll EMPHASIZE the importance of safety, of not going on the ramp without an escort, not wandering around, watching out for airplanes, that this is a public airport and we cannot impede other aircraft taxiing thru where we're staging, etc.

Gotta go create a couple new slides for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top