Change is Good

Jan/Feb 2004 Airport Advocate
In the heady 80?s and 90?s, especially in the high tech world, it seemed like we couldn?t create acronyms fast enough. There was also an effort to create and use buzzwords to explain our bold new world. One word, Paradigm, was very much over used. Webster defines paradigm as: ?1. a pattern, example, or model?. Hopefully you will forgive my use of it here because it is important.

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California Airports Closed Since 1990

The following California Airports have been closed, for a number of different reasons, at a rate of 1.5 per year since 1990. These invaluable California Transportation Infrastructure assets cannot be recovered.

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Trona Airport Gets A Facelift

Trona Airport in Southern Inyo County has gotten a facelift. It consists of a freshly painted helipad, and initial FAA approval for lengthening the runway back to its original length of approximately 5930 feet.

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Meeting of SOCAL Airport Reps ? VNY 1/24/04

Keeping our airports and our airport operating privileges are a few of the reasons we volunteer to represent our airports. We need to be active so as to be in the forefront when it comes to identifying airport problems. Many of us have experienced problems that are the same as those facing pilots at the airport just down the road. Some of us have resolved airport problems in our favor, and some of us have not.

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GAN Article

Has anyone read the horror story in the 12/19/03 General Aviation News concerning a group calling themselves “Stop The Noise?”

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Mather (MHR) Traffic Pattern Caution

A review of the Airport/Facilities Directory for Mather, just east of Sacramento, will fail to alert you to the daily use of the airport by T-38’s from Beale AFB. The supersonic T-38’s use an overhead pattern at 2,000 ft AGL and are normally entering the pattern at about 280 kts. When on final they are…

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Flying Friendly Letters To the Editor

Flying Friendly (from the Nov/Dec 2004 Newsletter)
I heartily applaud Ed Rosiak’s editorial comments in the July/August 2003 issue of California Pilot. His suggestion (recommendation?) to pilots to fly friendlier, fly quieter, is a critical component to saving California’s beleaguered General Aviation airports. Pilots, both based at a given airport and those transiting that airport, should “buy into” the concept that they are in control of the airport’s fate by their own actions, or inaction. Citizens living and working around an airport have come to know that complaining about aircraft noise gets visibility with local elected officials and news media folks. Complaining about aircraft noise is another way of expressing concern (fear?) of airplanes coming to earth on the house, office building, etc. Noise complaints are not only about noise, I have found out over the years!

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Flying Friendly Response

Letter to the Editor VIA E-MAIL
CALIFORNIA PILOT

I just read Robert A. Wiswell?s letter (Flying Friendly) in the Nov/Dec 2003 issue. I have never read anything so outrageous in my time as a pilot. Mr. Wiswell knows that according to existing case law, any noise mitigation measure must be reasonable, non-arbitrary and non-discriminatory. Yet with full knowledge of this key point, he purposely omits it from his letter and instead hopes to intimidate pilots into thinking that unless we unconditionally cooperate with unreasonable, arbitrary and discriminatory noise abatement measures and generally acquiesce, airports will impose more drastic restrictions or even close.

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