Posts by Andy Wilson
Watsonville – Section of General Plan Still Unsafe
On Jan. 22, the Watsonville City Council, as expected, approved the General Plan 2030 Update by a 6 to 1 vote. On May 23, 2006, the Council approved the General Plan by a 6 to 1 vote. The no vote each time was the councilperson from District 7. In the last dissenting vote, Councilwoman Nancy Bilicich wanted more plan deficiencies fixed to reduce chances of another lawsuit. The courts found the old plan inadequate in environment planning and not compliant with state aeronautic laws.
Read More Meadows Field Airport (BFL) Bouncing Back
Meadows Field Airport Bouncing Back from economic slump – Officials said more people have been flying in and out of Meadows Field overthe last couple of years. So much so, they are considering adding more flights.
In 2007, the airport took a hit, losing three airlines and thousands of passengers. But, in the last two years it’s been looking up, and airport
officials are thanking the oil industry.
Watsonville Municipal Airport Plots Path Out of Debt
WATSONVILLE — Though in the red, Watsonville Municipal Airport finances are stable and improving, city officials say. An audit of city finances, commissioned by the Santa Cruz County Grand Jury and released in January, noted an ongoing deficit at the airport and criticized officials for not presenting a clearer picture of the problem.
With the exception of 2008-09, the city-owned airport’s annual operations have been in the black for the past five years, according to Administrative Services Director Ezequiel Vega. But revenue has not been strong enough to close a long-standing multimillion-dollar deficit.
Read MoreFAA Initiates Phase 2 Of Airport Study
The FAA has announced that its study “General Aviation Airports: A National Asset,” which will help the FAA make planning decisions, has entered its second phase “to further define the role of GA airports.” Earlier work has resulted in the creation of four new categories for GA airports — national, regional, local, and basic. More than 2,950 airports are included in the study and the FAA has found that almost 500 of those do not fit into one of the defined categories. Yours could be on the list (PDF — scroll to page B93). The FAA has now committed to gathering additional information about the airports, in concert with state aeronautic divisions and airport sponsors, for further classification. The FAA says phase one has “revealed the many functions the majority of GA airports provide” and categorization of the airports will help the agency “make more consistent planning decisions.”
Read More Google Exec's Deliver Their Vision for SJC's GA Side
Maybe a successful company can bail out San Jose and its airport management’s dismal efforts at SJC….. SAN JOSE — In their search for a reliable place to park their growing fleet of jet aircraft, Google (GOOG) co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have boosted the fortunes of San Jose’s struggling international airport, while leaving…
Read MoreIndustry responds to new 'loophole' charge
The Obama Administration’s continuing attempts to raise taxes on business aircraft, reiterated in a White House press briefing, are short-sighted and threaten to suppress job creation in a fragile economy, AOPA said.
The general aviation industry and its supporters in Congress spoke out strongly against new indications that the administration may seek a tax increase on business aircraft operators in the form of changed depreciation rules for aviation assets. Read MoreLos Angeles World Airports Ignores Regionalizing Airline Traffic Agreement
Lawmakers revisit L.A. helicopter noise bill
Food for Thought from GAN
Lessons from the NFL – A few days before the Seattle Seahawks played the Washington Redskins in the Wild Card round of the National Football League playoffs, General Aviation News columnist, and nearly Washington D.C. resident Charles Spence emailed me to poke a little fun about the upcoming game. I took the comments to Facebook for…
Read MoreFAA Issues SAIB For Continental Engines
The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) for airplanes equipped with Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI), continuous flow, fuel injected engines. The airworthiness concern is related to certain throttle and mixture control levers. Affected engines include all IO-240, IO-360, LTSIO-360, TSIO-360, IO-346, IO-470, GIO-470, TSIO-470, IO-520, GTSIO-520, LIO-520, TSIO-520, IO-550, GIO-550, TSIO-550, and TSIOL-550 continuous flow, fuel injected engines (except FADEC-equipped engines).
