I miss JGG!..and is aviation really this inaccessible?

B

Brad W

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I consider myself lucky to have been able to be an active student and flyer at a very active privately owned field, back before the fences went up.

I was at JGG almost every weekend back between 1990 and 1994. Good times. It was a great place to be an airport bum. Good people, and a nice patio for watching the runway, a nice restaurant too. the flight school didn't have a lot of great high performance options always, and a dog of a twin for a while, but a decent 172 and an ok crop of 152's and 150's to rent. Less than 10 miles away from where I lived...maybe 12-15 minutes

I moved away for work and in all the places I've lived I have never had access to another place even close. I've rented form a few decent flight school set-ups but never the full deal airport bum place again.

What brings this up is frustration. As I'm getting the bug hard, to fly again... the best airport nearest me KSGJ doesn't really have a decent place to go hang. A few years ago I joined the airport pilot's club. they had some picnic tables at their clubhouse...too far form the active mostly, but still someplace I could go for lunch, etc.. The clubhouse relocated on the field and now has no view.

just today I swung by the airport FBO's office to learn about tie down pricing....just sorta spitball budgeting thinking about buying something.
I knew there's a waiting list for hangars over 200 deep so that's out. well low an behold no tiedown space either! I can pay $500 a month for the FBO's open shade cover group hangar
so, asking airport manager about options (there are none) HOW CAN THAT BE? there simply are not that many aircraft on the field and lots of room!!
So even if I can figure out how to buy something there's no place to put it. Guess I'll have to look at airports even further away. Ughh!

I sure do wish I had access to a JGG type field that close to home again!

Any JGG or SGJ pilots active here?
 
Won't help the OP, but I am very lucky to fly out of KMAN. They did an excellent design for the City owned FBO Building. It is out near the runway with big windows on 3 sides so you can see the entire runway. The upstairs was designed for a small Cafe/Restuarant, which is currently the Home of the excellent Tower Grill. Also with an even better view of the Transient Parking and Runway.

I wish more airports understood the value of just making airplane visible to people who want to just watch.

Brian
 
yep, looking at google street view that KMAN sure looks like a larger version of the same!
 
This thread made me nervous. JGG is Jamestown/Williamsburg, and has a nice lunch restaurant. It's been a few years since I've stopped in, but I fly past it all of the time. I thought the OP was suggesting it closed!

SGJ is St. Augustine, 600nm south. I've stopped there a few times for lunch on the way to the Bahamas. It's not really a hanging out sort of place. I liked Palm Coast KFIN (Flagler Exec or whatever it's called these days). It's also the only place that I've seen have its airport identifier changed twice.
 
I still need to get down there...
 
GMascelli said:
I still think of Jean Waltrip, every time I’m there, she was s positive influence for GA.
Click to expand...
i remember her as almost always there. Very nice lady, although sadly I can't say I really got to know her personally. I was just a kid basically then so understandable I suppose....
 
The early 90s was already in decline for Airport Bumming but it’s definitely gone way downhill from there.

You’ll meet way more people at a poorly attended Cars and Coffee and even automotive enthusiasts are dwindling.

There’s a reason Cirrus is adding smartphone apps that talk to airplanes...

The mainstay of early 90s airport bumming when not talking was perusing a copy of Trade A Plane. If you found something interesting or hilarious you shared.

Last printed copy just went out. Online only now.
 
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