Airport Advocacy

tree96

tree96

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
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529
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Ohio
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Display name:
tree96
The airport I trained out of and grew up beside faced some adversity over the last year and a half. One of our commissioners decided that our county needed another vacant strip mall( our airport is less than a 1/4 mile from a shopping plaza that has 6 empty storefronts).
www.irontontribune.com/2013/06/06/end-could-be-imminent-for-airport/

Fortunately it's looking like we have won the battle for now.
http://www.irontontribune.com/2014/04/02/airport-land-deal-finalized/

We are moving forward with the removal of the trees and a lighting project mentioned in the links above. Our local pilots association has developed a plan to raise the funds needed for the 10% match for FAA funds over the next two years, through assessments on hangar and tie down tenants.
For now, 2 of our 3 commissioners are in favor of the airport, so striking while the iron is hot is the plan.

Anyone else faced a similar scenario? Ideas to raise money? We are doing a plane ride event open to the public in June.
 
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The public event is a good idea. If you have any Public Benefit Flying happening from there, highlight that too. Who's your AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer? What airport?

I'm finding access to that irontontribune website is blocked, FYI.
 
Airport is HTW. Usually have to answer a question about a product before you can read the article.

No ASN yet. I guess I will nominate myself.
 
YAAAAYYY!!!! Only took twenty years to get the Commissioners to agree to cut the trees at both ends of the 3001' runway!! Now they finally realized it will cost much, much more to back out of the work they have agreed to do.

The article is readable after answering "up to 6" questions.
 
Planning a cookout for May 17. 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Fly,drive,bike, walk, take a bus however you get here, come on by.
 
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Be sure to get your local radio and TV stations involved if possible. Great free publicity on the evening news and on the radio. A little feel good report about the airport and aviation can go a long way to show the piblic what a valuable asset the airport really is. Usually all it takes is a phone call to get it moving.
 
Probably depends ultimately on how much money the developer pays the local "representatives" . Or.... He could be related to one of them. Small airports are on the way out unless a sugar daddy steps in by chance with big bread. If the economy had not faltered your airport would probably be a history lesson. With so much manufacturing having gone overseas, small town airports have really suffered. That business owner, now gone, used to own a nice twin or had one fly in to pick him up. This type of traffic is gone for the most part. I watched it go. If it was between your airport or a walmart, your toast.
 
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Luckily,(I just threw up in my mouth saying that) there is a Walmart less than 3 miles from this airport. It's part of a shopping plaza with vacant storefronts. There is also another shopping plaza less than a mile from HTW that has 6 vacant storefronts.

Rumor had it the county was promised a cut of the proceeds from the sale. I don't think it would be a stretch to say some palms were getting greased.
 
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