hindsight2020
Final Approach
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- Apr 3, 2010
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hindsight2020
Just saw that on AOPA Live and got to reading. I used Redbird Skyport frequently during my pre-PCS house hunting and other errands that required me to fly in to the San Antonio area. Found the place great, the rental car logistics were top notch considering I wasn't even moving to San Marcos, but my future home airport was of no help. I was surprised to read they never made a dime, though to be fair I didn't know the Redbird was in fact the affiliation with the piston simulator hardware company.
The scathing op-ed by the CEO was an added treat. It's not frequently that you get people to openly say what they mean. As someone who patronized that FBO over my local airport or the San Antonio area ones (SAT/SSF), I certainly don't feel like I did any of the things he accused the general population of pilot transients of doing, but I understand my patronage was too small fry to make a dent. This is one of my frustrations as a "small fry" owner, where our fuel sales are of so little consequence, that the FBO relies more and more on jet-A sales, and then the piston customers become an eye sore and are treated with contempt. So it's a catch-22 from where I sit, and something his scathing op-ed didn't quite addressed imo.
I continue to patronize HYI in other matters (91.411/13 checks et al), and frankly wouldn't have a problem being based there (though I don't know the total picture of the hangar situation), but do agree with the scorned CEO, city councils are not GA friendly around here. My current home drone has a pretty sketchy history of drama and running people out of town, as was highlighted here several years ago. These days only the city FBO remains, and it's hegemony. Captive audience, so I keep my comments to a minimum since there's no real choice for hangar spaces in this population exploding area.
As to the projections of traffic, I think he was probably smoking glue. Yeah the place is exploding because people can't fit in Austin anymore, but those are not pilots, it's just a bunch of pedestrians who can't afford Austin. Ditto for my home drone up here, though in my airport's case it's pretty well the case they are not interested in the piston traffic, and the facilities reflect the predilection for non-training jet traffic. The AF keeps the traffic count up, but beyond that the place is a mx and services desert compared to HYI.
The scathing op-ed by the CEO was an added treat. It's not frequently that you get people to openly say what they mean. As someone who patronized that FBO over my local airport or the San Antonio area ones (SAT/SSF), I certainly don't feel like I did any of the things he accused the general population of pilot transients of doing, but I understand my patronage was too small fry to make a dent. This is one of my frustrations as a "small fry" owner, where our fuel sales are of so little consequence, that the FBO relies more and more on jet-A sales, and then the piston customers become an eye sore and are treated with contempt. So it's a catch-22 from where I sit, and something his scathing op-ed didn't quite addressed imo.
I continue to patronize HYI in other matters (91.411/13 checks et al), and frankly wouldn't have a problem being based there (though I don't know the total picture of the hangar situation), but do agree with the scorned CEO, city councils are not GA friendly around here. My current home drone has a pretty sketchy history of drama and running people out of town, as was highlighted here several years ago. These days only the city FBO remains, and it's hegemony. Captive audience, so I keep my comments to a minimum since there's no real choice for hangar spaces in this population exploding area.
As to the projections of traffic, I think he was probably smoking glue. Yeah the place is exploding because people can't fit in Austin anymore, but those are not pilots, it's just a bunch of pedestrians who can't afford Austin. Ditto for my home drone up here, though in my airport's case it's pretty well the case they are not interested in the piston traffic, and the facilities reflect the predilection for non-training jet traffic. The AF keeps the traffic count up, but beyond that the place is a mx and services desert compared to HYI.