It will come as no surprise to you, a general aviation enthusiast, that the United States contains a considerable number of airports. Even so, the actual number of airports may be higher than you imagine. Higher by quite a bit, frankly.
Our non-aviation enthusiast counterparts may feel differently, however. They may learn that in 2004 the United States Department of Transportation listed 599 certificated airports in its tally. If that number seems low to you — and it probably does — consider that the term “certificated airport” relates to only those airports that serve air-carrier operations with aircraft seating more than nine passengers.
When we aviation enthusiasts picture an airport in our head, it is likely that we are imagining a very different facility than the one your non-aviation oriented neighbors are thinking of. You may be thinking of a quiet place, with wide green expanses of grass, perhaps a cozy restaurant, and the occasional buzz of a low horsepower engine nearby.
Your neighbors, on the other hand, are thinking of something else. They’re imaging an almost incomprehensible facility that includes massive parking garages where you can easily get lost on the way from your car to the gate. They’re imagining TSA checkpoints, surly fellow passengers who are in a rush, disinterested employees, bad food, overpriced gift shops, crowded restrooms, and interminable delays.
These people, our friends and neighbors, have no idea that the total number of airports in the U.S. is a bit higher. Significantly higher, in fact. Because that same Department of Transportation counted up the full number of landing facilities in the United States back in 2004 and came up with 19,820. Yes, you read that right. There are nearly 20,000 landing facilities in this country.
The vast majority of them are general aviation airports that bear almost no resemblance to the big Class B airport they’re most familiar with. These fields do not serve commercial carriers operating aircraft capable of accommodating more than nine passengers. Rather, they host Cubs, and Champs, and C-172s, and Bonanzas.
They welcome individuals and families who park near their hangar, or the FBO, walk casually into a comfortable, friendly environment, and exchange pleasantries with friends and stranger alike — because general aviation is a social activity as well as a method of transportation. It’s a recreational activity as much as it is a method of getting from Point A to Point B.
Yet general aviation is a mystery to our friends and neighbors who think all aviation can be neatly tucked into the one-size-fits-all picture they have in their minds.
This is your chance. You, and I mean you in particular, not some nameless, faceless individual reading this column three states away. Nope. I’m specifically and honestly referring to you. No kidding.
Imagine the possibilities if we each took it upon ourselves to expand our friends’ horizons by introducing them to general aviation as we know it. By my count, which is coincidentally exactly the same as that done by the DOT, we have 19,221 general aviation destinations available to show off. That’s a lot of airports. With that many to choose from, the odds are good you don’t have to travel far to find one, or two, or half a dozen.
All this occurs to me because of an email I got last week. A gentleman wrote to let me know how disappointed he was that his local airport is surrounded by chain link fencing, with barbed wire on top. The fence is festooned with “No Trespassing” signs that are numerous and unattractive. He took all of this into view and came to the conclusion that general aviation is not a welcoming environment.
He’s right. Sometimes general aviation is not a welcoming environment. But then, one airport does not represent all airports. If your friend finds the first airport uninviting, take them to a very different one on your next visit.
The airport I fly out of has high fences, barbed wire, loads of no-trespassing signs, and badge-only access to the field. Even then, my badge only gets me access to specific parts of the field. I can’t go just anywhere. That would raise a red flag and earn me a visit from management.
That’s fair. It’s the personality of that particular airport. But it if I want to experience a more relaxed atmosphere, I don’t have to go far to find it.
I’ve also got airports nearby that are not surrounded by fences. Some have paved runways, others sport grass strips. Some are municipally owned while others are in private hands, yet they still open their doors, hangars, and runways to the public.
Just this past weekend I landed at a fly-in that was well attended, very casual, and welcoming to even the least aviation-oriented visitors. The runway was grass and there were hotdogs on the grill. It was a comfortable, thoroughly enjoyable way to spend the day, whether you fly or not.
Let’s get pro-active. Let’s make it a point to introduce some of our non-aviation oriented friends and neighbors to general aviation as it is – unique in every way.
Walk them inside the fence when it’s appropriate, so they can see why the fence is there and that it is not an impenetrable barrier.
Take ’em to a cook-out or a pancake breakfast at a small airport and show off the social aspects of general aviation.
Let’s transform our home-town foreigners into true locals by taking them to a real airport and showing general aviation off for what it is — and it is whatever you want it to be.
Jamie, for a start, thank you for a good article. The problem I have is the general public access, and interest, if they even know aviation has different segments such as General Aviation, Commercial Aviation, etc. Then there are the local politicians, (such as ours,) that want ALL GA removed, and not even allow them in the air. They have no idea of what they are doing, (such as hiring an interim, and sometimes temporary airport manager strictly big business oriented, with absolutely no aviation background.) Then not allowing anyone, unless personally escorted by some security detail, even near the GA end of the airport, (two miles from the big, brand new, and expanding again, airline terminal.)
To even travel to a more friendly airport is expensive, as the nearest one is in another state, and the closest one, public, is over fifty miles away. There are several private fields closer, but the owners are not always available to even gain access to them or their fields. The nearest one to rent a plane is an hour’s drive, and an expensive ferry ride, both ways, to another state.
Jamie, you said “Let’s get pro-active. Let’s make it a point to introduce some of our non-aviation oriented friends and neighbors to general aviation as it is – unique in every way.” I couldn’t agree more and, with the help of many friends, I am doing something about it!
My friends and I started the Catholic Aviation Association, a 501c3 nonprofit, to support all who are interested or involved in any aspect of aviation, while establishing an environment that promotes “Faith, Flying and Fellowship”. CAA will do this through a nationwide network of Chapters. A division of CAA, the Cupertino Aviation Clubs, is also being established to provide for “Affordable Flying” while “Affirming Values”. We believe all who want to learn to fly, and keep flying, should be able to do so. This is especially so for our youth, who look to the skies with longing, but discard the dream because they are discouraged by the expense and lack of mentors. Many aviators mention the fun and utility of flying, but another major benefit is that the thought process and skills learned in flying teach invaluable life lessons. We want to pass these lessons on while giving others the wings of joy to rise on.
I invite all reading this comment to check http://www.CatholicAviation.org, learn of our vision, sign up for our newsletter, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and support us. Let’s rebuild General Aviation!
A big problem today is even smaller airports are hard to access due to security restrictions. Even as a pilot sometimes I have a tough time getting through the gates onto the airport. Sure, I can get into the FBO lobby, or stand outside the fence and look in, but to actually get onto airport property where I might be able to interact with aviation folks is usually difficult.
We certainly do not put a friendly face to the general public.
Most of the people I speak with considering a PPL all say the same thing. What am a I going to do with it? It’s a lot of money to spend to do nothing there’s too many restrictions. Unless you have a commercial you can’t do much, even using it for your own business is a PITA just ask any accountant about you’re expenses. They laugh and don’t want anything to do with it.
I try my hardest to get the younger generation involved. I even made up t shirts that make GA a little more exciting, airplaneshirts.com to bolster some interest. The problem is that pilots today are seen a lot like bus drivers.
It’s not the exciting thing it was in the early days of flight to most people, part of this comes from the airlines trying to portray the safety aspect of flight. It makes a lot of sense for them to make the public feel very safe. However it’s made GA flying seem a little hum drum to many people at the same time.
You’ve got to compete with things like, x games, guys doing flips on dirt bikes, snowmobiles e,etc comparatively GA seems very timid and boring.
The reality as we all know is very different, GA is exciting, it is a little dangerous, it’s only the diligence of the FAA and the pilots keeping their skills up that makes it seem as safe as it is out there.
I’ve raced cars, boats, diet bikes, ATVs you name it, and the hardest, most challenging thing Ive found to do properly is to FLY. There’s more variables than any other sport/hobby. I explain it like this. The car race track is a stable environment it changes very little, dirt bike tracks a little more, water is fluid it moves in front of you ever changing, but the air, it’s moving constantly, but you have to feel it because it’s invisible you can’t see what it’s doing.
Another issue, which is a whole different can if worms is transportation on the other end of a flight.
Btw I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a more welcoming airport than Simsbury CT. 4B9
Hi Jamie,
thanks for a great article on how general aviation should be. If all airports would roll out the welcome mat and make their airport a fun place to visit that would go a long way to growing the airport and General Aviation at the same time. Friends of Arcadia Airport in Arcadia Fl. are doing just that and are working hard to attract more pilots and grow general aviation in the process.
We fly into Okeechobee Fl a lot (OBE). The restaurant has good food,and only maybe 20% of the patrons are arriving by plane.
GA would benefit from more towns having restaurants on their fields.
I fly out of a rather unusual field. we have general aviation, both home based and transient.Business jets fly in daily, non-towered, parachute operation, tail wheel flight school, 3 runways, ILS and GPS and a waiting list for hangers.
A few years ago there was a lone old 172 on the ramp today first row filled with tie downs, and we are not in a major metropolitan area!
Our fuel prices are low, the hanger rent low and the airport makes 6 figures profit yearly.
Yes we have the 6′ high fence with barbed wire and no trespassing signs. But that isn’t who we are.
We welcome anyone that just wants to watch planes take off and land with red rocking chairs out the back door next to the ramp. We have a small but active EAA Chapter. The parachute operation brings in a lot of spectators. Once a month through the EAA chapter we fly at least 15 Young Eagles on the first Saturday.
We also have a loose “friends of the airport” pot luck dinner a few times a year. We have an annual fly in/ air and car show open to the public where we get 3,000 to 4,000 of the non aviation public.
We work with the local county museum to exhibit artifacts and information from the airports earliest days in 1933 to the WWII era where we were the final training base for the Tuskegee Airmen.
We have a memorial park right across the street.
We are welcoming and always friendly whether the visitor is an aviator or just curious. It has worked for us. Give the aviation public what they want and need and have your door open and the lights on for the general public. It works for us.
Thanks for sharing an uplifting example of hope, Jeff. Yes, the airport can be a gathering place, it can be a resource of real value to the public. It sounds like your airport management and businesses have cracked the secret of being successful and run with it. Good for them. Good for all of us. We can absolutely learn from each other’s successes and failures. I’m glad you took the time to share a big success here in the comments section. Much appreciated!
Thanks for a positive post. Now, would you kindly tell us where your airport is?
Sorry I didn’t do such a good job promoting the airport to leave out the name. It is Lowcountry Regional Airport in Walterboro, SC, KRBW.
I’d like to add we have some of the lowest fuel prices around, two crew cars if you want to go have lunch. Free cookies for a pilot to munch in the terminal and usually the week of Sun and Fun since we get a lot of transient traffic, free hot dogs!
We also participated in the SC Humanities Festival with a historical overview of the airport held in one of the hangers.
You just have to think outside the box!
The OPS manager works hard at making the airport inviting and we have a group of pilots that do everything we can to foster good relationships.
You get out of something what you put in it then equals a good vibrant airport.
A VERY good article and one all of us, even us ‘over the hill’ dudes need to remember and put into practice.
Hi Jamie; I’m sure you know me by now as the “pragmatic” dude who occasionally counters with a comment now and then. That said, for many, like yourself, and the readers of GA News,
who are AREADY “sold” on flying in one capacity or another, feel that the “social” (non-tangible) benefit which THEY derive from the aviation culture IS the motivation that will INCREASE demand for flight training, aircraft sales, and associated bi-products – I don’t think so – to many other alternatives!
It seems to me, that the recreational (under utilized GA airports) segment, which frankly has been “subsidized” by the majority (1,399 out of 1,400?) who have little or no interest in flying, has been going on for some time. Instead of focusing on recruiting “anyone” who will listen to this non-economic sermon, how about trying to SELL the financial benefits of GA: if this may improve unemployment (new company coming to town AND has a company plane?) and create 50+ more jobs and add to the local economy for example?
Isn’t no wonder the general (local) populace feels; “why hell, WHY should I help pay for a few weekend flyers hobby – I have NO interest in flying; BUT I sure would welcome any way of cutting my property taxes” – sound better?”
But advocates of GA are approaching this ass backwards; want to get the non-flying public on YOUR side; SHOW them an economic benefit FIRST, less attention (negative) will then be drawn to (finger pointing?) the aviation enthusiast or private pilot as the bad guy/gal – they’ll be there anyway – make ANY cent$?
And lastly, if your airport doesn’t have the POTENTIAL to be of any economic benefit directly or otherwise, like so many unfortunately are, drag races and flea markets may help to keep it from closing?