A Cessna 182 owner has filed a lawsuit against San Francisco International Airport, claiming the managers are trying to force general aviation pilots to move to other airports, and they illegally pulled his flight privileges as part of the plan.
A story at CourthouseNews.com notes that Robert Reinheimer’s security access to the airport was suspended last year based on allegations that the FAA later determined were unfounded. Reinheimer, who has based his 182 at SFO since 1980, filed the lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court, according to the report.
In his court filings, Reinheimer says that from the time of his first tie-down lease, the airport “urged, encouraged and exerted various pressures on persons who parked their small piston single and twin engine aircraft at SFIA to move to other airports. For the past three years, plaintiff has been the only piston airplane tied down or home-based at SFIA.”
Read the full story on the court case here.
Wish him success. If he loses I am afraid it could set a precedent at other large airports. We all pay for these strips of runway.
The “Over all well being of the public” is not in the “itsy-bitsyest” way affected by the tie down of a Cessna 182 at KSFO. Sheesh!
Think of another airport in California. Now, this would be a possible precedent for the LA area airport. The big guys can’t force the little guys off the airport. So how can the city of ____ force pilots off that airport?
Just thinking outside the box….
I flew in and out of LAX regularly in the 1970s and 1980s in small planes. I have even gone in there as recently as 2014 in my C180. I see no problem with it. I am a retired airline captain and flew for Delta Airlines based at LAX and I used to fly by C180 to work. For awhile we had our own dedicated runway for light aircraft which was marked off in the middle of the south taxiway along side of runway 25L right where the FBOs are located. When light planes are flying in and out of airports like LAX and SFO for awhile the controllers get used to them and realize what these little planes can do to the point of easily being able to avoid the big planes. The little planes don’t need a final approach that extends for several miles. Heck we don’t need any final at all when dealing with runways that are 2 miles long. My C180 can operate fine with only a 1000 feet. Once the controllers get used to a plane like mine they realize the options for keeping me out of the way of the big planes are “many” and can easily be put to use!
Agreed first come first serve..Maybe if he wins his lawsuit. He can upgrade to a faster small plane.
With all due respect to this gentleman, for crying out loud, SFO is a HUGE, international airport that is
extremely busy…There are many other smaller airports he can use…It might inconvenience him a bit, but
the overall general well-being of the public takes precedence over his little 182…
Personally, I hope all small planes will get out of the way and use the nearby airports and only consider the larger ones in an emergency! Just my two cents!
First come, first served. Not the biggest first.
Many years back small airplanes would land at SFO on a parking lot and tie down behind a blast fence then walk to work at United or Pan Am.