Pilots at Santa Maria Airport (SMX) on California’s central coast are learning their way around new taxiway designations — but they aren’t happy about it. Neither are the controllers who man the tower at the airport, who claim they were not consulted on the changes. According to Airport Manager Chris Hastert, a runway extension project […]
Airport
AOPA objects to city “playing games” with California runway project
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) objected on Tuesday to a plan by the city council of Tracy, Calif. to shorten a runway at Tracy Municipal Airport by just a few feet. Reducing the runway length would shrink the required safety zones at the runway thresholds, AOPA officials note. Under California airport guidelines, a […]
Michigan’s North Fox Island airstrip under consideration
LANSING, MICH – With a letter in hand from Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources, Recreational Aviation Foundation Michigan state liaison Brad Frederick reports the RAF has cleared the first hurdle in re-opening of North Fox Island airstrip. Located in Lake Michigan, 20 miles northwest of Charlevoix, the scenic strip has remained closed for several years. […]
New terminal building opens at SMD
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A ribbon cutting and open house will be held June 17 for the new terminal building at Smith Field Airport (SMD). The events are slated for 3:30 p.m., following the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority board meeting. The new terminal features a customer service counter just inside the airfield entrance, a […]
Laconia Airport Open House a hit
By CAROL LEE ANDERSON NEW HAMPSHIRE — Heavy downpours threatened to create a repeat of last year’s open house at Laconia Municipal Airport (LCI) in Gilford, but as if on cue the rain stopped and the clouds parted just as the doors opened to this year’s Wings, Water & Wheels open house held on June […]
PWK named Reliever Airport of the Year by IDOT
Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) has been named Reliever Airport of the Year by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics. To be considered for the honor, the airport, which is jointly owned by the city of Prospect Heights and the Village of Wheeling, submitted a nine-page entry that demonstrated the advancements of the airport, […]
FAA wants $500,000 or no AirVenture?
FAA officials have “demanded” $500,000 from the Experimental Aircraft Association for air traffic control expenses during its AirVenture convention next month or threatened to pull support for the event, EAA officials said Tuesday. In a report in the Fond du Lac Reporter, EAA Chairman Jack Pelton said the FAA’s demand for a contract and advance […]
The real reason airports matter
Stewart Beckett Sr. was born into a different world than the one you and I live in. He came into being in 1898 not far from St. Petersburg, Florida. The family wasn’t wealthy, but they were reasonably well off. Which is to say they lived in a house, ate on a regular basis, and managed […]
Landing fees increased at Santa Monica Airport
It’s about to get more expensive to land at Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in southern California. On April 30 the Santa Monica City Council approved a landing fee of $5.48 per 1,000 pounds on all aircraft — transient and locally based alike. For the pilot of a Cessna 172, that’s $10.96 for each landing. The […]