As regular readers of this column may have noted, I often write about airports and administrative issues that effect the municipally owned airports of Polk County, Florida. Because most of the issues that one airport faces will eventually become an issue for others, there is a certain universality to the topics covered here, even if […]
Politics for Pilots
The loser in us all
The saying goes, “You can’t win if you don’t play.” That’s true for the most part. But of course the corollary to that expression is, “If you play you will lose — at least sometimes.” That’s the reality of the situation. Get used to it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to dissuade you […]
Say again?
I get no joy out of admitting this, and I certainly mean no disrespect by discussing it publicly, but almost every week I get at least one email that makes no sense to me at all. I feel bad about that, because the person who sent the message almost certainly had something specific in mind. […]
Hiccups, gaffes, and bumps in the road
Last June I wrote a piece about an airline that had begun service into Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) here in central Florida. The column ran in this space. It was ebullient, hopeful, and waved a big flashy flag for the potential that comes from having regularly scheduled air service into a mid-sized and growing […]
Expenses, debt, and taxes
I was up late last night, inputting numbers, ticking off boxes, checking receipts, and seriously wishing I had four or five more kids who still fit into a deductible age bracket. It’s tax time, and I suspect you are deep in the same morass of math and mayhem I am. We all complain about taxes. […]
First responders and pilots: The follow-up
Now online: Powerpoint presentation for first responders It was the day after Christmas 2011 when I filled this space with talk of first responders. Specifically, I wrote about the self-interest the aviation community has in reaching out to work with first responders before something bad happens. If you wait until flames erupt from wreckage on […]
The $64 million answer
Here’s a good quiz question for you: What do Stuart Jet Center, in Stuart, Florida, Region Air in Sparta, Tennessee, and Missouri Aviation Center in Warrensburg, Missouri, have in common? They’re all running specials with discounts on fuel for pilots traveling to Sun ‘n Fun. That’s right, the reach of Sun ‘n Fun extends well […]
Teamwork of the highest order
Last Friday evening, while standing at the front of a packed ballroom, with microphone in hand, Mayor Gow Fields announced, “Aviation has reached a new high in Lakeland.” When’s the last time you heard a mayor say something positive and hopeful about aviation? Wait! Before you reach too far back in your memory banks to […]
General aviation as an asset
There were six of us sitting around the table. The local economic development council had just announced the hiring of a new executive director, and the new guy was making the rounds to meet and greet as many people as he could before his official start date rolled around. So the city manager, two directors, […]