People are still trying to close the local airport so they can put in another truck stop at the border crossing. I’ve read comments that it only serves the needs of ‘rich boys and their toys’. To be honest, it’s not much of an airport. The short runway is barely wider than the wingspan of a Cessna 172. Apparently there are a couple/few dozen airplanes there, but they must be kept in hangars since I only ever see a few oxydised old aircraft sitting out there. (Definitely not ‘rich boys’ toys’!) There’s room for improvement. And the other side wants to do that: widen the runway and make it a better airport to attract more business (and tax dollars).
In L.A. there were frequent proposals to close Santa Monica Airport. People bought houses next to it and complained that they were next to an airport. Well, don’t buy a house there. Heck, I’d love to live across the street from a GA airport! And I remember back in the '80s there were people in the San Francisco area who were calling for airport closures.
Then came the Loma Prieta earthquake. Rescue workers flew into the airport they wanted to close. I was in the CAP at the time, and we were happy to hear that SF-area CAP units were flying rescue/search dogs and their handlers as well as supplies to the scene. Whether people were still being vocal about closing that airport, my perception from hundreds of miles south was that the issue suddenly became rather quiet.
Today I got an article from AOPA:
Once again General Aviation has stepped in to help in a disaster. Fighting the fires would be more difficult without nearby airports.
Yes, there are a lot of ‘rich boys’ (and ‘rich girls’) with expensive airplanes. But most owners aren’t rich. Most pilots rent. And yes, there is a lot of money to be made by bulldozing airports and building houses. No money for you; but think of the boon to developers! But think about how much more difficult disaster relief would be if there were no municipal airports. Are you annoyed by flight delays on your commercial flights? Think about the delays if relief workers had to take over part of a large airport, or even the delays that would be caused by hundreds or thousands of ‘little airplanes’ – many of which have top speeds less than the minimum speeds of large jets – having to share airspace and facilities with the ‘heavies’ every day. And then factor in the occasional disaster relief.
Think about that next time you hear someone in your community calling for an airport closure. Don’t begrudge Joe/Jane Pilot a place to fly. They’re helping your (and their) local economy. And when disaster strikes, you’ll be glad relief workers can get close to the action.