Amenities

[Nani]

Howdy folks!

I would love to find out what will make an airport more attractive to you?
Any input will be most appreciated and will be a tremendous help making an important decision.

[Mike Cross]

A lack of them!

How about a lack of bureaucrats and petifogging officialdom.
A lack of facilities that I don't need or use but have to pay for anyway.
No compulsory handling.

A bit tongue in cheek but we all know the problem.


I like the way they do it in the USA. A nice runway, tie downs, no tower unless the traffic level demands it, automated weather broadcasts and pilot controlled lighting. Self-serve fuel 24 hours a day with your credit card. Staffing costs low.

We do in this country seem to have a lemming like desire for procedures rules and officialdom. While I accept the need for rules, we seem to spend more time debating whether or not something is legal than we do debating whether it is sensible or good airmanship.

Add in a decent caff, clean toilets and a location that enables you to go somewhere rather than just have the hundred dollar hamburger before flying back.

Mike

[flower]

If you have no Tower I am assuming a lack of any form of radio contact with the ground.

What happens if you have an emergency ?

Pilot controlled lights ?

[Pink_aviator]

I am sure I will be influenced by the selction of goodies on sale .
and
I am not just talking flying gadgets ,but coffee and cakes .
tee heee .

[Mike Cross]

Ah good morning Flower!

If I have a dire emergency then being able to talk to my favourite approach controller will not help me, though if I am going to hit the ground I will let the area controller know where to send the ambulance.

What sort of emergency did you have in mind? If I can't make an airfield with the required facilities then apart from setting the emergency services on their way there is little you can do for me.

If however the emergency is less dire you can help me with vectors, let-downs, landing priority etc. In which case I will be wanting to divert to your nice big airport.

Pilot controlled lighting is a facility for turning the runway lighting on by keying your transmit button in a set sequence and is quite common at unmanned fields in the US.

Mike

[flyingfemme]

Helpful, friendly FBO with snacks and clean restrooms :D

[83 3708]

1 Anywhere that can provide an all day cooked breakfast.....

2 Somewhere to sit and watch the comings and goings on a warm summers day..

3 Preferably a less than £20 landing fee

4 Something to do or somewhere to go once you get there

5 Avgas served with a smile

Thats about all really.....not a lot.

:ok:

[Genghis the Engineer]

- Pilot controlled lighting

- Acceptance of out-of-hours arrivals.

- Some reasonable food available for most of the day.

- Clean loos, that actually have loo-roll in them.

- Hangerage for residents, sheltered parking for cheapskates and visitors.

- No more rules than are absolutely necessary for safety and good-neighbourliness.

- A well drained runway.

- Pilot controlled lighting.

G

[IO540]

ILS
Pilot controlled lighting
24hr opening
ILS
Loo, self service fuel
ILS
:O

[Nani]

Keep them coming and thank you.

Next meeting is set for two weeks from now and I always wanted to have a piece of an airport. This will be my chance but I don't wish to loose my shirt on it either,so I have to turn to the private flyers and their wishes to give them exactly what they want/need to make this airport a place they loved to hang out.

[kabz]

My local airport (KAXH) conforms to the following, and employs directly about 4 people. There are 3 flight schools and about 3 maintenance setups on the field.

- published nav approaches so people can get home in bad weather, encouraging them to base aircraft there.
- at least one flightschool.
- maintenance.
- crew car to allow transient pilots local transport.
- weather, flight planning terminal
- free coffee
- cheapish fuel, at least locally competitive.
- hangar space for locally based aircraft.

[146fixer]

A toilet (Cant afford to put one in).
:uhoh:

[flower]

I suppose I am being pedantic about the emergency situation , however thats the way I think. Having seen aircraft whose front wheel separated from its fuselage on landing, aircraft coming off runways and those almost land upside down I know that many difficulties are not those which occur aloft but those which happen on touch down , hence why I, little Miss Scaredy Cat,would prefer to land at an airfield with some form of authority able to contact the emergency services.
If the lighting situation is the one I have discussed with commercial American Pilots you ,when you key the switch for the lights actually key lights for a large number of airfields so a number of options could show up at night for you, am I correct ?

[dublinpilot]

Cheap & efficient transport to/from the nearest village/town/city.....whether that be a courtesy car, local bus service or simply a lift. Means you can fly to a town rathar than just an airfield.

[WorkingHard]

Flower, get things in perspective. If that is what really concerns you do you only fly to/from licenced airfields and if so why learn to fly at all? there are times when we need help from others but a more self reliant attitude MIGHT just make you a better pilot. Enjoy the freedoms afforded by small uncontrolled airfields. try bush flying in Africa or Aus and then appreciate the unlicenced aifields in the UK.
Incidentally some airfileds still conform to many of the ideals from contributors above. 2 that come to mind are Fenland and Sherburn

[flower]

Working Hard
I don't fly , I control, I'm only asking the questions not making any criticism. Its always interesting to see how others view things.
To me working at an Airport with all the facilities it can be hard to imagine going somewhere with limited or no facilities.
I ask because i am trying to understand.

[Mike Cross]

I, little Miss Scaredy Cat,would prefer to land at an airfield with some form of authority able to contact the emergency services.
Oh dear, didn't realise you needed a form of authority to dial 999.:(

Lighten up Flower, we're not talking Commercial Air Transport here.

Didn't you fly to Brimpton with me in a 55 year old aeroplane when the only person in authority was the tea lady reading her book in the sunshine and the place was otherwise deserted?

Mike

[flower]

Yes Mike I did and it was a lovely flight and cup of coffee to.
That still doesn't detract from fact I like the emergency services on hand. Comes from seeing so many nasties and almost nasties I suppose.
It is interesting to see that people aren't as concerned as me , I suppose I am part of the nanny state, and I wasn't talking commercial traffic I was talking GA regarding the incidents.

[Tinstaafl]

Pilot activated (controlled, if that's your terminology) lighting.

Some form of UNLOCKED building to meet passengers/taxis/friends that has clean toilets & at least a water fountain. Some comfortable seats & a table that can be used for (re)flight planning/eating one's lunch.

No locked gates/fences/security that uselessly prevent me from accessing MY aeroplane!

Tie down points. Not necessarily supplying chains/ropes, just somewhere to attach them to.

24hr fuel. Not a bowser & refuelling bloke. A fixed pump & self access fuel card/credit card facility is MUCH preferred.

Public phone that takes money not just those bloody phone cards. Local taxi numbers AND the region's briefing office/ATC contact on prominent display.

Prominent local information point: Accommodation, transport, places to eat (for all budgets), places of interest.

Very, very PROMINENT signage about where all the above is located.

If aerodrome fees are necessary then reasonable, no excess 'services' supplied that we don't want or need. Various ways to pay. With receipt.


As for a 'hangout': A cafe that's cheap, a watering hole, a flying school/aero club that has a broad range of things to do (competitions, fly-aways, trainging for 'fun' things eg aerobatics, formation etc etc), a maintenance facility, hopefully the drinking spot has an observation area (indoor & outdoor) that lets people watch the traffic while they merrily drink. Maybe even a BBQ that people or the club can use.


Things not desired/necessary (some silly CAA rule might require it, but not me...)

Don't care what the runway surface is. It can be tar, concrete, dirt, grass, gravel, ice or whatever. As long as the condition is adequate then whatever is cheapest for you to maintain.

Security bullsh...

None of this FISO or A/G carry-on. What an irrelevancy to most operations - apart from the UK's bloody bureaucratic rules.

Idiotic local rules eg hi-vis vests. There is NO evidence that these reduce accidents on small airfields.

Fire services. The number of times that an on-airfield service has altered an outcome for GA ops is miniscule. The bulk of the western world operates private & commercial ops into no-services airfields with at least equivalent safety.

[Nani]

Great going,keep it coming.

More info,this is a small privately owned airport adjacent to an existing National Guards airport. NG is in a process of moving to a newer,better facility and the place was offered to the small airport owner. He can't afford it on his own and since we keep our planes there,he approached us as a possible investors and also as participants of the overall operations.

There's an existing ATC,flight school and mechanical facility but not much else on the small airport. NG property have several hangars,some are in great conditions housing c-130's. We could try to take up some of the bizjet overload from a nearby major international airport but also aim to offer a whole lot for the private flyers.

If we'll build it,they'll come...hopefully...that's why your input is very important.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Just a brief note of caution.

I notice that you are in the USA, and a lot of us replying are elsewhere. Do be aware that cultures vary, and some of the things that, for example, might be very important to me as a brit, may be of much less importance to an American pilot - and vice versa.

G

[flyingfemme]

OK, now I know the situation a bit better......

A WEBSITE! Tell people that you are there, what facilities you offer and have clear contact details. Collect the email and answer it! Make sure that AOPA and Acukwik etc have all the info.

Reasonably priced fuel - doesn't have to be the cheapest but needs to be lower than Millionaire and their ilk.

Fair landing/parking/handling policy - not everybody wants red carpets etc and not all bills for twins/turbines are paid for with "somebody else's money".

Agreements in place with local hotels/motels for pilot rates - saves bargaining every stay!

Most of all - TELL us.

[Algirdas]

- a nice grass strip
- self service credit card avgas
- somewhere to sit and enjoy a coffee and snack whilst watching the traffic
- friendly briefing
- loo for the No. 2
- minimum bureaucracy - and only then if needed at all!
- sheltered parking

Popham's a very nice example.

[PhilD]

I agree with Genghis that the tone of the replies seems to vary according to the location of the respondent. It seems to go something like:

USA

Published ILS approach
Pilot controlled lighting for night landings when the tower (if any) is closed
No landing fee (of course)
FBO with comfy sofas and friendly staff
Coffee
Flight planning area with weather terminal
Free phone access to FAA flight service
Free courtesy car
Fuel (self service with credit card)
Hangarage

UK

Easy to spot on a murky VFR approach
Open until sunset
Landing fee under £15
Club with clean toilet and supply of loo roll
Coffee (at any price)
Table for flight planning, and Met form 215 pinned to the wall
Telephone to call a taxi
Fuel
Aircraft parking area that is not too muddy

[ChrisVJ]

How about asking yourself what puts people off flying there and then put that right. I fly from a delightful village municipally owned airport BUT:

1. The Loos are in the terminal building which is now leased by a local sight seeing co. No public loos. Four or five times last Summer alone I was obliged to tell visitors who got out of planes with their knees tight together that the only option was the stinking bivvy on the onld campground. They don't come back.

2. Someone was going to open a cafe in the terminal if we got a scheduled service. We didn't. Visitors arrive, get out of their planes, say "Gee isn't it beautiful here?" Get back in and we never see them again.

3. Some social life. Three years ago someone started an outstation for a flight school there. Poor instructor had no life at all. There were eight of us learning to fly (Re-learning in my case,) but everyone did their lesson, shook hands and went home. I never even met any of the other guys. You need a social centre and a program. Think Golf clubs, sailing clubs. etc. The social thing is three quarters of the battle. I went sailing on a boat my daughter was crewing on a couple of years ago. Afterwards there were about three hundred of us at the well priced buffet, There were only about twelve boats in the race, the rest were watchers, family, non sailing members, you name it. The point is the place was buzzing. Pilots like to hang around and talk flying, and while they do they can be spending. Have a club house just big enough for a small knees up!

4. Local access. Doesn't matter how, but is has to be convenient. Again, far too many visitors, especially from the USA arrive here, look around, ask how to get to the village and when they are told the taxi can be here in 30 mins ( just the way it works, the village is about three minutes by car,) and to use the pay phone, well, they are GONE, never to be seen again.

What you might do on the positive side.

1. Low rent, get a small service facility in. All our locals (except the two of us flying experimentals,) have to take their planes 150 miles for service. If we had a low rent/ fair price service they would be coming here from the city to get the value.

2. Flying school. Preferably a rent paying independant. The students are your future hangarage and tie down and catering and gas and servicing business.

3 Give a national sales co for a decent sport/GA plane line a break on the rent. They will bring people in and add some local excitement.

4. Make sure you can do some small commercial development around the perimeter. Get someone to put in a specialised draw. Maybe an aero related museum, not big things but not so obscure no one is interested. Old log books, letters from famous aviators, Advertise on the internet as a home for someones' collection and see what comes up. If you can't decide where to fly wouldn/t you rather go somewhere there is something to see or do?

Damn, I'm getting envious of your opportunity!