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I wouldn't have know about Meigs closing unless I read it on the AOPA web site. After all that, it didn't make news even the entire time the millions were being spent.
[/ QUOTE ]Where were you?!? I was surprised by the national coverage of Meigs! It was in all the Chicago papers, USA Today, and local(many states other than IL) and National news.
"A new scientific poll published today in the Chicago Tribune indicates that Chicago's citizens widely support the airport, don't believe the Mayor's claims of a terrorist threat, and disagree with Daley's actions in closing Meigs in late March. The support cuts across all lines, race, gender, city vs. suburbs, Democrat vs. Republican."-Friends of Meigs
Keep in mind that the aviation community is only about 1% of the US population. Who do you think the media is trying to impress, us or the other 99%? Notice when the B1900 crashed in CLT, it made the news for weeks because passengers were killed. When the B1900 crashed in HYA, news of it was dropped as soon as the media discovered there were no "passenger" fatalities.
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Idiots at the local city decided to build a new school off the end of the main runway. Where was AOPA in fighting that?
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Did anyone notify AOPA? Maybe there wasn't a fight necessary. It might not be the smartest thing to build, but there are lots of schools near airports.
If anyone doubts what AOPA is involved in, look at AOPA.org under "advocacy."
By the way, AOPA is not the only group that gets involved in the airport issues. They are usually working along side, NATA, GAMA, NBAA, IATA, EAA and a few other letter combinations.
Mike D, AOPA is fighting the "draconian" noise abatement airports. Namely, SMO, HPN, TEB and APF. Even the FAA has spoken up against these airports.
"The Naples authority is the first in the country to declare a ban on Stage 2
jets under 75,000 pounds. Last year, the authority announced that Stage 2
jets could no longer use the Naples Municipal Airport.
In March, the FAA ruled that the ban was discriminatory and violates federal
law. In particular, the FAA declared that the Stage 2 ban was illegal because it discriminates against a certain type of aircraft."
What is truly "draconian" is the cheap arse CFOs that insist on using stage II aircraft because of the low acquisition cost. Stage III has been in effect for years, so I have no sympathy for operators who complain about noise abatement and refuse to at least get into '80s in technology. If your airplane has a fuel line the size of a sewer pipe, it's time for a newer airplane.