Archive for Politics for Pilots
Outsmarting the slur of “designed by committee”
Posted by · August 31, 2010 | Comments
It has been said that a camel is a horse designed by committee. That suggestion disparages neither the horse nor the camel, but it is not particularly kind to the abilities of the committee — and with good reason.
The new voting block in town
Posted by · August 23, 2010 | CommentsTraditionally, aviation enthusiasts are an ignored minority population. That’s certainly true when election time rolls around. Politicians rarely show up at the airport trolling for votes, Read More→
Seven steps to a better airport
Posted by · August 12, 2010 | Comments
I was fortunate enough to be in a business meeting this week with a gentleman who told the story of how his small team flew to my region of the country to investigate an investment possibility. They filed and flew on an IFR flight plan in a relatively new, sleek GA single-engine airplane. Prior to their departure they made arrangements for a hotel, and a rental car at their destination.
So far, so good.
They landed in light rain after 3.5 hours in the air. It was 6:30 p.m. local time on a weekday. Sunset would occur after 8 p.m. These hopeful, visiting investors found the FBO building locked, no tie-downs on the ramp, no chocks, no line personnel, and no access to their rental car.
The FBO might as well have put up a big sign reading, “Welcome to (insert town name here), fend for yourself.”
“Oops,” would be a magnificent understatement. This example, and make no mistake, this is a real description of a real event, is a primary reason why these particular businessmen will be looking for a new place to set down their airplane when returning to the area to scout out a deal. Read More→
Be specific when talking to the press
Posted by · August 4, 2010 | CommentsDuring a recent newspaper interview about the management of the local airport, the reporter stopped me and asked for clarification. “I’m sorry, “ he said, “What’s an FBO?”
“FBO stands for Fixed Base Operator,” I answered. “The FBO is the primary business on most general aviation airports.” The reporter appeared curious, so I expanded on the concept. “The FBO traditionally provides four core services,” and I ran down the list quickly.
“Can you repeat those services?” the reporter asked.
“Sure,” I said. And this is where I made my mistake. “The FBO typically provides fuel sales, aircraft maintenance, aircraft rentals, and flight training.”
That seems simple enough, doesn’t it? Well it certainly does to you and me. You’re an aviation enthusiast. You know what each of those terms means. Just as I do. Just as I assumed the reporter did. But I was wrong. Read More→
One thing leads to another, and another…
Posted by · July 27, 2010 | Comments
With Oshkosh in full swing, the eyes of the aviation minded are on Wisconsin. But here in central Florida there is one city commissioner who has just become a major fan of aviation, thanks to a husband and wife who restored a Stearman and shared the excitement with him. I love it when the fever spreads.
It was only a few weeks ago that I wrote about Elizabeth Amundsen, a CFI and IA who was busily restoring a Stearman to its former glory along with her husband, Jonathan. That story may have been the impetus for the local newspaper here in Winter Haven to run a story about the same couple as they prepared to get the last few details completed in preparation for their departure for AirVenture 2010.
That newspaper story gave our new interim airport manager an idea. It stood to reason, she thought, that if one couple was headed off to Oshkosh for the big wing-ding, maybe others from our field were making the trek, too. What if the city’s staff and commissioners showed up at the airport to provide an official send-off? That would be great!
Building a more aviation friendly future
Posted by · July 20, 2010 | CommentsSuccess is an elusive goal. In order to be truly successful you have to first define what success is. It’s only with that definition in hand that you can establish a plan to achieve the goal. Jumping to Step 3 without first taking Step 1, and Step 2, is a sure path to failure. Unfortunately, failure on those terms has been an unwritten policy for many municipalities when it comes to operating an airport.
Unlike a pickup truck, a book, or a chocolate milkshake, all of which are tangible, easily identifiable items, success is subjective. Each of us has a slightly different definition of what success is, and understandably, we all have a somewhat different idea about how we might reach our goals. In order for us to move forward it is imperative that we have an open, honest discussion and make some significant decisions, however.
The first step is to define the playing field. Here in Winter Haven, Florida we’ve embraced that reality in an organized and deliberate fashion – finally. After literally decades of running our airport as an after-thought, the city commission has begun asking difficult questions about the way this publicly owned facility is being run, and is making demands that affect our methods in the future.
It started simply enough. Two candidates for the city commission (myself included) ran on a platform that included the airport as an integral part of the city’s financial responsibility. My contention was that safety and customer satisfaction should be Job Number 1, and Job Number 1A, respectively. Anything less was insufficient. I was a strong proponent of the idea that the status quo had to change if we were going to turn this under-performing jewel of an airport into a facility that lives up to its potential. Read More→
Yes, we can reach out and make a difference
Posted by · July 8, 2010 | CommentsA question I recently found in my e-mail inbox intrigues me. “So how do we, as aviators, get the general population to engage?” Steve, from Midway, Georgia, poses this query. And in doing so he puts his finger on what is arguably the greatest challenge to pilots and aviation enthusiasts in the political arena. Because without engaging the public at large we are little more than a minority splinter group that appears to insist on special treatment.
More often than not, that’s the public perception of us. Fortunately, we can change that.
The easiest way for us to make a pro-aviation impact is on a personal basis, one-on-one. Read More→
A few words in the first person
Posted by · June 28, 2010 | CommentsOne of the great advantages of a blog is the immediacy it offers both the reader and the writer. Unlike a traditional article published in the hard-copy version of a publication, the blog format allows for rapid feedback from readers, in the form of comments and e-mails.
In my case, I can tell you with absolutely no shame that I am a writer with just enough of an ego to enjoy the comments and e-mails that Politics for Pilots elicits. From my perspective, there is benefit in that feedback, on both ends of the communications stream.
I recently received an e-mail from a reader who asked a very reasonable question. To paraphrase, he asked: What do you personally do to enhance and encourage the use of your local airport? It’s a fair question. And one that I should probably address more directly at times. So let me take a whack at answering that question in public, hopefully for the benefit of all concerned.
To be perfectly honest, I take my own advice. When I write a piece suggesting an approach to making progress on behalf of the airport, it is almost always a third person generic report on something I have personally done in the past. But let me provide a specific example of how that works for me. Read More→
Know when to crow
Posted by · June 15, 2010 | CommentsTo at least some degree we pilot types have gotten a bad rap. More often than not I find that we’re characterized as whiners, babies, rich guys who want everybody else in town to pay for their playthings. And while I disagree entirely with that perspective, I can completely understand how we came to earn the reputation.
The non-pilot community only hears about the pilot community when we want something. They rarely hear about Young Eagle flights, Angel Flights, or any of the other altruistic, supportive things we do in our communities. Pilots only make the paper when we want something, or when we make a deep impact in the earth. In either case, the slant the public sees in the news is not in our favor.
In order to be truly successful in the long term, you have to know how to crow when the time is right. And the time is right for every airport, and every pilot at some point. So sing the praises of your home field when you can. Promote the accomplishments of your fellow pilots. Make the papers and spread the word. Aviation has an up side that everyone can enjoy, even from the safety and security of their breakfast table.
Michelle Bostick, (left) and Jo Alcorn (right) accept well wishes from student pilot Madie Beckett as they prepare to participate in the 2010 Air Race Classic in their C-172 dubbed City of Winter Haven."Photo by Joy Townsend
The latest crowing I got to do was just this morning, when the city commissioners, city manager, airport manager, and a solid selection of my municipality’s management staff made their way to good ‘ol Gilbert Field to send off two sharp dressed women in bright pink shirts to battle their way through four days of hard flying as competitors in the 2010 Air Race Classic. Read More→
When thumb twiddling makes sense
Posted by · June 10, 2010 | CommentsAs anti-intuitive as it may seem, there are times when sitting back and twiddling your thumbs is the best course of action. At least for a little while. That’s certainly true when working to affect change at an airport.
Government works slowly much of the time. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In many cases it is beneficial to have a slow, plodding system in place. Especially when that system is working against the best interest of the public. On the other hand, when you are working hard to make legitimate progress on an issue, it can be frustrating to interact with that massive machine we call government. Nothing happens fast. Nothing good, in any case.
Whether you are lobbying your state legislator for the reversal of a rule as onerous as California’s astoundingly myopic Assembly Bill 48, which virtually assures the sudden unemployment of many flight instructors across the state; or you are merely attempting to negotiate a more equitable hangar rate with your local airport manager – there are times when your best course of action is to sit back and wait for a bit.
Like the rest of us, government officials don’t like to be pushed. While a certain amount of pressure is desirable in order to make your perspective understood, too much pressure can cause an entirely different outcome – solid resistance. Read More→
