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Sickening GA developments in Stockholm, Sweden.

From the customer experience perspective I view an airfield as nothing more than a runway of decent size with some services attached to it. Those services I use at will.

After landing for the aircraft I will need fuel/oil/TKS/etc., maybe get it cleaned (why not?) and a hangar would be nice for overnights. At least a tie-down should be available.

For the traveler (me as the pilot) I am interested in real food at some place where I can sit down and enjoy it while I relax after/before a flight. I need local transportation and that might be either a rental car or a shuttle service between the airport and my destination and back. I don't enjoy driving an hour through heavy traffic before going on a 2h flight and I don't enjoy a taxi driver chatting all the time either as I would prefer to use that time to disconnect from my day business and switch into pilot mode.

There are many things private jet charter companies organize for their passengers. Why can't the airfield business not offer those "utility services" and make money from the combination of all of those? Once they do the runway itself is just the "road" that brings in customers.

Am I dreaming?

Frequent travels around Europe

Stefan,

because it's too easy? Because it doesn't require a highy paid university geek to run?

Most airports today see their salvation in Ryanair and the likes not realizing that they are selling their soul the moment they kick out their other clients in favour of them. Usually, that is irreversible. Once done, those airports embark on a building spree which costs millions and rise landing fees, introduce handling compulsory e.t.c. the whole shebang. Then they hire some university genius as CEO with a huge salary to run things. And if Ryanair leave, they go bust.

Add to that their promise to rid the neighbourhood of those awful small airplanes and their stinking rich owners and only have 4 -10 movements per day instead. No, really, no more flying lawnmowers to annoy you and yea, we will get rid of air rescue as well, no, no excuses, no medical flights either. Promises like that win elections and win over a indoctrinated neighbourhood like you would not belive. They will never know what they destroyed nor will the huge majority care. Maybe one or two families over time will loose a loved one because the helicopter needed longer to get here or the transplant liver was not delivered in time, as long as they can fly to the Canaries for € 5.- (plus €200 taxes...) they simply don't care.

These people should see the FBO concept like it works in the US. But they are not interested. Elector votes are more important than the well being of a whole region.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

It's a great shame about Bromma. This has been on the cards for a while and I'm sorry not to have visited this year (I went to expensive, but very helpful Skavsta instead).

Stockholm is unusual in that it's possible to land and park at the main airport, Arlanda (I have not actually done that, but did check it out this year) without outrageous costs if you leave before 7am or somesuch.

While Bromma is right in the City, it's not quite as convenient as it seems if you have a meeting in Stockholm because It's easy to get stuck in a cab for an hour! The same travel time could get you downtown from Vasteras, which didn't charge a landing fee (at the flying club) when I was last there. A little further, but again free of charges, is Gavle. Obviously none of these alternatives are as convenient as Bromma potentially is, but with parking there at more than £20 / day, you can soon rack up the train fare!

There are farm strips in Sweden and a pan-Scandinavian agreement means that you can land without formalities when coming from other Scandinavian countries (not entirely sure about Norway). There's also a grass field Ska-Edeby out to the west of the City but I wasn't able to contact them durng my recent visit.

EGBW / KPRC, United Kingdom

Hey guys, welcome to Helsinki-Malmi (EFHF) while the fun lasts!

+1 for wonderful Malmi. Thank you, Finland, for providing one of the world's classic and friendliest GA airports. (Just like Bromma used to be...)

EGBW / KPRC, United Kingdom

Very sad to read this. I have been to bromma 2009 and all went perfect but slightly expensive. From my point of view it is time to counteract. What`s about blocking their business with a huge amount of emails of fax ? Or someone knows someone who is able to hack their computers efficiantly ?

Berlin, Germany

What`s about blocking their business with a huge amount of emails of fax ? Or someone knows someone who is able to hack their computers efficiantly ?

First sort out spelling. Then sort out your thoughts. Then look over what you wrote. You don't really think David and Peter are going to promote illegal action publicly?

EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

I'm afraid I don't have any info or contacts at Swedavia to be able to voice concerns. It was just a general heads up to anyone going in there to speak up and let your thoughts be known. I've heard that the tower and the airport employees like the mixed traffic and share our concerns, but alas, when dealing with government there isn't much one can do. Obey or be unemployed.

Yes, the flying clubs and the schools have had to lay off people. But the numbers are not enough to cause enough trouble.

As a completely separate discussion, I happen to think that with new technology (i.e. electric), aviation is will soon enter a new golden era with very reliable, cheaper and silent flight possible. What will all these idiots do then when they've shut every single airport there is?

AOPA is too small in Sweden. They can't do anything. Not even AOPA Europe could do anything.

Tantalizing thought: what if every pilot in the world contributed $200 a year to a fund so we could all buy and own a perfectly run GA airport in every major capital of the world? Hangarage, services, nice restaurant, no over the top security nonsense, parking, sensible landing fee's, 24hr ops... One can dream, right?

Adam,

Obey or be unemployed

that is about the scope of it yes.

I happen to think that with new technology (i.e. electric), aviation is will soon enter a new golden era with very reliable, cheaper and silent flight possible.

Won't happen. As you can see today, every innovation is immediately fought with massive overregulation. There is system to that madness too and it doesn't concern only aviation. European politics in this regard have the ultimate goal to restict and to largely get rid of individual transport means altogether. They can't get that done yet with cars, too much opposition, but they can and are very effectively doing it with "rich man's toys" such as boats and airplanes by introducing higher and higher taxes on them.

Electric planes do not solve the problem, not by a far cry. First of all, anti airport folks don't need to hear the planes, they will even go against gliders! It is flying itself and the fact that people can do something they can't which is behind this, not the noise. Noise is only an excuse. So in order to change that, you'd have to make the airplanes invisible too.

What will all these idiots do then when they've shut every single airport there is?

They will start with the next goal: cars. As a matter of fact, they already do. Fuel taxes are raised for "ecological" reasons or because the states go bancrupt and need money. I have seen proposals in Switzerland to rise fuel tax to a consumer price of £10 per liter in order to "encourage development of economical engines...", which in truth of course means to limit individual freedom to their own ruling political chronies. The same thing happens with electrical power. Some of these morons told me that the price for electricity should be raised to a level where people would be forced to massively save power, at the same time the same morons forbid and hinder development of personal solar installations on rooftops for heating or battery charging.

Not if every pilot of this world would pay a million could this happen. Cities like Munich and others have proven that they do not want private aviation under any circumstances. It is not a question of money, it is a question of political will. And there is no such will, but there is a massive and vocal movement to stop aviation in Europe. Not in terms of qantity but in terms of those in power.

One can dream but beware. "The tigers come at night, their voices soft as thunder... as they tear your hopes apart, as they turn your dreams to shame..." (Text by Herbert Kretzmer from Les Miserables)... even though calling these street dogs in our parliaments "tigers" would be too benevolent on them.

What we see is history repeating itself. So far, not one so called high culture has survived. When a certain level is achieved, people start to eat each other up and to destroy what their culture has achieved. We are seeing this happening now. Whereever the future lies, it won't be in Europe and probably also not in the US, unless the current trends are stopped and reversed. In Europe that is too late already, in the US it looks bleak too.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

a perfectly run GA airport in every major capital of the world? Hangarage, services, nice restaurant, no over the top security nonsense, parking, sensible landing fee's, 24hr ops...

Isn't this the real problem? Do you really need all this for an airfield aimed at welcoming SEP or light twins? What you request involves lots of people, and therefore a lot of money. In France many airfields cost almost nothing because there is almost or really no people working for the airfield. It is closed at night, services are reduced to a minimum : no tower... Gas sometimes, often with automatic stations, or manned by the local aeroclub, hangar sometimes for visiting aircraft but not always. As a result many of them have no landing taxes, or very low ones, and it works. Do we really need a terminal, handling agents etc?.... It seems also very difficult for a restaurant to survive on a small airfield with few movements.

All it takes then is a good lawn mower. The owner can live with a few rents (aeroclub, hangars, workshop).

In France many airfields are simply places where you can land, take off, refuel (but not always) park, and that's it. But isn't this enough?

SE France
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