kwlf wrote:
Trump has advocated privatising US airports along European lines. Details seem sketchy, but I wonder what that would mean for GA in the USA?
Yes, and the AOPA has fought similar such concepts stiffly. Thankfully, there is an organization there that makes sure that no rogue Beamters (German word for Civil Servants) don’t turn into American Airport Managers… :)
Let’s face it, the US Airfields are maintained (in many cases) for military reasons. The same reason so many were built… to make it basically impossible to take out the US air power capabilities by knocking out a few key airfields.
This isn’t talked about much, but it IS a holdover from WW2, when they built so many airfields in the first place.
The whole concept of a toll-free nationwide highway network in the US came from Eisenhower, when he said that the US should be intrinsically ready for defense. It is strategic, by nature.
I think that the fact that most of Europe hasn’t had a major war in so long plays a role in this mentality of ‘civil use only’ when it comes to airfields and pilots.
What AOPA fought and is fighting is a plan to privatize ATC, not airports. There is good political support in congress against ATC privatization, but it does keep rearing its ugly head. The Obama administration suggested the same and it was beat back by Congress. There are a few proponents in Congress for privatization, but they are in a distinct minority.
Federal airport funding is not from general tax revenue, but from a trust fund based on a form of user fees, fuel taxes on general aviation and ticket taxes on the customers of the airlines. Only the flying public pays these taxes. The airports and airlines collect the taxes and the Federal government maintains the taxes in a trust fund, although congress is responsible for authorizing expenditures.
The idea that the prevailing emotion towards other people is envy in Europe is a cliché. And like all clichès it contains a grain of truth and a lot of misunderstanding. In general European societies are much more based on solidarity than the USA. Just look at healthcare, or take free Universities. There are many other examples. Therefore underprivilleged Americans (like the ones who could not afford college) like to call Germany, Italy or France “communist” societies. But then, when the president calls “Belgium a beautiful city”, what can you expect.
The restrictions in Aviation have other reasons. Historical ones (like the “Flugleiter” in Germany) come directly from the Nazi past (the Nazis wanted to have control over who was leaving the country), but other reasons are that the density of population is much higher in most parts of Europe compared to many parts of the US.
Still, there is active and healthy GA in many parts of Europe.
Getting this off intractable political statements 
and back on topic, one could argue that a big factor in Europe which puts pressure on airports is the planning (land development) issue but there are loads of airports around Europe. The problem is that too many don’t want GA. Why is this?
The land development difficulties prevent the creation of new dedicated-GA airports. But they even block a hard runway where there is waterlogged grass…
Peter wrote:
there are loads of airports around Europe. The problem is that too many don’t want GA. Why is this?
As per my posts #5, #13 and #19, I think it is unrealistic delusions of grandeur among airport management, plus oligarchic non-completion on unit pricing that reduces pressure to increase the bottom line through encouraging every use of available airport capacity.
there are loads of airports around Europe. The problem is that too many don’t want GA. Why is this?
Some people LOVE public transport. It doesn’t stop them from stirring up a fuss because with ADSB out OMG they can track their whereabouts, yet they are perfectly happy getting on a public train, plane bus or any other form of scheduled monitored transport.
We used to have supersonic commercial flight because people aspired to something. I take no more joy from flying commercially than I do from taking a shitty train or bus. If it was financially feasible and the infrastructure in Europe was available I would fly myself individually and via GA everywhere. And the argument from the do gooders, who’s on average 2,5 kids lifetime pollution will far exceed my fuel consumption about leaving the planet for their kids are frankly completely lost on me. The planet is going to be here long after we’re gone and will be just fine just like it was before humans arrived on it.
Not having an airport in the area with IFR access is considered not conducive to business interests and a business will shy away from a community that does not have adequate airport infrastructure. It is the same for interstate highway access. Also the US does not insist on a tower or attended operation for 24/7 access. Only a small percentage of the public access airports have a tower. At most airports that are not towered, they are fully uncontrolled and have no personnel providing weather or other information about the airport other than the local FBO via the unicom.
RobertL18C wrote:
This clip is quite amusing on European ATC>
It’s a classic! Thanks for pointing me to this clip, I have the LP but I no longer have a record player so i know what will make some of my night shift much more amusing. David Gunson was a Birmingham based ATC controller and his “after dinner speech” on aviation is one which has made many folks laugh very hard indeed!
“My apologies, sir, but the wind is blowing from your end!”
This isn’t talked about much, but it IS a holdover from WW2, when they built so many airfields in the first place.
America’s been involved in plenty of wars, but there hasn’t been a war in America for even longer than there hasn’t been a war in Europe (is it 1865 versus 2017?). The UK’s airfields generally date from WWII, but one exception is my base which was created during the 1980s – I gather there was a period when planning restrictions were favourable to the creation of new airfields, and that this was partly because of their potential military utility during the cold war.
I believe the last international war on American soil within the 48 contiguous states was the failed British invasion attempt of 1814 & 1815
Unbelievably huge numbers of US airports were built for military training in WWII. There was an organized Federal effort to create an infrastructure of civil airports using what became available postwar but I don’t believe it had anything to do with future military utility. Many of those that weren’t turned over to local governments are still visible from the air if you look. Some only operated as training facilities for a year or less.
