Aviation articles by Garth Wallace

Why value an airport?

Is your local airport under pressure to close? Better check around. Every municipality has citizens and politicians who are not happy until aviators are unhappy.
It’s too bad. Airports are where anyone can dream, learn, belong, get involved, enjoy friendships, relax, be entertained, reminisce, have fun, travel and feel good about themselves. Aviators share this magic through airshows, breakfast fly-ins, Young Eagle flights, open houses, school tours and fly days.
Yet municipal politicians do not value the local airport like the libraries, community halls, arenas, sports parks, pools, playgrounds and schools.
Try this.

Dear municipal politician
We propose a wonderfully diverse facility for our community. This unique place will combine recreation, education, sports, entertainment, industry, science and agriculture in one location. It will double as a transportation gateway, provide jobs, generate tax revenues and will be close to town. This facility will have cultural and historical significance and will be available to everyone.
Now the best part: This place will cost nothing to build and will be maintained for little or no expense above its revenues.
Do you think our community would be interested?
We hope so. This dream facility is our airport.
The airport costs nothing to build because we already have one. It can be cheap to maintain if operated intelligently by the right people. It does not require big dollar staff, expensive buildings, political appointees, high-tech navigation aids or heavy security.
Successful local airports operate on volunteers, community interest and municipal support, just like playgrounds, libraries, arenas and other important public facilities. They are run through coordinated efforts involving aviators, politicians, taxpayers, educators, media, service clubs, youth organizations and industrialists.
It’s worth it. A municipality with an active airport is a better place to live, work and play. It attracts motivated citizens, community-minded industries and adventurous visitors.
We look forward to working with you to maintain this wonderful facility.
Sincerely,
The aviators, your partners in the community airport

USE YOUR IMAGINATION
Airports are unique assets that can accommodate a variety of interests besides aviation. Co-locating activities that need large, open spaces, flat land and controlled access is a great way to increase the value of an airport in a community. Airports attract little or no crime, are near the population base, yet tolerate a certain amount of noise.
There are examples of airport diversity below but don’t be limited by them. Let your imagination run.
Aviators in an American town dug a floatplane water strip parallel to the existing runway. The idea is not new but this group made it big enough to double as a water-ski park. The set-up is boatless. It employs a two-way mechanical device that tows skiers through a slalom course and over a jump.
It’s a smart idea. The water-skiers and floatplanes generate a little extra revenue while raising the airport’s profile in the community. The water is handy if there is a fire at the airport.
A similar set-up in Canada could be an outdoor skating and hockey rink in the winter and a fishing pond year-round.
Dig an oval shaped waterway and it could be used for boat races and speed skating.
Golf courses are a compatible use of land around runways. Think of all those rich golfers dreaming of a pilot licence every time an airplane lifts off.
Golf course fairways make good emergency landing strips, especially the ones with sand bunkers to protect the greens from long landings.
Speaking of traps, a floatplane landing strip can be a water hazard. The dirt from the dig could make the golf course more interesting and the water would be available for irrigation.
One airport made an arrangement with a construction equipment school to build a golf course. When it’s finished, they’re going to start on a motorcross park.
An airport’s tolerance for noise makes it a good spot to co-locate rifle or skeet-shooting ranges, facing away from the runways.
Farming is a traditional use of airport land. A few enterprising municipalities generate extra revenue by renting public gardening plots.
Airports are wildlife preserves. Hawks, owls, waterfowl, turtles, frogs, fox, coyotes, deer, mice and mosquitoes make the unused parts of airports home. One school system incorporated natural science field trips to the airport into its curricula.
Areas of airport pavement have temporarily hosted bicycle rodeos, go-cart races and car club solos. Permanent uses include trucking schools and drag strips.
Don’t forget about sharing an airport with other aviation activities such as gliding, model aircraft flying, air racing and skydiving. If your field is too busy for skydivers, maybe it has an old farm silo that could be converted into a vertical wind tunnel. It’s a skydiver’s dream; freefall all day until someone turns the power off.
Airports are the windiest places in town. How about a wind farm? It sounds crazy but one airport had a row of wind turbines no taller than big trees built along one side of the field. They generate surplus electricity and they make great wind direction indicators.
Many municipalities use their airport for practice fire fighting. Nothing pinpoints a location to the general public better than a plume of smoke. It helps when the firefighters know where the airport is too.
A lot can be learned about promoting your airport from local businesses. I taught flying at a club that had a self-appointed airport greeter. This retiree did more to raise the community’s awareness of aviation than anyone. He spent weekend afternoons talking to families that parked by the airport fence to watch the airplanes. He told them a little about flying and gave out discount coupons.
"Hi, there! Thank you for stopping at the airport. Here’s a coupon for $5 off a sightseeing flight."
The airport is still there. I bet someone is still doing it.