What is General Aviation and how do we continue airport growth?
Airports. They’re all over the United States. Most of us think of large airports that we go to catch a flight to the other side of the country. But what about your local airport? Do you even know if you have a local airport? You’d be surprised how many people have no idea they likely have an airport closer to them than they think.
According to the website http://www.airfields-freeman.com/index.htm, there are 2,740 airfields that are documented on the website as closed in the United States. This doesn’t account for the undocumented airfields.
“In 2022, there were 5,193 public airports in the U.S., a decrease from the 5,589 public airports operating in 1990.” — https://www.statista.com/statistics/183496/number-of-airports-in-the-united-states-since-1990/
Many people hear the term “General Aviation” (GA) and immediately think of tiny airplanes, but there is more to GA than people realize. GA is a broad term that encompasses many types aircraft and aircraft operations. Not only does GA cover those tiny planes, did you know that corporate jets fall under GA also? Yep, those big jets that fly business leaders and potential new economic growth into your town fall under the GA category also.
The term GA is thrown around a lot, and if you ask an airport authority if they support GA most likely you’ll get a resounding “yes!” If we dig deeper we can find just how supportive airports are of general aviation if we visit them. Stay with me…
Let’s talk about young pilots that are aspiring to make aviation a career. After becoming a private pilot, there are more steps before you can just start applying to get a job as a pilot. Instrument ratings, commercial ratings, and more likely than not a multi engine rating is required before you are even able to start applying. …but there is one more thing you’ve got to have. Flight time.
A lot of pilots choose to become flight instructors to build time, but there are many that don’t. Many choose to purchase their own plane and enjoy the process of building time by taking trips and exploring new areas. This is my current route to building time. While it might take longer than giving instruction, I’m able to do things on my time, and do what I want to do. That said, flying to a new airport brings new adventures!
When I venture to a new airport, or take any flight for that matter, I plan for the flight. Weather, NOTAMS (Notice to Airmen/Airmissions), runway information, and arguably one of the most important parts… FBO reviews. One of the most valuable tools in my toolbox is having the ability to read about the airport I’m flying to. How do they treat other pilots? How was the environment? Do they have snacks? (Yeah that’s a thing.) How is the condition of the FBO? Are the restrooms clean? Do they have ridiculous ramp fees and if so, does purchasing fuel strike the cost of the fee? etc, etc….
“The airport runway is the most important main street in any town.”
-Norm Crabtree
It’s just like checking out a new resturant. If an airport has a history of poor reviews (and many do), I likely will find another airport to visit. You see, if the airport staff treats me good when I’m visiting in my 1971 Cessna 150, they’ll treat me well when I decide to return in the future in a company jet (Fingers crossed.) Sometimes an airport is just the closest place and that’s whats most practical, but sometimes you have options. If I know an airport has a history of ridiculous fees, I’m ignored when I arrive, or god forbid it’s the middle of the night and the gate is locked, I may not return. Little annoyances like these aren’t things that will support a welcoming environment for general aviation.
“This facility is preparing for the future!”
I remember flying into Chattanooga, TN one day and visiting Wilson Air FBO. As me and my friend were marshalled next to a large jet, I was shocked at what happened next. After the lineman chocked my wheels he threw down a mat for me to step on when I exited my plane! I thought, “Did this guy not see the oil seeping from the cowling, the old paint job, and the overall condition of the plane?” (Granted its airworthiness was fantastic, she had just seen better days.) This guy was treating us as if we were executives arriving in our private jet for a business meeting! Then it hit me… “This facility is preparing for the future.” Walking into the building we were greated with a smile, asked if we needed a crew car, was directed to the restrooms, and offered refreshments. Knowing we wouldn’t be purchasing a large amount of fuel for this small plane, again I reminded myself of their future planning.
Guess where we visit often? You got it, Wilson Air in Chattanooga! …and you better believe I’ll return in a larger aircraft one day if I have anything to do with it. Solely based on the spectacular customer service I received that day.
Another example is in Demopolis, Al. This small airport is a hidden gem. The airport didn’t have full service fuel when I visited, but on arrival I decided to fuel up at the self serve pumps. After shutdown I was met by an airport employee who filled the plane up for me, without me asking! He just did it. After filling up the plane, I walked to the bathroom to find this man cleaning my windscreen for me, again I had not asked for this. This was true customer service!
Airport operations rely on revenue to continue to operate. You look statistically at airport closures and many of them have one thing in common: Poor management and bad customer service.
“New research from the University of Florida has found that approximately 54% of the nearly 5,000 publicly owned airports in the United States are failing to perform as well as they should be doing, mostly due to simple mismanagement.” — https://airfactsjournal.com/2023/12/g-a-airports-suffer-from-costly-mismanagement/ (This is a great read by the way!)
What can we do to prevent airport failures? To me one simple thing is visit different airports and emulate the good things they are doing. Listen to your local pilots that fly to different places, they have experience on what makes them want to return to an airport.
The future of any airport relies on exemplary customer service, leadership, and management that supports General Aviation in its truest form.
