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Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

airfields-freeman.com

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Re: Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

#51

Post by ultrarunner »

embedding-shape wrote: post #13
ultrarunner wrote: post #7

It’s a poignant phenomenon that so many airfields used to exist. People now complain endlessly to get long-established fields shut down *, but red tape keeps any new ones from opening. * It is important to note that usually, something like 98% of noise complaints come from 1-2 individuals, even in areas with thousands of residents.

I mean I kind of get that. If I bought land/house away from stuff, and suddenly they want to place an airfield right next to me, I'd fight it as well. Moving to where an airfield already is and then try to close it is mischievous behaviour though, and obviously not very kind. > 98% of noise complaints come from 1-2 individuals, even in areas with thousands of residents. I think you can replace "noise" with "X" and it…

Yeah, I kind of get it too. But at some point, this country was able to get it done, and that has been largely lost. I'd also say that on average, small aircraft are a lot quieter than they were when these fields were being built.

> I think you can replace "noise" with "X"

I suspect that complaints have become a sort of catharsis for people who otherwise don't feel a great deal of control over their circumstances. Also sort of understandable, but ultimately ineffective for increased quality of life. Poignant.

Re: Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

#52

Post by ultrarunner »

mauvehaus wrote: post #29
imoverclocked wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most/all airfields predate the purchase of a home. The noise complaints come from people who came long after the airfield was established.

This is true, but the problem has become more concentrated with the advent of RNAV. Depending on wind direction and which runway Logan was operating, I had flights departing directly over my place in both JP and later Somerville every 60-90 seconds. The precision with which they do this is incredible, and also kind of annoying. Spreading out the traffic would do wonders. Having witnessed this firsthand, it's not supe…

I had in mind airfields & strips more than commercial aviation hubs, but regardless: more options would somewhat relieve extremely busy SIDs and STARs. Alas, in densely populated areas that ship has probably already sailed.

Re: Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

#53

Post by bombcar »

ryandrake wrote: post #40
bombcar wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certificati... implies there may be a path (depending on what "special issuance" means).

Yea, going the Special Issuance route is tough and lengthy, and you still cannot be currently relying on medication to manage the condition. The FAA's "mental health" requirements for flying are rooted in good intentions, but too coarse. You don't want someone suffering from schizophrenia, severe depression or bipolar mania to be flying airplanes, but on the other hand, someone who was once had mild anxiety or ADHD 3…

Sport pilot or "perpetual student" may be other options - https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certificati...

(Perpetual student - you can be in control of a plane but not PIC without a medical or anything, so you can literally pay an instructor to be PIC whilst you do the flybits.)

Re: Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

#54

Post by bombcar »

mrhottakes wrote: post #46
Ancapistani wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A big part of that is the regulatory environment. For example - I have the interest and means to get my PPL. I'd love to do so, but the FAA considers ADHD to be a disqualifying medical condition.

The cost is a much bigger factor for most

It's both expensive and not that expensive; roughly the cost "all-in" of getting a good motorcycle.

If I were to do it again I'd save up and take time off and do all the training in a month or two. Half the cash I burned was relearning the shit I forgot since the last lesson.

Re: Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

#55

Post by cucumber3732842 »

bombcar wrote: post #22
ryandrake wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's too bad, because once these small GA airports go away, they are never coming back. Too expensive to rehab, and nobody is building new ones anymore. So ideally they should be preserved, but nobody wants to do it. The tiny GA airfield in my home town went up for sale some time back, and the price they were asking was less than what a medium-sized Bay Area home cost. I was so tempted to find a way to make it work (…

Small GA airports out in the middle of nowhere can come into being, but it's rare, and the whole GA field is aging out and disappearing (both the pilots, planes, and people).

No, they can't, because the people in somewhere won't let you build an airport in the middle of nowhere without abiding by the rules they wrote for somewhere.

Re: Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

#57

Post by ajxs »

royskee wrote: post #5

I'm glad this site is still up as I haven't looked at it in many years. I used to be based out of W32, Hyde Field and got out during the sale/bankruptcy a few years ago. The recent photos of the place there do a good job capturing the scene of decay. It had essentially no online presence, but there was an active and very good aircraft maintenance shop there until the end. https://airfields-freeman.com/MD/Airfields_MD…

Thanks for sharing! What was your role at Hyde Field?

Re: Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

#58

Post by royskee »

ajxs wrote: post #57
royskee wrote: post #5

I'm glad this site is still up as I haven't looked at it in many years. I used to be based out of W32, Hyde Field and got out during the sale/bankruptcy a few years ago. The recent photos of the place there do a good job capturing the scene of decay. It had essentially no online presence, but there was an active and very good aircraft maintenance shop there until the end. https://airfields-freeman.com/MD/Airfields_MD…

Thanks for sharing! What was your role at Hyde Field?

I rented a hangar there

Re: Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

#59

Post by robrain »

zabzonk wrote: post #47
robrain wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was on a neighbouring farm to one of ours. It’s just a bit of concrete in the middle of their fields now. You possibly got shouted at by my famously grumpy grandad.

In my experience ALL Lincolnshire farmers are grumpy. But we may have escaped as one of us was the local Police Constable's son.

Didn't see this before. My dad was a happy farmer, but the stereotype holds in general. Weather, markets, governments, voters (bloody Brexit) all attract farmers' ire. And even when it's going well, they're still working harder than 63.5% of the populace.

Seems the stereotype might have skipped a generation :)

Re: Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields

#60

Post by zabzonk »

robrain wrote: post #59
zabzonk wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience ALL Lincolnshire farmers are grumpy. But we may have escaped as one of us was the local Police Constable's son.

Didn't see this before. My dad was a happy farmer, but the stereotype holds in general. Weather, markets, governments, voters (bloody Brexit) all attract farmers' ire. And even when it's going well, they're still working harder than 63.5% of the populace. Seems the stereotype might have skipped a generation :)

Well, I don't think farmers had to worry so much about those things back when I was a chid - they seemed to just like shouting. It's not like there was much we could wreck - the last use of Dunholme Lodge (as far as I'm aware) was as a Bloodhound SAM battery, notionally protecting Scampton. Anyway, I enjoyed playing at the place (RAF did not unfortunately leave the odd missile around), and as I said I never encountered your grandpa. :-)
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