Comments 2,126 to 2,175 of 2,558
Lincoln Park
I worked at LP from 1975-1980. Ed always called me "junior". I hated it then but over the years it was fitting. Ed was pretty old then, but he did not lack anything. He was sharp as a tack and if he missed anything Jule would let him know so.
I guess I went to work for him after he had repossed the airport from the Eastern group. I was for the most part an aircraft fueler after school and on weekends, but I wound up doing so much more. Moving planes, cutting grass, cleaning the office and assisting the mechanic when needed. And hung up a lot of what I know now are to be historical pictures in the office.
Ed always asked, every pay day, "do you want half in pay and half in flight time"? I kick my self in the butt today. I could have been trained to fly by the same guy that helped Amelia Earhart fly the Atlantic, wow Ed! And that also would have included instruction by Tony Farrell.
But I at the time liked fast cars and the girls that came with it. I think I kept Ed and the other guys happy with all the teenage girls that showed up to watch me work. But Ed would always come out, "junior we need to get doc's plane out" or something. Meaning she had to go.
Ed loved the airport and always wanted it looking its best. He also gave a lot back, never missing the chance to buy me a lunch at the Pequannock sandwich shop. He kept me stuffed with salt tabs in the summer also. And when the day was slow I would go up to his house and mow the lawn.
Jules and Ed had a nice, cozy log cabin up in the hills. The road getting there was windy and tight. If you think flying in a plane with Ed was fun, you needed to ride in a car on the way to his house. The tree limbs would fly in the open window and slap you in the face if you let it. He was a daredevil in my book.
The first flight I had in an airplane was in his J-3 Cub. I never knew you could look over your shoulder at the runway on final approach. That's how Ed did it all the time! And just prior to the wheel hitting the ground he would snap the tail around and bam you were rolling down the runway.
He came out of the office one day to see me propping an aircraft. I guess I was lucky that the plane fired up and I wasn't injured. But Ed made sure that I got some instruction before doing it again. The first instruction was a lot of ear chewing. But that's how he was, you didn't do it unless you were going to do it right.
We had one guy, Bernie. He owned a Mooney, and every time he flew it was "swift". He was German and the plane was fast. Ed would wait for him to come in for a landing and then the chase was on. Bernie would taxi way to fast for Ed's liking and he would let him know it. Better yet almost every landing Bernie would ding his prop after porposing down the runway, Ed would stop him and say he couldn't fly till it was fixed.
We had only one crash during the time I worked there. The radio shops owner had a bell 47 helicopter, that crashed just short of me while I was cutting the grass. He took off and pulled up too soon causing the clutch to go. He attempted a auto rotation but hit tail first, which caused the chopper to spin and land on its side.
Ed and Jules have since gone and I miss those hot New Jersey days at the airport. I'm glad to see that they have gone down in the history of aviation in NJ, and that they left us with so much. May LP airport continue to prosper.
EAFB
This is where it happens. We test for the future.
Busy GA airport, rude controller
I flew in here as a passenger in a C152 a few years ago. We came in over the hills from the northeast, and the controller was very rude when the pilot didn't make first contact the way he wanted him to, to the point of asking sarcastically if the pilot had an emergency.
Whether the pilot was right or wrong about the way he made contact, the controller was definitely in the wrong to use the 'E' word over the radio without good cause.
Talk about closing
Some politicians in Santa Clara county want to close the airport and redevelop the land to make money, but the idea doesn't seem to have a lot of traction yet:
Fuel Prices at Mac Dan Aviation
Thankfully, Avant Air moved out of their leaded office space at Mac Dan to give appropriate fuel competition! Mac Dan's confidential fuel discounts are rediculous. Some people/companies/flight schools/flying clubs nearly receive 20% discounts on Avgas & Jet A, the data sheets area behind the front desk in the main lobby of Mac Dan.
-That kind of discount can add up to thousands of dollars quite fast!
-Anyone wonder why their fuel trucks are always empty or why a service call for fuel takes up to thirty minutes?
Landing at Goldfield
I landed here many years ago in a Cessna 172, solo and 1/2 tanks. No windsock so look for other clues. Use good soft field technique. Hard to turn around and I had to shut down and manually pivot the airplane from the tail. Taxi back was difficult due to soft runway dirt and transient parking was virtually non existent. But strip is only 400 meters from the edge of ghost town. Driving visitors to town shocked that someone could fly in. They had no idea there was a landing strip. Anyone know anything about summer 2008 conditions of runway?
Call sign "Dirt"
Ski Valley
Fairly short and high runway unless you have experience.
Power lines across the valley to the South.
We used 34 to land and 16 to take off.
Good Breakfast
I enjoyed flying in for breakfast.
Beef
Harris Ranch is the home of the best beef in California. The restaurant is the best. You will find the CHP plane parked here getting lunch
Tanks
General George Patton museum is next to the cafe. If you look closely when flying in you can still see the tank tracks where they trained for North Africa
aliens
lots of aliens
Excellent Restuarant
Cafe has excellent breakfast and lunch and it is located close to the trolley line that can take you all the way to Downtown San Diego or Tijuana, Mexico
Nice Restaurant
This restaurant is cute and open 24 hrs a day and the gas seems to be less expensive than the surrounding airports and the food was good.
KACY
For a Class C airport, this place is very GA friendly. If you are new to Class C operations, you could do alot worse that KACY as your first taste.
re: Not cheap, but OK service
I was back and Hanscom yesterday, and was charged the $14 ramp fee for a 4-hour stay as well -- it doesn't have to be overnight. Gas was a bit over $7.00/gallon.
Lindbergh's departure point
The airport that used to be located here was Charles Lindbergh's departure point for his transatlantic flight. It closed in 1951, and is now the Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall.
A short trip from Albuquerque by air.
I like this airport for practice in Class D airspace. Just to the northwest one can fly over the Rio Grande River as it snakes it's way south through a beautiful canyon. There is a small resticted area south of Los Alamos so watch your charts. Great views.
Bode Aviation
Bode also has airplane rentals and a flight school. Weather 119.025 CATF 122.8. Double Eagle can be busy on the weekends. In the summer one should expect high density altitude and possible afternoon thunderstorms.
farthest west i've flown
nice airport, no bathroom
Landing fee for transient aircraft
The Clark Regional Airport's board has voted to levy a landing fee on all transient aircraft -- the story says it will be about $25 (!!), but does not mention if different fees will apply to different sizes of planes:
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080523/NEWS02/805230474
New airport
This is a newly-built airport which opened in 2007, to replace nearby Tappahannock Municipal Airport (W79).
IFR clearance
Plattsburgh is uncontrolled, but for an IFR clearance before taking offyou can call Burlington Clearance Delivery on 121.7 MHz.
Fees and cookies
I came into the airport on a diversion to get out of icing. For a piston single, Sheltair collects a $7.50 landing fee and a $4.50 parking fee on behalf of Clinton County (the airport owner), and they can't be waived (the parking fee was for a one-hour stop). On the bright side, they gave me a fuel discount that amounted to over $12, which is pretty-much the same as waiving the fee.
The FBO staff is extremely friendly -- asked if I needed a ride into town, drove me to and from my plane, and had free bakery-quality chocolate cookies ready and waiting. If you don't object to the fees (which aren't the FBO's fault), it's a nice place to stop.
Taxi to Boston
The cost for a cab into Boston (Back Bay) was $55 + tolls (none on our route); however, we had to wait about 40 minutes for the cab after North Atlantic called it, so it would be a good idea to radio them before you land (123.3 MHz) and ask them to order it for you. Make sure you have the street address of your destination, because the cabbies may be relying on their GPS to navigate.
Another alternative is to take a short cab ride to North Beverly Station and catch an MBTA train into Boston.
Free parking; fuel
There is free parking here by the control tower. Alternatively, you can park on the other side of the field at North Atlantic for $5/day (piston single).
North Atlantic makes three trips a day with their truck to fuel planes in this area, so you can still get fuel without taxiing across, as long as you plane is there long enough.
FBO and airport fees
I think this is the only FBO at Capital City Airport. They've blocked comments on AirNav, but here's what I got from a phone call today for a light piston aircraft:
Facility fee: $25.00 (waived with 5 gallon fuel purchase).
Ramp fee: $15.00
Landing fee: $8.00 (she wasn't sure about the exact amount)
It doesn't make sense for a quick fuel or lunch stop. Nearby Harrisburg International (KMDT) also has the landing fee, but not the ramp fee at the FBO.
Landing fee
The airport has an $8 landing fee for light piston aircraft, but the FBO has reasonably good gas prices ($5.20/gallon on 12 May 2008).
Flying in as pilot
I came to Dulles for the first time as pilot yesterday. The ADIZ was a total non-issue when I was IFR (just like any IFR flight). Potomoc approach and Dulles tower were friendly and co-operative, fitting me into the jet traffic in bad weather without any delays and giving me the runway I asked for. It was about a 3-minute taxi to Signature. They had a follow-me van waiting on their apron, and then a shuttle to take me about 50 meters to the FBO (in the rain). I waited 8 minutes for a Washington Flyer taxi to arrive from the terminal. All prices as quoted in a previous message -- cheap for a big airport (except for the fuel, of course).
Fees
Fees and costs from Atlantic Aviation (phone 607-644-1062) for a single-engine piston aircraft, 2008-05-11:
Landing fee: $0
Ramp fee: $10 (waived with fuel purchase)
Parking: $10/night
Hangar: $75/night
100LL: $6.12/gallon
Binghamton is a Customs User Fee airport. I haven't called to find out what the fee is, but you can clear in Syracuse, Watertown, or Alexandria Bay for free coming from Canada.
Fees
I believe that this is the only FBO left at Logan, an airport that hates GA more than any other public North American airport (thanks to Massport). I called Signature just to see how bad the fees are, and here's what I got for a two-night stay in a Piper Cherokee (note that not all of them are under Signature's control):
$33.00 landing fee
$166.60 parking (2 nights)
$48.40 GA fee (!!)
$56.00 security fee
$28.00 handling fee (waived with 7 gallons fuel purchase)
I didn't ask about a customs fee, but there's a steep one at Bedford/Hanscom (also run by Massport), so I expect there's one here as well. I think the security fee is for being poked, prodded, and metal-detected by the TSA, just like if you were flying on the airlines.
By comparison, if I flew my Cherokee into Washington/Dulles (another large airport affected by 9/11) and parked at the Signature there, I'd pay an $8.00 landing fee, $18.19/night parking, no customs fee, no security fee, no GA fee, and the same $28.00 handling fee (waived with 7 gallon fuel purchase).
Curfew
The airport authority is proposing a 10pm-6:59am curfew on most take-offs and landings at Bob Hope Airport:
One Six Right
The popular general aviation documentary "One Six Right" was shot at Van Nuys in 2005:
KHEF Manassas
Home base for me (Fluky is the gate where most from KHEF leave the ADIZ). Use Dulles Aviation Inc. FBO at west ramp. New restaurant at east ramp but I have not tried them yet.
re: Attempt to ban large aircraft
The FAA has issued a cease-and-desist order to prevent the large-jet ban:
The Busiest Square Mile in Aviation
Midway is my home 'drome.
It's an amazing place. Commercial, Biz, and general aviation all in one square mile patch of city.
Everything from SWA 737s, to Lears, and down to 152s... 3 FBOs, 2 Flight Schools...
I love this place.
Red Bull air race 2008
From 31 May to 1 June, the Red Bull Air Race is coming to Windsor and Detroit. It will take place along the Detroit River between the two cities, and there will be viewing stands on both the Canadian and U.S. sides of the river.
South County Airport Pilot's Association
Check out the local Pilot's Association Website http://www.southcountypilots.org/
Includes a couple of webcams.
Great burgers
Less than 100 yards from aircraft parking.
This visit was March 07.
Nicest Folks in the South!
You absolutely must stop in Moultrie if you're in the area. They give every arrival a friendly "welcome to Moultrie," their fuel price is cheaper than anywhere even with full serve, and they gladly give up the crew car for a trip to town for lunch.
Sun n' Fun Spot
This is a decent spot to fly into for Sun n' Fun. It's a bit far away from the Lakeland, but easy to get into and out of so much less hassle. They charged a $4/night parking fee (2008) and a $4.99 service charge for gassing up, on top of the fuel charge.
re: Don't depart IFR on a VFR day!
I had exactly the same experience at Republic in spring 2004, right down to sitting on the runway (as instructed by tower) and holding everyone else up. Same lesson -- if you can take a VFR departure out of a NY-area airport, do. It's the controller's error putting you on the runway before your clearance is ready, but why invite trouble in the first place?
Don't depart IFR on a VFR day!
I must have tied up traffic for 30 minutes of more waiting at the entrance for my IFR clearance. I'd taxied out after being told to, but there were 4 or 5 planes waiting behind me and by the time I suddenly realized that I could depart VFR and pick up a clearance later, the clearance had actually come. I felt like a complete dick.
First landing North of the Arctic Circle
Not much here except a lodge and guide service - which is fine. Just a thrill for my first landing North of the Arctic Circle!
Fees and customs info (March 2008)
I called Signature in late March 2008, and had the following fees quoted for a single-engine piston (PA-28):
$8 landing fee
$18.19/night parking
$28 handling fee, waived with purchase of 7 gal fuel
Customs will meet Canadian planes at the Signature FBO, and there is no extra charge. Their number is (703) 661-7100.
Finally, Signature's radio frequency (for when you're taxiing in) is 131.87 MHz.
First Solo out of Trinca!
My first Solo was out of Trinca about 10 years ago. The airport is a little run down, and a bit behind the times these days. I never thought much of those trees or divits in the grass as a student pilot. A bit of a bump was my launch pad for soft field take offs. All the little "Tricks" you learned flying out of Trinca only made you a better pilot. Avoiding tall trees wasn't something that made it tough, it made you FLY! Something a lot of "pavement" pilots forget how to do I think.
Trinca is one of the last grass strips around in NJ. It is a big part of many pilots fond memories. It is a truly enchanting airport. Look past the rough edges, reach back through time. You can still see and hear all the avid aviation enthusiasts sitting around on the old picnic table bench, chatting the warm summer days away. To this day, I can walk around the hangers, look in the office, sit on that bench, and get that same warm feeling of camaraderie we all shared in our never ending love for aviation.
A 7:45PM trip around the pattern in a J3 Cub, watching the sun set on a warm summer night, I can't think of anything more magical! I love this airport and only hope it will be around for a long time to come, to share with my children. Visit if you can!
S.J.M.
Nice, friendly Class D airport
Bloomington has a terrific towered GA airport. There are two FBOs on the field. When we stopped in 2005, we used BMG. Because of thunderstorms along our intended route of flight, we stayed the night at the airport. BMG has a "cabin" at the foot of the control tower that was made available to us for $60 a night. It was a well-appointed modular home with internet access and computer, a full kitchen and laundry room (both stocked with basic supplies), a comfy living room with a television and several movies available on VHS and DVD. Plus, they gave us keys to a courtesy car overnight. As graduates of Indiana University, we used the car to venture into town to visit one of our favorite restaurants that we missed since moving away (there's a great selection of little ethnic restaurants in the area defined by Kirkwood Ave, 4th Street, Dunn, and Grant). Bloomington is a great stop.
Nice stop
Lake Placid was a wonderful stop. The area is beautiful, the FBO personnel are friendly, and the Olympic ski jumps are next to the airport. There is a free Trolley service that runs a loop through town, including the airport. Ask the FBO staff to call the Trolley. We ate lunch at The Cottage on an outdoor deck overlooking Mirror Lake. Great food, wonderful scenery.
re: Where it all began- ED GORSKI- Great GUY
I was hired to work as a flight instructor in April 1972 by Ed Gorski, minutes after we met.
I had graduated from Embry-Riddle and headed to NJ to pursue my aviation career. No jobs were available at all, except a FEW instructor jobs! Ed Gorski was somewhat gruff, but a real nice person. I had 3 other offers for FI positions, and I ended up taking a job at Linden Airport, NJ for a lot less money ($3/hour) than Ed offered ($15/hour), however, more students and more opportunities at LDJ. I stayed at LDJ for 16 months and moved on to a Cessna 421B job at North Philadelphia, which lasted for about 18 months.
Long Story Short, I ended up getting hired at Lincoln Park in early 1975 by a group of individuals as a Flight Instructor. An Eastern Airlines Crowd of pilots, who hired a puppet manager to follow their directives, hired me. Ed had sold the Captain Jack Faes/George Kershaw, Eastern groupof pilots, the airport, in good faith, and they concentrated their collections of Pitts Aircraft throughout 1975. What a racket these guys had. Maybe I was envious, as I was trying to break into a business that had no opportunities available at the time. This crowd took advantage of everything that they could get their hands on.
I left the job in August 1975 as I had seen enough, and one of the Eastern bunch (Jack Faes) needed a job for his son, who had lost his job at Wien Airlines in Alaska, so I was the junior flight instuctor and had to leave.
What a difference from this BUNCH to Ed Gorski. Well, the Captain Jack Faes and Eastern Airlines' crowd eventually overstayed their agreement with Ed, with the hangars filled with their Pitts Special toys. They never paid their local taxes ($75,000) to Lincoln Park Township while they managed the airport, and good old Ed Gorski was contacted for a default of the real estate taxes due. I guess Ed Gorski had to throw the puppet manager Bill out on his ass, and then the Faes Eastern crowd. Then Ed took possession of his beloved airport, and I assume ran it himself for many more years.
God bless Ed Gorski, he was a straight forward honest guy, not like the low lives that had infiltrated Lincoln Park from 1975-1977. I wish Ed was still around. With respect to Eastern Airlines Captain Jack Faes, he kicked me in the ass in August 1975, and then further attempted to trash my aviation career with unfounded bad references, however, I managed a successful career in corporate aviation as a manager/chief pilot from 1979-1998, operating several Falcon 50s, Gulfstream III/IV, Lear 55, Citation VII for over twenty (20) years, all based in New Jersey. I am now a B747-400 Captain for the last ten (10) years.
I'll never forget my conversations with Ed Gorski. A straight an honest man, who always treated me with respect and kindness. I am delighted that Ed took his airport back from that bunch of Eastern Airlines pilots who had abused their stay and stacked the hangars with their toys, and abused the employees!
Wherever you are Ed, I will always remember you fondly. And as far as that Eastern Airline Bunch, they got their due, eventually, in more ways than one!
re: Where it all began- ED GORSKI- Great GUY
I was hired to work as a flight instructor in April 1972 by Ed Gorski, minutes after we met. I had graduated from Embry-Riddle and headed to NJ to pursue my aviation career. Ed Gorski was somewhat gruff, but a real nice person. I had 3 other offers for FI positions, and I ended up taking a job at Linden Airport, NJ for alot less money than Ed offered, however, more students and more opportunities at LDJ. I stayed at LDJ for 16 months and moved on to a Cessna 421B job at North Philadelphia, which lasted for about 18 months.
Long Story Short, I ended up getting hired at Lincoln Park in early 1975 by a group of individuals as a FI. An Eastern Airlines Crowd of pilots, managed by a pupet manager who followed their directives, hired me. Ed had sold the Captain Jack Faes/George Kershaw, Eastern group, the airport, in good faith, and they concentrated their collections of Pitts Aircraft throughout 1975. What a racket these guys had. Maybe I was envious, as I was trying to break into a business that had no opportuinites available, but this crowd took advantage of everything that they could get their hands on. I left the job in August 1975 as I had seen enough, and one of the Eastern bunch needed a job for his son, who had lost his job at Wein , so I was the junior guy and had to leave. What a difference from this BUNCH to Ed Gorski. Well, the Jack Faes (Larry Faes) Eastern Airlines' crowd eventually overstayed their agreement, with the hangars filled with their toys. They never paid their local taxes to Lincoln Park, and good old ed Gorski was contacted. I guess had to throw the manager out on his ass, and then the Faes crowd. Then Ed took posession of his beloved airport. God bless Ed Gorski, he was a straight forward honest guy, not like the low lives that had infiltrated Lincol Park from 1975-1977. I wish Ed was still around. With respect to Captain Jack Faes kick in my ass in August 1975, and then his attempt to trash my career with bad references, I managed a sucessful career in corporate aviation as a manager/chief pilot operating a Falcon 50, Gulfstream III/IV, Lear 55, Citation VII for over twenty (20) years, all based in New Jersey. I am now a B747-400 Captain for the last ten (10) years.
I'll never forget my conversations with Ed Gorski. A straight an honest man, who always treated me with respect and kindness. I am delighted that Ed took his airport back from that bunch of Eastern Airlines pilots who had abused their stay and stacked the hangars with their toys, and abused the employees!
Somerset (George Walker Field) is what small airports are al
🔗 Sun, 10 Aug 2008
— @pa28151 at Somerset Airport, United States
Good people, great conversation, full service fuel. I learned to fly here, so It will always be my home airport. No matter where I am based. If passing by I just can't help but landing there, it feels so comfortable.