High Tiedown Rates Favor Jets, Squeeze Out Pistons
With
real estate prices in Southern California as high as they are, and
with the increased demand for tiedown space at the diminishing
number of airports near populated areas, California has come to an
economic showdown: gas or diesel? More specifically, it's "piston
or turbine?"
With a finite and diminishing amount of airport real estate; and
with high property taxes, developers, NIMBYs, and others all taking
a bite out of airports, airport managers are feeling the economic
squeeze to get the most out of their facilities. Their land is
limited, and they realize that a Cherokee takes up nearly as much
space as a Falcon, so the new airport plans are reflecting the
shift in airport focus.
Add to the space problem, the other factors that can make
jets more-favored: more hours flown, more gallons sold, fewer
maintenance bills, for higher amounts, fewer records overall -- it
all adds up.
At airports
like Van Nuys (VNY), near Los Angeles, the resident jet population
has risen from 18 in 1980, to nearly 140 now. Propeller plane
population has dropped from nearly 1300, to just over 500, in the
same period. The airport's master plan calls for space for 211 jets
by 2015. That same plan calls for more non-aviation-use facilities,
such as office buildings and light industry, on nearly half the
airport's property.
All this means that small-aircraft access to Van Nuys (pictured)
and other urban areas is likely to decline sharply over coming
years, making the convenience of small-plane ownership less of a
reason for private owners to fly.
Aircraft owners will always be in the minority, in
those areas where there is a municipal airport; for that reason, it
is important that the rest of the population realize the importance
of its small-GA facility. Pilots, owners, mechanics, and builders
will be out-voted, every time, if the public (not just the
airport's neighbors) hasn't grasped the value of the airport.
"Everybody uses a mall; hardly anyone uses an GA airport," should
not be the mantra that forces all but the highest bidders off the
diminsihing properties we preserve as airports. Finding a mile or
two of flat, unobstructed terrain, aligned with the prevailing
winds, is getting harder all the time; preserving the airports we
already have needs to be on everyone's mind.