AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2012 - 14

LETTERS
from our business, and roundthe-clock care. This is just our family’s story; each of the teen’s families have their own similar story. This is a plea for all pilots to not assume that the safety rules do not apply to them— the cost is just too great.
Deborah Tower Encinitas, California
56 | AOPA PILOT August 2012

Saving airports one day at a time
B Y J U L I E S U M M E R S WA L K E R

It’s 10:30 p.m. on a clear Southern California evening, and Bill Dunn has ﬁnally deﬂated. AOPA’s vice president of airport advocacy has been running full tilt since 8 a.m., when he met with a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. Since then, Dunn has been bobbing and weaving through a series of interviews, meetings, confrontations, and conferences like a man half his age. Now, standing by his rental car in the parking lot of a Courtyard Marriott hotel, the stress of the day is showing. He’s been questioned, he’s counseled, he’s advised, and he’s been attacked—it’s all in a day’s work. He’s also traveled to four di erent airports along the coast, visited the FAA regional headquarters, and sat through a three-hour city council meeting during which he was heckled and jeered.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS ROSE

“I am a 20-year Chicago resident, which means I was here when they tore up Meigs. I know what it means to lose an urban airport. I am in admiration of Mr. Dunn’s efforts to keep airports from falling victim to the multitude of airport/airplane foes.”
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 57

Doug Parrish, AOPA 1395135 Chicago, Illinois

program to help little airports Great article on saving airports such as ours, which the FAA (“Road Warrior”). I go through won’t consider for aid. Bill and I walk in the same the same hoops at my local city council as Bill Dunn does shoes, selling the same prodwith the big airports. Stafford uct. It is a constant sell to the Municipal at Stafford, Kansas, city council to keep up the interwas dedicated in October 1946 est in the airport, and I feel just and has been in continuous as Bill does when he goes to operation since. We have three city council meetings. It is hard grass runways and eight air- to sell the local airport in the craft based here. The Kansas limited time available at the meetings. PM Page general PA_BuyersDepartment of Transportation ad:AOPA Half Page 2/12/2010 1:41I really hope 1 Aviation Division has a great aviation survives the current

Road warrior

times and the youth of today have the same access to aviation that I have had for many years.
Phillip T. Schulz, AOPA 362303 Stafford, Kansas

On wet wings

Kudos to Tom Haines: “I never go anywhere by GA when I have to be home at a specific time” (“Waypoints: On Wet Wings”). Those are words to live by. I remember thinking how nice it would be to

fly to Baltimore/Washington International Airport from my home on the Eastern Shore to catch a flight to Phoenix. For the next month I would take notice of the weather conditions as I drove across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the morning. It soon became apparent that this scheme would not work, as frequently, the weather was atrocious. I also noted how tired I was on the drive home. After four full days of flying, the last

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2012