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THE FIRST
BATTLE
In 1999 there was a grass roots effort to save
Robert Mueller Airport in Austin, Texas.
"Friends of Robert Mueller" was formed when it
was learned that the city of Austin planned to
close the site permanently and move all
commercial and general aviation facilities to
the new Austin Bergstrom International Airport.
"Friends of Robert Muller" successfully raised
awareness of the impending loss of facilities,
but could not save Muller and Austin Executive
airports, both of which closed in the early
summer of 1999.
Because the city of Austin initially chose not
to provide any hangars for general aviation at
the new airport, most of the hundreds of
displaced planes and pilots were forced to find
new homes in nearby towns such as San Marcos and
Georgetown. The increase in population from this
migration created pressures on these local
non-towered airports.
Through communications with other pilots, the
founders of "Friends of Robert Mueller" realized
that general aviation was being threatened in
areas other than Austin. The need for a
statewide advocacy agency was obvious and the
Texas Aviation Association was born. The mission
statement, "To Promote and Preserve General
Aviation in the State of Texas."
Under the leadership of the founding President,
Ken Koock, TXAA began fighting the battles to
preserve general aviation. The members of TXAA
realized that airport closures were happening
statewide at an alarming rate and that there was
no statewide-organized effort to stop the trend.
TXAA leadership realized pilots comments and
complaints about systems losses which had no
outlet. Organization, action and education
showed positive results in the form of local
victories for specific airports.
THE SECOND BATTLE
The city of Austin did not support general aviation when the new Bergstrom Airport opened up. There were no facilities for the smaller aircraft other than a few tie down areas on the south side of the field. The original contract the city of Austin had with the FAA stated that all facilities provided at the closed Mueller Airport shall be provided at the new airport. The city failed to provide any T-hangars and only accommodated two FBOs. As well, there is only one maintenance facility at Bergstrom.
Invoking federal and state law, TXAA forced the city's hand and as a result, 53 new T-hangars were constructed. It was a small and yet vital step toward the support of general aviation in Austin. TXAA showed that an organized approach can gain victory!
Still the city of Austin had another hurdle for local pilots. Each T-hangar renter was required to provide a one million dollar liability insurance policy per unit. This was equivalent to a housing landlord requiring a renter to provide homeowners insurance on the dwelling they rented. Most insurance underwriters refused to provide an economical policy. TXAA was able to solve this draconian requirement by establishing the Bergstrom Pilots Association. As a member of BPA, each pilot could afford the city's requirements through an umbrella policy. Another victory for TXAA!
ROUND 3
The city of Georgetown was disturbed by the large increase in aircraft as they moved from Austin. The city council decided that T-hangar and tie down renters were to be subjected to a huge increase in rent to help pay for the construction of a proposed control tower. Other tenants such as flight schools and maintenance facilities would not have their rents increased. This is a violation of federal grant assurance laws and TXAA members made that point clear in the Georgetown City Council chambers. The city attorney studied the grant assurance law and the city then dropped the proposal. Rent rates did go up, but only slightly and for all of the tenants, not just a few. Again, TXAA showed that an organized, studied approach to the problem netted results!
The city of Georgetown then rejected the proposed construction of a control tower, even though the swollen population of aircraft and the close midair encounters that occurred all too frequently demonstrated the need for the tower. TXAA continued to educate and inform pilots and the non-flying public for the need for a control tower at Georgetown. With the passage of federal Air-21 legislation, Georgetown now only had to come up with 10% of the funding for the project.
A subsequent mid air collision on the approach to runway 18 was a wake up call to the city that aviation safety demanded the construction of a control tower. Fortunately, there were no fatalities involved in the accident. TXAA addressed the next city council meeting, expressed its concerns, and the council voted 7-0 in favor of providing funds for the tower's construction. Another victory for GA with the help of TXAA!
Two aircrafts collide in midair (RWY18 - KGTU)
AND IN THIS CORNER!
Growth threatened the Kittie Hill (771) grass strip northwest of Austin. Developers wanted to build a road through the middle of the airport to connect their housing development to a nearby highway. TXAA came to the aid of the local pilots. Educating the Leander city government on the economic benefit and importance of Kittie Hill, the closure was prevented.
TXAA's victory in each case is based on a simple formula - strength in numbers, an organized approach tailored to each issue, and a resolve not to give up.
TXAA works across the state. Victories in Gatesville, Gainesville, Houston and other communities shows the idea of a strong statewide aviation organization gets results and protects the GA industry.
With the help of TXAA, many new pilot support groups were formed in cities such as Victoria, McKinney, and Georgetown. Originally independent of TXAA, most of these groups now express the desire to become chapters of TXAA.
GOOD NEWS TRAVELS FAST!
The news of TXAA's success caught the attention of the Texas Department of Transportation. The director of the Aviation Division, David Fulton, signed a letter of support and speaks highly of the efforts of TXAA. Bill Gunn, Aviation Safety Director for TxDOT, became an advisor to the TXAA Board of Directors. Bill has supplied vital information about general aviation that is distributed through the network set up by TXAA. He has also been a huge supporter to our mission.
Employees of the FAA also became aware of TXAA. A group of Houston TRACON workers established a unique event in Galveston called the Gulf Coast Wings Weekend in the spring of 2003. TXAA attended the free safety seminar and set up a vendor booth to promote our cause. The founding members of GCWW appreciated TXAA's mission to the preservation of general aviation and promotion of air safety.
The GCWW committee had a problem. Since they were federal employees, taking money from vendors was considered a no -no. They asked TXAA to take over the event. A unanimous vote from the TXAA Board of Directors was given to accept the proposal. TXAA then sponsored the second annual Gulf Coast Wings Weekend event held in June of 2004. It was a huge success! Over 600 pilots and enthusiasts attended two days of safety seminars, general sessions, tours of the Lone Star Flight Museum, and a gourmet BBQ banquet featuring special guest speaker, Captain Al Haynes, hero of United Flight 232. Everyone enjoyed the setting held at the beautiful Moody Gardens Hotel. The best part was that almost everything was free!
The future of TXAA looks very bright. The executive director, Tre Deathe is working full time creating chapter bylaws. We just celebrated the Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 held at Texas State Technical College in Waco, TX on April 27-28, 2007. Our guest speakers at this event were Steven Brown, Senior Vice President of Operations for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) who oversees all of the Association's acitivities relating to aircraft operations and flight department management issues; George "Pinky" Nelson, former astronaut with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) who served on three space shuttle missions and our closing speaker was J.W. "Corkey" Fornof. Corkey is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, the Motion Picture Pilots Association and holds a current Motion Picture / Television Flight Operations Manual.
Our goal now is to establish a statewide advocacy agency. We recognize that pilots are already sold on general aviation. However, the non-flying public needs to be educated as to the economic benefits of their local airport. Local citizens must realize that when people arrive in aircraft, they come for many reasons, but they always spend money in the local economy.
TXAA is gaining momentum. From its inception, many dedicated volunteers have worked hard for the successes we have accomplished. Membership from all over the state is in the hundreds and increasing every day. Close ties are established with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Texas Department of Transportation, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the National Business Aviation Association, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the Women In Aviation International, the 99's, the Transportation Security Agency, and the Texas Governor's Economic Development office. The Board of Directors is comprised of individuals dedicated to maintaining the mission statement, "The promotion and preservation of general aviation in Texas." TXAA is in contact with other aviation organizations across the nation and is becoming a model for other states to follow.
We publish a quarterly newsletter called The Texas Flyer edited by Slim Zimmermann and email alerts are sent out to inform our members about aviation safety and upcoming events.
TXAA invites you to become a member. A person doesn't have to live in Texas to join one of the most progressive promoters of general aviation in the nation. Simple visit our website often for updates or email me directly with any questions you may have.
May you all fly safe! Best wishes to all of you from Texas Aviation Association.
Jay Carpenter
email:
secretary@txaa.org
phone: 512-454-5445 |
