TSA DID NOT STOP EAA B-17 at Stockton, CA 4-28-09

[PinecastleAAF]

I was hoping to see a photo shoot of the B-17 Liberty Bell flying past the Statue of Liberty but I suppose I can forget about that now. If only general public knew more about avaition like us wixers do.

sigh

[Warbirdnerd]

An Update:

STOCKTON - A week after organizers cut short tours of a World War II-era bomber visiting Stockton Metropolitan Airport because they didn't have a permit, county officials said they're interested in looking at streamlining the process for holding similar special events.

San Joaquin County needs to look at these types of events to try and reduce barriers, Supervisor Steve Bestolarides said at this week's meeting of the Board of Supervisors, which oversees the county-owned airport. However, he said, organizers who brought the B-17 bomber to the airport last week didn't respond to the county in time to head-off confrontation.

"We fight over the rules all the time," he said, but it's county residents and their children who end up missing out.

Supervisor Carlos Villapudua, whose district includes the airport, also said he wanted to talk out concerns regarding special event permits. "We don't want to see these events leave."

Last week, the Flight Center at Stockton Metro hosted the B-17 bomber, owned by the Wisconsin-based Experimental Aircraft Association. The nonprofit organization canceled tours of the airplane after the Airport Director Susan Palmeri warned that hosting the plane without a special event permit was a breach of the Flight Center's lease.

On-ground tours ended, but organizers still took passengers skyward inside the historic plane.

Organizers never filed for a special event permit, calling it expensive, burdensome and unnecessary.

Tom Belisle, president of the local chapter of the association, told the Board of Supervisors at Tuesday's meeting that the terms of the permit were "ridiculous" and "made it almost impossible" to hold such an event.

It's not conducive to bringing people to activities at the airport, he said. "That airport belongs to the citizens of San Joaquin County."

Found it here:
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /905070322

[Ztex]

THE AIRPORT BELONGS TO THE CITIZENS!?!?!

What a novel idea..

Good to see someone has a head on their shoulders and is looking at way to make aviation more accessible to the public. Good for him!

[bdk]

THE AIRPORT BELONGS TO THE CITIZENS!?!?!

What a novel idea..

Except if the average NIMBY citizen had their way, the airport would soon be redeveloped into another shopping mall.

Supervisor Carlos Villapudua, whose district includes the airport, also said he wanted to talk out concerns regarding special event permits. "We don't want to see these events leave."

The supervisor doesn't want to see "these events leave" because the permits raise revenue. The EAA doesn't want to pay the permit fees because they reduce their income from the event. Both valid points, they just need to reach a compromise.

What is interesting though is that the organizers ignored (or were ignorant of) their lease requirements. They brought this upon themselves. They should have worked this out with the county ahead of time and might have gotten the fee waived. The organizers suffered the downside of the theory that it is better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.