ccsmith51
Well Known Member
When I was a kid growing up in Boca Raton, FL, in the '60's I used to hang out at the airport almost every weekend. There were no fences, and there was always a number of kids running around, loving everything about aviation. We'd wash airplanes for rides. We'd sweep hangars for rides.
The hangars were full, and every Saturday and Sunday it seems most were open and someone was always doing something, ready for a Coke and hangar talk. Everyone knew everyone. Sandy, who ran the FBO, always had a smile and a joke. One of my fondest memories was of a paraplegic gentleman that had an Ercoupe, I believe his name was Tom. He had a small hoist that would lift him from his wheel chair into his plane. He'd always need a bit of a hand, and there was always one of us around to help him out. Tom loved to fly and he wasn't going to let a "minor", as he would say, problem from a car accident stop him!
The paved tie downs were full, and there were planes tied down in the dirt and weeds. Taylorcrafts, 140's and 150's, Champs and Chiefs, a slew of Cubs and some Cherokee's. My Dad's Aeronca 7AC Champ was tied down there, and I remember sometimes wondering if the A65 was powerful enough to taxi through the soft South Florida sugar sand. (BTW, that same plane is still flying, living in NC).
There was a Super Connie out next to the runway, and a T6 next to one of the hangars. After Dad sold the Champ he bought a Bo and he got upgraded to a paved spot! It was tied down next to the Texan, and I used to marvel at the size of that plane. Then I'd walk out and circle the Connie. Now THAT was a big plane!! One of the most beautiful ever designed...
4 - 22, no tower, easy flying, always busy, always something going on. I soloed there in the Champ, and the back of my shirt, along with a hundred others, hung gloriously on the FBO wall.
My, how things have changed...
Today I hangar my plane at Palatka, FL, 28J. I am usually there on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I fly a bit and work on the plane a bit. It seems like I am the only one around. There are a couple of regulars in the FBO, but rarely are there any other hangar doors open. I drive around the airport and see row after row of closed doors.
There are perhaps a half-dozen planes tied down on the tarmac. The majority of the weekend activity at the airport comes from the jump school on the east end of the field, the ER guys coming over from Daytona to practice, and planes coming in for gas.
Compared to 40 years ago, it's a ghost town. The airport has a yearly Fly-In that attracts a lot of people for one day, but that doesn't seem to generate any lasting interest in aviation, at least not from what I can see.
I'm very lucky to belong to Dreamland Squadron about 10 miles north at Haller Airpark, so there is usually something going on up there. We have a great and active EAA chapter, and a superb meeting location. But I sure wish that there was more interest and activity at my little airport.
I belong to AOPA and EAA, and recently joined the Recreational Aviation Foundation (http://www.theraf.org). I think that they all would like to see busy airports again, and are working hard to make that happen.
I sure wish it was like the good ole days. Just sayin...
The hangars were full, and every Saturday and Sunday it seems most were open and someone was always doing something, ready for a Coke and hangar talk. Everyone knew everyone. Sandy, who ran the FBO, always had a smile and a joke. One of my fondest memories was of a paraplegic gentleman that had an Ercoupe, I believe his name was Tom. He had a small hoist that would lift him from his wheel chair into his plane. He'd always need a bit of a hand, and there was always one of us around to help him out. Tom loved to fly and he wasn't going to let a "minor", as he would say, problem from a car accident stop him!
The paved tie downs were full, and there were planes tied down in the dirt and weeds. Taylorcrafts, 140's and 150's, Champs and Chiefs, a slew of Cubs and some Cherokee's. My Dad's Aeronca 7AC Champ was tied down there, and I remember sometimes wondering if the A65 was powerful enough to taxi through the soft South Florida sugar sand. (BTW, that same plane is still flying, living in NC).
There was a Super Connie out next to the runway, and a T6 next to one of the hangars. After Dad sold the Champ he bought a Bo and he got upgraded to a paved spot! It was tied down next to the Texan, and I used to marvel at the size of that plane. Then I'd walk out and circle the Connie. Now THAT was a big plane!! One of the most beautiful ever designed...
4 - 22, no tower, easy flying, always busy, always something going on. I soloed there in the Champ, and the back of my shirt, along with a hundred others, hung gloriously on the FBO wall.
My, how things have changed...
Today I hangar my plane at Palatka, FL, 28J. I am usually there on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I fly a bit and work on the plane a bit. It seems like I am the only one around. There are a couple of regulars in the FBO, but rarely are there any other hangar doors open. I drive around the airport and see row after row of closed doors.
There are perhaps a half-dozen planes tied down on the tarmac. The majority of the weekend activity at the airport comes from the jump school on the east end of the field, the ER guys coming over from Daytona to practice, and planes coming in for gas.
Compared to 40 years ago, it's a ghost town. The airport has a yearly Fly-In that attracts a lot of people for one day, but that doesn't seem to generate any lasting interest in aviation, at least not from what I can see.
I'm very lucky to belong to Dreamland Squadron about 10 miles north at Haller Airpark, so there is usually something going on up there. We have a great and active EAA chapter, and a superb meeting location. But I sure wish that there was more interest and activity at my little airport.
I belong to AOPA and EAA, and recently joined the Recreational Aviation Foundation (http://www.theraf.org). I think that they all would like to see busy airports again, and are working hard to make that happen.
I sure wish it was like the good ole days. Just sayin...
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