New Tower Blues
Q: It was announced years
ago that a new control tower was replacing the old one. It pleased me to
see the old one still standing. Have they decided to leave it standing and
in use?
E.S., Cleveland, Ohio
A: You may be the only
person within sight of the tower to feel that way. The old tower is said
to be in battered shape. It has no disabled access and (worst of all) has
only a partial view of the west end of Runway 9/27 (the east-west runway),
and we all like the runways to be visible from the tower, don’t we? A
new, taller tower will be built, beginning after AirVenture 2006, on a
site about 200 yards west of the old tower, at the southwest corner of
Waukau Avenue and Knapp Street Road. That area is marked off. You can see
it from here.
Desperately Seeking
Q: Last year, when I was
attending KidVenture, my daughter was making a propeller. There was a
particular volunteer. He was around 40ish and seemed so very nice. Is
there a way to get a message to him to see if he is single?
K.F., Spring Green, Wis.
A: Do I look like Ann
Landers to you? Look, all of the volunteers are so very nice, and it is
impossible to identify this particular one with the information you offer.
Why don’t you pick another one and speak up to begin with so we don’t
have to go through this again. In any case, I’m not going to fix you up.
Or a Gaggle?
Q: How many planes were at
AirVenture last year?
J.L., Phoenix, Ariz.
A: A flock of them. At peak
times, according to Dick Knapinski, EAA’s public relations man, there
were between 4,000 and 5,000 planes on the grounds. A total of 10,000 to
12,000 airplanes travel to the event during the week, with nearly 1,000
landing at Appleton and Fond du Lac each. Other airports from Milwaukee to
Green Bay and Manitowoc to Stevens Point see aircraft land at their
fields, and the owners continue on to AirVenture. I believe that adds up
to a flock.
More Cheese!
Q: My only complaint last
year was that I couldn’t get any "California-type" healthful
food. Only Wisconsin-type food was available (and very popular, judging by
the bellies I saw). Is there any healthful food available?
G.C., Sacramento, Calif.
A: First, remember, G.,
that you are in Wisconsin, where we check our cholesterol with a dipstick.
Notice how many people you see are smiling. And give your
healthier-than-thou attitude a vacation for a couple of days. Have a brat.
Have some cheese. Have a donut, something, anything, deep-fried. And
remember, those bellies you speak of come from all over the world. I’ll
bet there even are a few chunky people from California.
It is, however, early in
the convention, and before it’s over, I will try to find a vendor who
sells groats by the bowl or tofu on a stick.
Please sir, I’d like
more
Q: Is there any talk of
increasing the gross weight on LSA aircraft?
R.A., Canton, Ohio
A: Not among the people who
can do anything about it, namely the FAA. At least that is what I am told.
The sport pilot rule is less than two years old, and the light-sport
aircraft community simply has not developed to the point where they could
pound on the FAA’s door, threatening with pitchforks and torches.
Furthermore, there are other matters, such as medical certification, that
are probably going to get a higher priority among sport pilots.
Incidentally, the original
weight limit was under 1,000 pounds. EAA pushed hard to get it raised to
1,320, but the first public proposal included a 1,230 limit. And, no
matter where the limit is, there are going to be airplanes that are over
that line.
Keep on keeping on
Q: Just keep doing what you
are doing. Without EAA, I am afraid that we would not have the freedom of
flight we still have.
P.D., Champaign, Ill.
A: I checked with the EAA
management, and they said they would.
