I saw this in todays USA TODAY:

"A new estimate of 327 million dollars instead of "only" 185 million dollars, for the proposed replacement for the current Hailey airport."

The current one is much too convenient offering walking access to motels, resturants etc. So, one many miles south, out in the middle of no where, costing HUNDREDS of millions, must be built. I'm still pissed it's now controlled, it used to be a pretty laid back place. I used to land there, fold the wings back on my Kitfox 1, open the gate at the north end, and push it across the highway to the gas station that used to be there. I'd end up in Guantonamo if I even thought about doing that nowadays!

Hailey is the only place I've been told to "orbit East of center." I didn't get to experience the pre tower days but I bet it was great. My family used to go there in the Summer in the seventies and it was a fabulous place. It was more like Stanley back then.

So I landed there for fuel about a year ago. Felt like a pauper (just cuz I am one doesn’t mean I like feeling like one) taxing in with a Citation ahead and Gulfstream behind me. Not to mention all the jets in transit parking. They found a place for me to park at the back of the lot; I was the only piston there. I'm guessing there are lots of other places like that too, Aspen, etc.

Too bad they plan to move the airport. I'm with you on the convenience of it. It sort of reminds me of Kalispell City Airport. Now there is an idea, build the new one, but keep open the in-town one too for the little guys. Kalispel got it right if they can continue to keep theirs.

I've told this story before, but:

Not too many years ago a buddy who owns a snowboard shop and I flew over to get some last of the season day runs at Sun Valley, the local area behind my place already being shut down. To the credit of the FBO, the line guys treated us, 2 bearded (and I'm talking ZZ TOP type beards, it being late in the winter), in a homebuilt, with snowboards strapped to the lift struts, like we had pulled up in a Lear. They had a little red carpet they carried up and unrolled, and we all cracked up at the same time at the absurdity of it! Of course we didn't buy any fuel....didn't matter, they were still great, and we all had a huge yuck as we then had to borrow some jumper cables for the beater rig a friend had left for us to drive, STILL didn't matter, man that was some great service!

They were great for us too and treated us really well. It was just kind of sureal being there in an experimental piston among all the private/bus jets.

There was six of us there 3 years ago during the BCP fly in. After we fueled we waited over 25 minutes while jet after jet landed. It must of been 80* out. Not one of my favorite departures.

Good day

Reminds me of the first time I flew into Burbank, CA after a long flight from Anchorage in a C206. Not having been out of AK for several years. I flew up to the control zone and called the tower to report in for landing they told me to turn around and get out of their airspace and contact approach No transponder 30 min later and to many vectors to count ( they never did figure out where I was) I was finally handed off to the tower and told to follow the 727 on final. Before I could say I didn't see a 727 it flew right in front of me, way to close. Followed it in and landed. taxied up to the FBO and was directed to park between 2 big jets Walked into the office and inquired about an over night tie down.
Young lady at the desk said it would be 8 for one night. I said 800 she said no $8.00 I said oh OK fill it up and clean the windshield and will be back in the morning. My first time in a high density area and last