Another good contact might be Representative Vicki Berger. Their family has had a place in PC for a long time. Her brother flew helicopters in Viet Nam so they hold a special place in their hearts for pilots. Her father was one of the authors of the bottle bill here in Oregon and Vicki worked hard to add plastic bottle deposits after seeing so many wash up on the Pacific City beaches.


Representative Vicki Berger

State Capitol Office
900 Court Street NE, H-479
Salem, OR 97310
Phone: 503-986-1420
E-mail: [email protected]

Here is an update. We are in a hold. The state is working on the list of airports to close. When it comes out I am 75% sure Pacific City will be on it.

This is my newest idea. I have flown it by many of the stakeholders. I have all positive reply's so far.

I will ask for your support by emailing or calling the stakeholders on the list. The emails and phone numbers are at the end. The most important are probably Director Sweaker and the aviation board.
******************************************************************************************************************
The letter:

To: Oregon Department of Aviation Board and Director Swecker, Matthew Maass, State Airports Manager, Tillamook County Commissioners, Pacific City - Nestucca Valley Chamber of Commerce, Tillamook County Commissioners, RAF Oregon Dennis Smith, OPA Mary Rosenblum, John and Robyn, Pacific City Sun, AOPA ASN

From: Robert Burson

Subject: Pacific City Airport insurance

G'Day. After attending several meetings with various stakeholders I have an idea that may fix our current liability problem.

We have discussed every problem and all the benefits with the Pacific City Airport. There are many benefits! Those of us who use KPFC on a regular basis know the benefits and want to keep it open for our use but also our fellow aviators who have yet to enjoy this special place. We have lost far to many special airports and it needs to stop.

Much has been made of FAA safety regulations. Just because an airport doesn't comply doesn't mean it can not operate safely.

Our talks always come back to the same issue. Law suites. Potential for the ODA to have a claim against their insurance. As you know is the insurer is the State of Oregon.

The State chooses to self insure. If you want to be in the insurance business, part of that is taking a risk and paying claims. It appears the State wants the insurance premium just not the risk.

This brings me to my plan. Private insurance.

I checked on the availability in April of 2012. It is available. The premium would be approximately $5000.00 a year for four million dollars in coverage. Four million dollars I have been told is the magic number. This is the limit the State can be sued for.

This money I believe can be raised through private voluntary donations. I base this on a new voluntary $10.00 per day landing surcharge. I don't relish the thought of paying to land, but I dislike the thought of KPFC closing more. We currently pay to land or park at many private and public airports. Roche Harbor, Wa. Is $10.00 and I have never heard a complaint.

The State claims 2000 operations a year. I believe we can get 50% compliance. It may well be even higher. The key is to make it easy. With modern technology this is possible!

I will have a professional sign made with all the information needed and I will install it by the sign in box. I will personally set up a web site where pilots can go and get information on why this is necessary. Pilots will be able to pay using PayPal. It is so easy pilots with smart phones can even pay while walking on the beach or eating lunch. I have made us a Facebook page. Search Pacific City Pilots.
https://www.facebook.com/PacificCityPil ... ion=stream

If we got 50% compliance that is $10,000.00 that would pay insurance and maintenance. If we don't use all the money we can lower the voluntary fee or put it in a dedicated KPFC runway paving fund.

So what does the board have to do? Say yes! What do the rest of you have to do? Call, write, or email the Oregon Department of Aviation expressing a desire to move forward with this plan.
Regards...Rob Burson Volunteer ODA AIRO, AOPA ASN
**************************************************************************************************************
**************************************************************************************************************

Oregon Department of Aviation Staff

Mitch Swecker, Director
(503) 378-2340
e-mail: [email protected]
 
 
State Airports Division
 
Matthew Maass, State Airports Manager
(503) 378-2523
e-mail: [email protected]

Web Site: http://www.oregon.gov/aviation/Pages/index.aspx

Snail mail:
3040 25th St. SE Salem, OR
97302-1125
********************************************************************************
Oregon Department of Aviation Board
Mark Gardiner, Chair
Portland, OR
Phone: (503) 781-1299
[email protected]
 
 
Chris Corich, Vice-Chair
Portland, OR
Call ODA for Contact Information
(503) 378-2211
 
 
Jack Loacker
6135 SW Mill Street
Portland, OR 97221-1451
Phone: (503) 720-0532
[email protected]
 
 
Larry Dalrymple
2016 Airport Rd
Pendleton, OR 97801
Office: (541) 276-7754
FAX: (541) 276-3802
Cell: (541) 377-0885
 
 
Joe Smith
Portland, OR
Phone: (503) 287-6577
[email protected]
 
 
Nan Garnick
c/o Butler Aircraft
1050 SE Sisters Ave
Redmond, OR 97756
Phone: (541) 548-3373
[email protected]
 
 
Paul L. Hudgens
Portland, OR
Phone: (503) 750-0669
[email protected]

******************************************************************************************************************
Oregon Pilots Association
Mary Rosenblum
[email protected]
***************************************
Recreational Aviation Foundation Oregon liaison
Dennis Smith
[email protected]
********************************************
Pacific City - Nestucca Valley Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 75, Cloverdale, Oregon 97112
phone: 503-392-4340, e-mail: [email protected]
***********************************************
Tillamook County Commissioners

Mark Labhart, Chairperson
[email protected]
Bill Baertlein, Vice Chairperson
[email protected]

Tim Josi, Commissioner
[email protected]
Paul Levesque, Chief of Staff
[email protected]
Sue Becraft, Board Assistant
[email protected]
***************************************************************************************************
Pacific City Sun Newspaper
34950 Brooten Road, Suite C • P.O. Box 1085
Pacific City, Oregon 97135
503-801-5221 • Fax 503-965-4525
[email protected]
**********************************************************************
AOPA ASN
[email protected]

Nice work Rob!

Like lots of people, I'm not too big on landing fees. Is Pacific City, the chamber of Commerce (if there is one) and/or any merchants interested in helping fund the airport? They have a vested interest as the pilots who fly in and eat drink or stay overnight support their businesses. Maybe work out something between them & local pilots to split the costs? Looking at an aerial image of the airport, it looks like some of the adjacent properties have access onto the runway. Those people, and others based on the field (such as yourself) will be getting the greatest benefit from keeping the airport open-- maybe they should cover the lion's share of the costs to do so. An "airport association" with 50 members could raise the $5K insurance money with a yearly fee of only $100. Only 25 members needed if the $5K cost is split with the City. Or maybe figure out a three-way split between the city, local pilots, and projected landing /tiedown fees.
If the airport does go the fee route, $10 seems like a lot. Chances for compliance are a lot better with a lower fee--100% of $5 is better than 25% of $10.

Wow, so under the old system, gov't taxed us to provide services, now we pay fees for the services, and the gov't I guess just uses the taxes to hire more bureaucrats? I'll withhold my colorful judgement of that remarkable plan.

If the root cause of this is the gov't is afraid of lawsuits, then the answer is simple: start a very loud and public campaign to sue them for closing airports. And then follow through and do it! If one of the larger aviation associations won't run with the ball, then form your own organization. Take out ads in papers, send out press releases, hire a prominent law firm to send out threatening letters, and make everyone NOT JUST BELIEVE BUT MAKE THEM KNOW that it WILL cost the government more money to close the airports than to keep them open. A lawsuit due to an accident is a remote possibility, and a lawsuit from a closing will be a certainty! Or, hold your hat in your hand and bow down low and ask them if $10 per landing would appease them.

This is a tough situation no matter how you slice it. As for me and the people who live and use the airport a lot paying more, that is a given because we land more. I know there are a lot of strong feeling on fee's, I have them. That is why I am proposing a VOLUNTARY! payment system. It cost me a $100 per hour to fly my Maule. $10 to land and keep my airport open is a financial non issue.

We have heard countless stories of these special airports closing. Look at Meigs in Chicago. Law suits and AOPA and FAA involved. They took federal $$ too. They still closed it. Trying to sue to keep PC open is a loosing proposition. IMO

The state does not have the will to keep it open. So that leaves the stakeholders. I think some money will be available from the Chamber of Commerce, County, Motels, Restaurants and retail establishments.

The first step is to get the cooperation of the ODA to allow us to go forward with a partnership to solve the issues the state has.

G'Day...Rob

So in your vision of the insurance being paid for by a combination of landing/tiedown fees & local merchant contributions, and local pilots doing the maintenance such as mowing the grass, who would own the airport? Kind of a bad precedent for "us" to be directly paying for stuff like that at a puiblicly-owned airport. Pretty soon the stae of Oregon would want "us" to pay even at the airports not in danger of being closed. Maybe better for everyone involved if the state was to sign over the airport to the city, or to a "Pacific City airport association" or airport district who would then be responsible for everything. I believe Vashon Island WA does something like this-- per Airnav.com, "Vashon Municipal" 2S1 is owned by "King County Airport District Number One". It might be worth following up on that to find out just how it works. The airport manager's name & contact info is listed on airnav.

hotrod150 wrote:So in your vision of the insurance being paid for by a combination of landing/tiedown fees & local merchant contributions, and local pilots doing the maintenance such as mowing the grass, who would own the airport? Kind of a bad precedent for "us" to be directly paying for stuff like that at a puiblicly-owned airport. Pretty soon the stae of Oregon would want "us" to pay even at the airports not in danger of being closed. Maybe better for everyone involved if the state was to sign over the airport to the city, or to a "Pacific City airport association" or airport district who would then be responsible for everything. I believe Vashon Island WA does something like this-- per Airnav.com, "Vashon Municipal" 2S1 is owned by "King County Airport District Number One". It might be worth following up on that to find out just how it works. The airport manager's name & contact info is listed on airnav.

This^^. Why not appeal to the ODA to relinquish ownership to the city? But... what protections would be lost? Often the tables are turned and the state aeronautics board protects the airport from the encroaching city who wants to develop on the land.

Zzz wrote:

hotrod150 wrote:So in your vision of the insurance being paid for by a combination of landing/tiedown fees & local merchant contributions, and local pilots doing the maintenance such as mowing the grass, who would own the airport? Kind of a bad precedent for "us" to be directly paying for stuff like that at a puiblicly-owned airport. Pretty soon the stae of Oregon would want "us" to pay even at the airports not in danger of being closed. Maybe better for everyone involved if the state was to sign over the airport to the city, or to a "Pacific City airport association" or airport district who would then be responsible for everything. I believe Vashon Island WA does something like this-- per Airnav.com, "Vashon Municipal" 2S1 is owned by "King County Airport District Number One". It might be worth following up on that to find out just how it works. The airport manager's name & contact info is listed on airnav.

This^^. Why not appeal to the ODA to relinquish ownership to the city? But... what protections would be lost? Often the tables are turned and the state aeronautics board protects the airport from the encroaching city who wants to develop on the land.

Pacific City is not an incorporated city.

The land was donated and if it's not used by the state for an airport it reverts to the previous owners. If this was not the case I'm sure it would have already been sold and developed by now.

I am just doing whatever it takes to keep it open because if somebody doesn't step up it will probably close.

I think there's a chance that the county may take it over but the liability is what scares these government agencies away.

We have lost too many of these special airports and Pacific City is definitely one of the special ones because of it's proximity to the town.

Cheers

OregonMaule wrote:

Zzz wrote:

hotrod150 wrote:So in your vision of the insurance being paid for by a combination of landing/tiedown fees & local merchant contributions, and local pilots doing the maintenance such as mowing the grass, who would own the airport? Kind of a bad precedent for "us" to be directly paying for stuff like that at a puiblicly-owned airport. Pretty soon the stae of Oregon would want "us" to pay even at the airports not in danger of being closed. Maybe better for everyone involved if the state was to sign over the airport to the city, or to a "Pacific City airport association" or airport district who would then be responsible for everything. I believe Vashon Island WA does something like this-- per Airnav.com, "Vashon Municipal" 2S1 is owned by "King County Airport District Number One". It might be worth following up on that to find out just how it works. The airport manager's name & contact info is listed on airnav.

This^^. Why not appeal to the ODA to relinquish ownership to the city? But... what protections would be lost? Often the tables are turned and the state aeronautics board protects the airport from the encroaching city who wants to develop on the land.

Pacific City is not an incorporated city.

The land was donated and if it's not used by the state for an airport it reverts to the previous owners. If this was not the case I'm sure it would have already been sold and developed by now.

I am just doing whatever it takes to keep it open because if somebody doesn't step up it will probably close.

I think there's a chance that the county may take it over but the liability is what scares these government agencies away.

We have lost too many of these special airports and Pacific City is definitely one of the special ones because of it's proximity to the town.

Cheers

Thanks for championing this OregonMaule! Yes it's annoying to pay fees, but it costs me over $100 just to fly there so it's a drop in the bucket. I certainly wouldn't tolerate it many places, but this is a very special airport.

hpux735 wrote:Thanks for championing this OregonMaule! Yes it's annoying to pay fees, but it costs me over $100 just to fly there so it's a drop in the bucket. I certainly wouldn't tolerate it many places, but this is a very special airport.

Thanks hpux735 I agree with you. Most places I would not go to if I had to pay. I never have a problem paying at Sunriver, Roche Harbor, Bermuda Dunes or Scottsdale. Special places all.

Here is the email reply from the director of ODA to me. He still doesn't know me as Rob.
*******************************************************************
Thank you Bob, we appreciate your initiative and will bring your proposal before the Aviation Board as part of the discussion of airport options.

Also, I really thank you for all your efforts as a volunteer who really cares about aviation and Oregon airports.

Regards, Mitch

OregonMaule wrote:........The land was donated and if it's not used by the state for an airport it reverts to the previous owners. If this was not the case I'm sure it would have already been sold and developed by now. .......

In the case of Vashon island, the airport is owned by the airport district but is leased for $1 a year to "Vashon Air Service" which is an association of airport users. The assn operates the airport & pays all the bills from membership dues and/or land lease revenue. Something like this might be a workable solution.

Hotrod I'll FLY this be the AOPA attorney. The state claims there attorney says that wont work.

On a side note. A volunteer at one of Oregon's airports. Broke her wrist. Now suing ODA. This is the BS that screws us all.

G'Day

OregonMaule wrote:On a side note. A volunteer at one of Oregon's airports. Broke her wrist. Now suing ODA. This is the BS that screws us all.

I don't know the specifics of that case to know if it's legit or not, but I do know that governments get sued all the time for parks, roads, sewers, water and all kinds of other things. Sometimes the cases have merit, sometimes they don't. But the various governments don't stop providing parks, roads, sewers, water and other things as a result. Kind of unfair that when it's an airport the answer is "shut it down", but when it's a kid injured in a park the answer is "well, I guess we'll just have to pay a higher insurance premium for a little while".

Good luck in keeping the airport open. Hope it works out.

Just went down to PC on saturday. It was a hoppin' day at the airport. I got in 4 landings, there were 4 planes tied down (including a sweet red and white maule) and we passed another on the way in. I was with my instructor getting comfortable landing there to prepare for a vacation-type trip next weekend. I really love this place, and I hope we can figure out a way to keep it.

Any updates?

In a hold with the state. No news is good news.

I hope they forget about closing. It is a wonderful airport.

8GCBC wrote:I hope they forget about closing. It is a wonderful airport.

If your out flying I'll be here Wednesday thru Friday. I'll buy us lunch.

Cheers ...Rob

Hi Rob,

Cool...but, will be BACK at KONP on July 18th (darn it!). Will PM you in late July if OK ?

I am presently in Honolulu shipping supplies to Kona for fishing trip on 22-MAY.

Thanks again for the tour of your building! If you get over to the Hawaiian Islands PM me!