Our gole is to continue communicating the importance of the Lost Nation Airport to the people making the immediate and future decisions: Willoughby City Council and Lake County Commissioners. Also, communicate to everyone the existence of LNRAA and ask them to support us.
Earlyer newsletters are avalible here
Issue #3 - September, 1997
"DON'T BE EXPEDIENT"
Those were the words of caution on the IFR Test Audio tapes many of
us listened to a few years ago. As relevant as they were for testing
purposes, they are no less so now, concerning LNN's future. OK, so
you've seen the newspaper reports that three bids have been received by
the County to run LNN. That doesn't let any of us off the hook.
If--and nothing is certain in this world, especially where politics are involved -- one of those bidders gets the nod, the fun really begins. What about the closed tower? What about the rumored plans to close 9/27? Who will maintain the VOR and NDB? What about the price of tie-downs, fuel, and other minor details like these? We've made it through so far pretty well, thank you, but to be blunt, your Association needs more of the members to help us through the deep low that's on the edge of the screen. The work we have yet to do isn't glamorous or exciting, but it is essential. There's no monetary reward, of course, but feeling good about what you do isn't a bad feeling, so come and join us. See below.
NEW DAY, NEW TIME, SAME PLACE
We now meet on Monday, from 5 to 6 P.M., in the LNRAA offices at the
LNN Terminal Building. Wednesdays at 4:40 P.M. became a scheduling
problem for many of us.
SHOW ME THE PLANES
We thought you'd be interested as we are in the truth about Aircraft
Registrations; just where are those birds? We sent a full-color versio
of this "map" and supporting data to the Lake County Commissioners, because
guess what? There are almost 2 times more registered aircraft
per 10,000 population in Lake County than there are in Cuyohaga County.
Next time someone says aviation doesn't mean much to Lake County, show
them the map.
TOO BAD NOBODY'S INTERESTED IN FLYING ANYMORE
Totally ignored by the news media and the naysayers is the fact that
during the 4-1/2 days when the B-17 Heinkel, Gee-Bee, and other rare aircraft
were on display at LNN, fully 12,000 people walked around the place.
And if someone says, "Yeah, but there was no admission pricce!" Tell
them about the two Stearman pilots who flew every day, 3 trips per hour.
The passenger paid $65/person for the pure fun it is to fly open cockpit
over this part of the country. That's $65 per 15 minutes for
what all those passengers knew would be an unequaled thrill. They
weren't disappointed, either. Too bad nobody's interested in flying
anymore.
IF YOU FLY RIGHT, YOU'RE WRONG
Well, not exactly. But remember, since LNN is now a non-tower
field, you fly left-hand patterns. And do watch your altitude.
If residents carped about noise when the tower was responsible for
keeping us at appropriate altitudes (and certain cared residents did too),
guess what we all face now. Many complaints will not likely have
any more merit than before, but we don't want more of them.
LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE THE OLD WAY
For those of you planning to use LNN at night, be aware that the runway
lights still operate on 120.7. The same 3/5/7 clicks that cranked
up the lights before still do their thing. How long this frequency
remains in use for night operations is one of the dicey things to be decided
once things settle down to a dull roar. We'll keep you posted.
AOPA (AND RUSTY) TO THE RESCUE
Just in case you're a bit inexpert on what it says in AIM about the
proper procedures for using a non-tower field, stop at the desk in the
LNN Terminal Building and pick up a copy of AOPA's 16-page Safety Advisory,
Operations at Non-towered Airports. We've included a sample
page with this issue of NOTAMS, to give you a taste; there's considerable
and excellent detail in the document. We've also enclosed a frequency
crib card developed gratis for you by Rusty Bliss, one of LNRAA's more
active memebers.
CAN WE TALK?
The unattended UNICOM frequency 122.725 has been in use for
a month now, and everyone has been doing a pretty good job in its use.
If you want to talk to someone plane-to-plane to just chat, please use
MULTICOM frequency 122.9 once clear of the area. Also, and this may
be new to you, the use of a hand-held transceiver from the ground (while
not in an aircraft) to someone in an aircraft violates an FCC rule, since
ground-based use of UNICOM is restricted to LNN's base station or a transmitter
in your aircraft.
LNRAA SPEAKS OUT
We're tired of the misinformation and misleading statements about LNN
that are appearing in local media. Up to now, we've turned the other
cheek to these grossly inaccurate messages, but enough is enough.
We're now going to take the truth to the public. Watch the papers.
It's our turn at bat, and we'll take a few lusty swings, letting the hits
fall where they may.