Our goal 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.
Earlier newsletters are avalible here
Press here for the latest AOPA press release and here for the one before that.
Another Viewpoint is a column The News-Herald makes available so all sides of issues may be aired. Freedom of expression, we believe, is essential to the future of the country. Jack Thorp, a Willoughby manufacturer, is president of Lost Nation Regional Aviation Association (LNRAA), an organization with over 140 members from all walks of life, not just pilots or aircraft owners, who are dedicated to the retention and growth of Lost Nation Airport.
Recently, a column appeared here in The News-Herald arguing against county acquisition of Lost Nation Airport. This column argues in favor of the airport, in order to further help readers form an opinion on the relative merits of Lost Nation Airport based upon the facts as they really are.
Fact: The County Commissioners have not changed their position; they are on record that there will be no county funding for the airport, and they're sticking to that position. Let there be no confusion over this point.
Fact: The proposals being considered by the Commissioners are made by private sector companies fully experienced in airport management. The proposed yearly payments to the County - as high as $50,000 per year plus a share of profits - are being made by companies who intend to make a profit. Good deal.
Fact: One step has already been taken to put finances of the airport on a break-even basis--the City closed the control tower, eliminating the payroll needed to staff it. The County shows no intention of changing that arrangement, so the future financial status of the airport is off to a solid start. The airport was operating on a break-even basis as recently as 1989. And then the effects of city management began to take their toll.
Fact: Operating the airport at a deficit driven by cost of the control tower the FAA says isn't needed was a management decision by the City Administration. For 11 years, Lost Nation Airport has been run at the express direction of the City Administration, and the airport management decisions that the administration made compounded the problem. You reap what you sow.
Fact: Residents may "snicker and giggle", but the numbers are clear: Lost Nation Airport typically logs 46,000 takeoffs and landings yearly. Through July of this year, 20,987 takeoffs and landings have been logged. But these numbers are not that important--there's no fee for landing or takeoff. The County Commissioners are looking hard at bottom line projections of what businesses and tenants (and future tenants) on the field can be expected to produce.
Fact: Lake County's geographical size is not the issue. It's one of Ohio's fastest growing counties; it boasts the highest per-capita income. And in terms of aircraft ownership in relation to population, Lake County has almost twice the number of registered aircraft than does Cuyahoga County. Furthermore, there is no available hangar space at either Burke Lakefront Airport or at Cuyahoga County Airport. Where there's demand, professional airport management knows how to profit.
Fact: When the FAA invests money into any airport, one of the standard conditions is a commitment to operate the airport as an airport and only an airport for 20 years after the investment was made. There are 18 years remaining in the Lost Nation Airport commitment, and unless the city is willing to spend taxpayer money defending themselves in a suit brought by the FAA, Lost Nation Airport will continue in operation for at least the remaining required years. This reality underlies the entire issue.
Fact: Almost 1/3 of the flights into Lost Nation Airport are bringing in business people making calls on companies in Mentor. Eastlake's Site Development brochure promotes Lost Nation Airport as an asset to businesses who might locate in that city. So does Willoughby's. Don't these cities read their own brochures?
Fact: The $1.4 million loan from the Ohio Department of Transportation that would keep Lost Nation Airport viable is an astute business decision made by the Lake County Commissioners. Think about it: the loan would wipe out Willoughby's debt, and in addition, the Commissioners would be using inflated 1997 dollars to pay for a 1986 asset. Lake County residents should commend the commissioners for that piece of wisdom.
Fact: Anybody familiar with market research knows that results can be guaranteed by first determining who is asked what. So what Mentor asked of whom in 1986 is a moot point. What's real are the over 1,000 signed petitions that the Commissioners recently received, the overwhelming majority of which urged regionalization of the airport. That's been our Association's position all along.
Fact: Lost Nation Airport fills a regional civic function. A month ago, some 10,000 people walked the airport grounds, to look at and climb into rare and famous aircraft from World War II. And, at $65 per 15-minute flight, area residents kept two biplane pilots busy for four straight days. Public interest in aviation remains high.
Fact: The last-second vote of the Mentor council, literally dumping the problem into Willoughby's lap, was not a unanimous 7-0 decision; it was actually a 4-3 vote. Obviously, some Mentor councit persons then realized the airport's asset value as the County Commissioners are doing today.
Fact: Commissioners in 64 other Ohio counties even provide direct financial support to their county airports, many of which are smaller and have less flight activity that Lost Nation Airport. Is it just possible that all those commissioners in all those counties recognize the asset their airports really are?
Fact: It's easy to keep on top of all the facts relating to
Lost Nation Airport; just attend any of our association meetings.
Everybody is welcome. We meet at the airport's Administration
building every Monday from 5PM to 7PM.