Chenango's airport to be without fixed-base operator
NORTH NORWICH – It’s the end of an era. The economic downturn coupled with losing Procter & Gamble’s long-standing corporate jet traffic ends a 20-year effort of having a fixed-base operator at Chenango County’s Lt. Warren Eaton Airport.
Just one aircraft is scheduled to fly in on a touch and go this week, according to Airport Administrator Donald MacIntosh.
Members of the Chenango County Airport Steering Committee are planning to recommend to supervisors this month that Gama Aviation’s contract not be renewed. The contract is due to expire in November.
Although the committee’s decision isn’t official, both its president and MacIntosh said they were disappointed not to receive offers from any other potential operators for the job.
Gama’s proposal was for $30,000 per month.
“We can’t put that charge to the taxpayers at this point in time,” said Steering Committee President Rodney Schultes.
The Connecticut-based firm has been operating the airport, initially as PrivatAir, since 1989. The county’s relationship with its fixed-base operator was initially based on an even swap: the firm conducted maintenance while the county offered a place to do business. In 2003, however, lawmakers reluctantly agreed to tap the airport’s trust fund and pay about $5,500 a month for services. The fixed base operator, in turn, generated revenues by selling fuel, repairing aircraft and chartering jet flights. It also received a percentage fees obtained from renting out T-hangars.
Over the past few years, Gama and Chenango County have weathered losses in jet traffic from Procter & Gamble, New York Central Mutual Insurance and other corporations in the region. Operations and fuel costs also went up. In April, two employees were laid off and the hours of operation were slashed. The airport shut down fueling, parking and maintenance services on the weekends.
Cincinnati-based Proctor and Gamble stopped running daily trips to its Ohio headquarters at the end of August.
There has been little commercial flying for the charter business and although private planes are still active, Schultes said he expects they will cut back, too, due to the cost of fuel. It was $4.45 a gallon today.
Schultes said the committee had a “lively” discussion about Gama’s proposal. “We are just sorry that we can’t keep it going with a fixed base operator,” he said.
The transition leaves the job of operating and maintaining the airport to MacIntosh, who works part-time, and a possible new part-time hire. MacIntosh said the airport would not shut down. He said he planned to handle T-hangar rentals, operations and maintenance.
“We hope we can continue,” said Schultes. “If things change, maybe we can find another operator. If we can buy a little time, we could find someone else to turn things around.”
MacIntosh said Gama anticipated using the facility despite a loss in local corporate jet traffic. “Things have changed. Some of the contracts they had have fallen through,” he said.
MacIntosh also blamed the negative stigma associated with corporate jet travel created by the Obama administration, when the president called out automobile executives for flying to a meeting in Washington, D.C. to prevent their companies from bankruptcy.
Just one aircraft is scheduled to fly in on a touch and go this week, according to Airport Administrator Donald MacIntosh.
Members of the Chenango County Airport Steering Committee are planning to recommend to supervisors this month that Gama Aviation’s contract not be renewed. The contract is due to expire in November.
Although the committee’s decision isn’t official, both its president and MacIntosh said they were disappointed not to receive offers from any other potential operators for the job.
Gama’s proposal was for $30,000 per month.
“We can’t put that charge to the taxpayers at this point in time,” said Steering Committee President Rodney Schultes.
The Connecticut-based firm has been operating the airport, initially as PrivatAir, since 1989. The county’s relationship with its fixed-base operator was initially based on an even swap: the firm conducted maintenance while the county offered a place to do business. In 2003, however, lawmakers reluctantly agreed to tap the airport’s trust fund and pay about $5,500 a month for services. The fixed base operator, in turn, generated revenues by selling fuel, repairing aircraft and chartering jet flights. It also received a percentage fees obtained from renting out T-hangars.
Over the past few years, Gama and Chenango County have weathered losses in jet traffic from Procter & Gamble, New York Central Mutual Insurance and other corporations in the region. Operations and fuel costs also went up. In April, two employees were laid off and the hours of operation were slashed. The airport shut down fueling, parking and maintenance services on the weekends.
Cincinnati-based Proctor and Gamble stopped running daily trips to its Ohio headquarters at the end of August.
There has been little commercial flying for the charter business and although private planes are still active, Schultes said he expects they will cut back, too, due to the cost of fuel. It was $4.45 a gallon today.
Schultes said the committee had a “lively” discussion about Gama’s proposal. “We are just sorry that we can’t keep it going with a fixed base operator,” he said.
The transition leaves the job of operating and maintaining the airport to MacIntosh, who works part-time, and a possible new part-time hire. MacIntosh said the airport would not shut down. He said he planned to handle T-hangar rentals, operations and maintenance.
“We hope we can continue,” said Schultes. “If things change, maybe we can find another operator. If we can buy a little time, we could find someone else to turn things around.”
MacIntosh said Gama anticipated using the facility despite a loss in local corporate jet traffic. “Things have changed. Some of the contracts they had have fallen through,” he said.
MacIntosh also blamed the negative stigma associated with corporate jet travel created by the Obama administration, when the president called out automobile executives for flying to a meeting in Washington, D.C. to prevent their companies from bankruptcy.
dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.
Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far
jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.
So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that
Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks