Tiedowns Remain An Important Airport Amenity

It has been a very enjoyable summer this year, sweetened by the proliferation of fly in events following a year of “lockdown.”

We rejoice in the opportunity to spend time with our flying friends again, savoring the taste of pancake breakfasts and the like in many communities with an airport nearby.

A couple of years ago I wrote a column here borrowing from Charles Dickens’ “they were the best of airports, they were the worst of airports,” pointing out an example of each. It has been a pleasure to note that the airport supporters of the “worst” airport turned things around, now offering two courtesy cars (up from none), and some of the most reasonably priced fuel in the state! We can make a difference!

I think it is time to further reflect on some of the little things that make our airports attractive to make as a destination.

What do we do when we fly in to spend time at an airport with which we are visiting? We tie our aircraft down. We seem to take for granted that there are tie down anchors, either embedded in the tarmac or marked in the grass near the tarmac. I must admit that I don’t generally call in advance to see if tie down anchors are available, as a dear friend did just a few days ago.

He and another family member were planning to attend a family reunion near the northern suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul and called the fixed base operator (FBO) at my home airport to see where the tie downs were located.

“We do not have tie downs available on our airport” was the answer, but “you can hangar in our facility for a fee.” And, “We can triple chock your aircraft,” was the other option. Unbelievable.

He called me and I immediately made inquiries with the FBO and the airport manager.

I received the same response from the FBO as did my friend, and the airport manager didn’t seem to know that this was an issue. It seems that our beautiful airport does not have an area designated for itinerant parking with tie downs.

Rather, visitors are relegated to grassy areas, replete with overgrown grass and no clear tie down anchors. To make matters worse, the overgrown grassy areas (also leased by the FBO) were a long distance from the FBO, and were poorly maintained and given the airport layout you “can’t get there from here” to walk to a restroom or other aircraft services. No easy access to a courtesy car. Very unwelcoming.

I was/am embarrassed and appalled to think that virtually every small airport I fly into has tie downs, but not my home airport.

I ask that you take a stroll around your airport (just as I asked you to do two years ago) and see if it is suitable for visitors to visit, to tie down. You may be unpleasantly surprised! Take stock of what you have and see if you can facilitate change!