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.
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A whole flock of people can take rightful pride in knowing that their efforts were not ignored by the Lake County Board of Commissioners who, as we're sure you know, have signed a Letter of Intent leading to sponsorship of Lost Nation Airport. Rudy Rudolph of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), AOPA President Phil Boyer, and all the dedicated members of LNRAA deserve the thanks of all residents in the County, the real owners of LNN.
The Letter of Intent, signed by the Commissioners and the City of Willoughby, "establishes a framework for the acquisition of sponsorship...ODOT will assist with financing and development of a formal Transfer Agreement for consideration of both parties."
To move the ball ahead this far, ODOT loaned the County $1.4 million, which is to be repaid solely by airport revenues. Decision on sponsorship is due by Septembeer 30th. The City will keep the airport open while all this is pending.
While congrats are due all around, let's not get complacent. The deal is not done yet; there's still a number of sticky issues to be ironed out. What LNRAA members must do now is keep momentum going in every way possible. Make sure that anybody and everybody you meet, socially or in a business setting, understands how vital LNN is to the future of the Lake County. We don't have the luxury of time to pull back on the throttle and cruise; we need to keep our pressure close to the "red line."
This seemingly innocent question is going to be critically important to everyone using LNN from now on. You're going to have to find that out all by yourself, because as of August 1st, LNN tower-and the conscientious controllers we've come to know at least by voice--will be history. The funding for LNN's non-FAA tower will be gone. It will be UNICOM time around the "old patch," and IFR departures will require either picking up the clearance after takeoff or obtaining a void time from FSS.
As we go to press, Airport Manager Bill Pfarr is obtaining a new UNICOM frequency (122.95 is not a legal UNICOM for a non-tower airport)/ So the prudent pilot (the kind LNRAA represents) should review the Aiman's Information Manual (AIM) for info on non-tower airport operations, check the bulletin boards at the airport for the latest, and by all means obtain FAA NOTAMs. But remember this--transient pilots, without NOTAMs or current charts and getting no response on 120.70, may use either 120.70 or 122.95 for a CTAF. If have the comm setup to do so ("both" function on an audio panel), you may want to "guard" at least 120.70 for a while, but for everybody, viglant scanning of the horizon in the vicinity of LNN will be the order of the day. Also, for departures, you may know that you can't see the threshold and short final of all runways from any departure threshold, but you can't assume any transient pilot realizes that. Let's be careful out there!
The EAA Chapter 118-sponsored Young Eagles program at LNN was a huge success, by any standard. 218 youngsters got the taste of flying (some even "following" on the controls), thanks to pilots of 15 aircraft who shared with the pilots of tomorrow the thrill of flight. Among the volunteer pilots were trustees of LNRAA and EAA'ers from fellow Chapter 325 at CGF. The event got a full-page spread in the News Herald (the age limit was waived for the 'young eagle' N-H reporter's first small plane ride!) and a nice spot on Channel 5. One parent told us she used to be "anti-airport," but not anymore, after witnessing Young Eagles Day. Many thanks to EAA, airport management, and LNN tower for effort "above and beyond."
In the "Art Linkletter darnedest things kids say" department; EAA'er Chuck Reed flew in his awesome Junkers World War 1 warbird, replete with German insignia and machine gun, for static display. He was natually approached by many youngsters with questions, the best one being, "Mister, did you fly this plane during the war?"
Last week a dozen Civil Air Patrol Cadets from Squadron 409 of the Ohio Wings were provided orientation flights in the CAP's Cessna 172 and in othere aircraft owned by CAP pilots. These flights provided the cadets with first-hand knowledge of Search and Rescue and Disaster Relief techniques used by the CAP. Part of CAP's formal cadet training regimen, these flights cover all aspects of actual SAR and DR missions and bring to life the proceduress and systems the cadets study in the classroom. Note: if LNN were not a functioning airport, these training sessions--so important to the learing process--would probably not take place. This is another example of how the mere existence of LNN pays off for the county.
Remember that the B17 and Heinkel bombers will fly in July 14 (tentatively at noon) for a week-long visit, courtesy of the U.S. Aviation Museum. LNRAA will have a tent display at the site, and we need volunteers to explain the value of LNN to the crowds of people expected to attend. This is an outstanding opportunity for LNRAA members to keep the momentum going. Call Jenny Tominack (or anyone at LNA after July 11) at 953-2992, and let her know the days and times you'll set up and be counted. Sure, most of us work days, but prime time at last year's event was after dinner until dark.
The LNRAA membership chose these seven trustees: Ron Cola, Fred Fillinger, Ben Howes, Frederick J. Katai, Gary L. Swanson, Jack Thorp and Jenny Tominack. These trustees appointed Jack Thorp as LNRAA President, Ben Howes as Vice President, Fred Fillinger as Treasurer, and Jenny Tominack as Secretary.
This is a group who will represent all the members of LNRAA in the difficult days ahead. For that reason, every member needs to make sure that this group knows of your interest and concerns. You are urged to contact them by phone or FAX at the numbers on our masthead. (Please note there's a printing error in the address - it should be 1885 Lost Nation Rd.).