Last Ever Fly-In to East Hampton Long Island, New York - Saturday

[corcoran]

East Hampton Airport on Long Island, New York is closing to the public. Forever!

Saturday April 30, 2022 is one of your last opportunities to land there. 

BAC member Bob Kittine is based there and invites everyone to make this final pilgrimage this weekend. Mostly, this BAC fly-in is for bragging rights.

So, the destination is KHTO. Meet about 11:00am. We likely will stay for a couple hours of hangar talk. This is VFR only.

There will be humble BAC door prizes for attending. Gathering for an off-airport meal is "iffy" so BRING A LUNCH just in case. 

The tower will be closed. Bob offers this advice: "So once you have landed you want to Back Taxi Runway 34 To Gulf Taxi Way and I to the South (Executive) Ramp. I will plan on being there and monitoring 125.225 - Tower frequency but the tower will still be closed then."

FAIR WARNING: There may be a ramp fee or landing fee still in effect. Come anyway.

Tom Corcoran, Regional Director for Bob Kittine, Fly-In Organizer

 

[rkittine]

Thanks for Posting that Tom. Dave Pederson, who manages Long Island Airline / Executive Ramp has again agree to allow us to park there with no fee or ramp fee. There will be a landing fee of $20.00 that will be billed by mail. This is from the town and unfortunately, I no longer have any control over it. 

Hope the weather holds and I see a few of you there. 

Cheers 

 

[DF14w]

The NY Post has a half page article on the airport in today’s edition. The town of East Hampton is being sued by multiple people, and has already spent $2.5 M in legal fees defending itself. This out of a $10m fund allocated to the old airport in surplus federal funds. They plan to increase landing fees to $300 and ban planes that use leaded fuel…ie general aviation. According to a Blade Helicopter attorney, who’s also suing them, the town hasn’t done the necessary environmental studies to be allowed to close the airport and then re-open it. But hey,what do politicians care ???

 

[rkittine]

The landing fee issue has become problematic in two ways. The new fees are much higher then they were for all aircraft over 4,500 Pounds MGW. And everyone has to pay the landing fees, even those based at the airport, who have been exempt from landing fees since their inception.

Aircraft under 4,500 lbs, are to be charged $20.00, which has been the Single Engine Land Fee for years. But a very light twin will pay $20.00 but a Baron will pay $300.00. 

From there the fess go up to as high as $1,500 per landing for some heavy / noisy aircraft. 

There are three lawsuits pending and the town has approved another $1.0 Million in their Legal Defense Budget, which is not coming out of the airport fund. 

Once the three law suits run their course and based on their outcome, the next step could be full closure. A lot of people are ticking off the town counsel. 

In any case, my hanger may become a very expensive storage shed, but I did get the last tie down available at Montauk, so I am covered to some extent.

Bob

 

[sparkie951]

It sounds like, Ultimately that they want to close the airport off to everyone! A real shame, Sorry to see that happening to you.

 

[corcoran]

(Bumping this topic to the top for today)

Tomorrow, Saturday April 30, 2022 is fly-in day for East Hampton, Long Island, New York. Fair warning; this may be your last chance ever to land there.

Gather about 11am. Get some BAC swag door prizes. BRING A LUNCH as this is a "pilot-produced-picnic" too.

Bob Kittine is organizer and KHTO is his home base.

Check weather yourself but it looks promising from here.

Tom Corcoran

 

[dbdicker]

Looks like the wind will lay down for a day for us -- I'll be there!  

 

[corcoran]

The public use of East Hampton Airport on Long Island, New York is almost history. Aircraft burning 100LL will be banned. Fees for the use of the airport are intentionally being raised to an absurd level. However, BAC squeeked in on Saturday April 30, 2022 to get a last look at the place. Six members attended.



Seated l-r Patrick Corcoran, Bob Kittine organizer, Ken Cook, standing Tom Corcoran, Dan Dicker. Anthony Gerard was off camera. Josh took the photo.



BAC's first picnic lunch of the year was enjoyed as well as the awards of humble BAC door prizes. Dan Dicker gave a tour of his very unique Aerobatic Musketeer. Ken Cook brought along his Connecticut mechanic Josh; just-in-case. Ken flys a Sierra. Tom Corcoran's son Patrick took left seat in Tom's Sundowner... father and son got their pilots licenses on the same day 32 years ago. 



Next Northeast event is a fly-in in West Virginia organized by Rob Staab the Airboss of New Jersey. Consult the BAC calendar.

 

[rkittine]

Was nice to finally meet a Tom and some others that I had never met and good to see those that I had. Hopefully I will be able to set up something larger this Spring at Sussex, Warwick or Orange County.

Bob

 

[dbdicker]

i won, I WON!  I won a set of plastic chart clips!  I've never won anything !   THANKS PAPA CORCORAN!!! 

 

[sparkie951]

Congratulations...  I am sure you can make good use of them.. 

 

[rkittine]

We had a nice time and all won something. Finally meeting a few more members was the best prize. 

 

[wjknight]

Looks like you guys had a great time.  It is unfortunate that the airport is going away, but at least you were able to share its last moments with Beech Aero Club family.  The social events are an important aspect of our Club and it doesn't take a lot of formal planning or a big group to go and have fun with our airplanes.  Well done to the Northeast Crew! 

 

[CalifDan]

I'm happy that some of our members got to enjoy a "last visit" to this airport.  The underlying story is the loss of this aviation and area resource because some can't find a way to cohabitate with an airport.  And I'm not just blaming the non-airport activists.

Dan, I know what plastic is, I know what a clamp is.  I know what a chart was, but I have not actually seen one in years.  Do you use the clamps to hold your electronic chart so it does not move in your iPad? [img title="Laugh" alt="Laugh" /]https://www.beechaeroclub.org/wp-content/sp-resources/forum-smileys/sf-laugh.gif[/img][img title="Laugh" alt="Laugh" /]https://www.beechaeroclub.org/wp-content/sp-resources/forum-smileys/sf-laugh.gif[/img]

 

[dbdicker]

Daniel Jonas said 

Dan, I know what plastic is, I know what a clamp is.  I know what a chart was, but I have not actually seen one in years.  Do you use the clamps to hold your electronic chart so it does not move in your iPad? [img title="Laugh" alt="Laugh" /]https://www.beechaeroclub.org/wp-content/sp-resources/forum-smileys/sf-laugh.gif[/img][img title="Laugh" alt="Laugh" /]https://www.beechaeroclub.org/wp-content/sp-resources/forum-smileys/sf-laugh.gif[/img]


  

Exactly

 

[rkittine]

I do not think that any single engine aircraft or light twin under 5,500 MGW will have any issue getting approval to land and take off VFR at the new airport starting May  19th. IFR operations is much different. I had to submit a 33 page application for use of the "Special Procedures" that will over the RNAY (GPS) 10 and 28 Approaches, as well as Instrument departures. 

Bob

 

[CalifDan]

Robert,

It is good to know that the restrictions might not affect local VFR pilots.  But, I don't understand how the local entities have any authority over the Federal IFR system and the use thereof.  To be fair, I'm on the opposite coast and have not followed the controversy closely.  I just don't like to see undue restrictions on the ability of pilots to use airports.

 

[rkittine]

None of us like the restrictions, but the town had the legal right to close the airport, but decided to just close it and open it as a Prior Permission Required Airport, which would give the town more lattitude in restricting certain operations more so than the FAA would for a Public Use Airport. It is better than a complete shut down and light aircraft, now under 5,500 pounds rather than 4,500 pounds have few restrictions and a landing fee of only $20.00. Landing fees in this area are becoming common place at even most of the public use airports and range for a single from $7.00 to about $45.00 depending on the airport in the area. 

What is restricted is the "Special Operations" that are replacing the RNAV approaches to the main runway, 10 x 28. Intil the FAA recertifies the approaches (they are saying up to two years) we have to have a registration number on file with the FAA in order to file a flight plan departing or arriving at HTO under IFR flight. The FAA has granted authority to Flight Tech to manage the approaches in the meantime and to use the Special Procedures, I had to deliver a 33 page application to the local FSDO, the Town and Flight Tech including indemnification for the town and flight tech. 

 

[Mouseflyer]

Someone graciously wrote up the new tongue in cheek rules for the new airport.

https://www.danspapers.com/2022/05/new-east-hampton-airport-rules-flying/

 

[sparkie951]

That is one of the Best Funniest Reads in a Long time... Some quite interesting Restrictions! I would like some video of someone trying to enforce most of those... Would make a great youtube video! Someone could make a great series on it! It would certainly get a lot of views.