SubSailor
Veteran
Location: Austin, TX.
| Everyone,
I agree. And I do want to make it clear that there are a few officers of the club that have been going out of their way to try and get the field to accept Heli Pilots. I would like to point out that Jerry D., Bobby Y. and Matt C. have been very accepting and helpful to us. I know they are stuck between a "rock and a hard place" and are doing what they can but at times it seems they are fighting an uphill battle.
I do enjoy going to the field but it is getting very tiresome. It seems like everytime I show up at the field someone, usually a plane pilot, comes marching down to where I'm at and I get the lecture on one thing or another. I have yet to only break one rule that I am aware of and that would be not displaying my freq. numbers on my radio. but I have been lectured, humiliated, told to go here fly here, no go fly there, etc. so much that I could vomit. I have seen these young guys harrassed and treated sorely so much so that several of them have left the club to go to other fields. It amazes me at the cold shoulder treatment we receive. The day of the "mini FF" I myself walked down the line of Plane Pilots and informed them that we would be having BBQ, hamburgers, hotdogs, drinks etc and we, the heli pilots, would like to offer them food & drinks today. For the most part I was ignored, given the cold shoulder and barely even acknowledged! Later at the end of the day one of the heli pilots wanted to "lighten his cooler" and wanted to take drinks up to the few airplane pilots that were there. I went with him and frankly I was embarrased at how he was treated. He was pretty much ignored and treated like a nuisance. They were extremely rude and I was honestly, very embarrased.
Another example? There are two really nice guys that have recently started learning to fly with a trainer at this field. Both of them are brothers from Hong Kong. I, and a few others, have noticed that even the plankers won't acknowledge these poor guys. They are treated as outcasts and sadly so, they feel this way also. I approached them and tried to make them feel welcome and they were VERY receptive. They are just super nice guys, overly nice actually, that want to learn to fly. But, they make a point of trying to show up at the field when I am there and gravitate down towards us heli fliers as we are acceptive and kind towards them. Again, I am embarrased at their treatment and how I can plainly see that they feel as outcasts. This and our treatment shows an obvious pattern of discrimination against a certain type of pilot. I hate to go here but it seems as it's getting to the point of where I/we have almost no choice. These "gentlemen", and I use that word very lightly, forget that this is not privately owned property, it is City property. Even though they do lease the property from the City of Austin the city bears some responsibility and will not take kindly to this "growing problem". ALL PILOTS should be welcome. Maybe if the City of Austin and the field receive a letter from an attorney threating litagation maybe that will get the point across?? Won't cost me a dime as one side of my family is littered with attorneys, all or most of them co-owners/founders of their own law firm. They have been advised of the events taking place at this field and kept current up until the mini-FF. Is this what we have come to?? I hope not but it sure seems to be heading in that direction as it is getting to the point of where it seems they have left me no choice.
I have tried to fit in at this field. I have gone out of my way to try and "smooth things over". Yet it seems nothing has changed. I organized this event in hopes that it would help "warm the field" to heli fliers but instead it accomplished the exact opposite. Up until Saturday morning the Preisident and I hadn't spoken but I thought we had ended that as we spoke and seemed to make ammends Saturday morning. He came down and spoke to all the guest heli pilots, even said we/they were welcome at the club as guests, just make sure and follow the rules and have your AMA card(which they all did). I was very disappointed to hear of his "remarks" made in the LHS, stating that he would ban helicopters from HCAM.
I don't see where somewhere around 6-7 visiting pilots, a few of which inteneded to join the club, is such a "huge problem which destroyed four years of work"! I, and many other pilots thought it was a great and productive day for everyone. There were only a few airplane pilots at the field through out the day and with the exception of a few "isolated incidents" things went very well. Or so we thought................
John
Fromeco Field Rep.
A day without sunshine is, well.., alot like night time. |
) and continue to keep my hopes up that something will change down here but should worse come to worse down here then I guess you'll be seeing me up there! I honestly hope it doesn't come to that though. Thanks again Kenny.
