[TheNoonans]

JP's accusation:

It seems you don't care who you inconvenience. I can't help but think that there are more important things that these people should be dealing with.

Here is an excerpt from my initial email to Mr. Babbitt:

I understand that you are incredibly busy with much greater issues, and I apologize for burdening you with our issue

But the reality is, for him and everyone up there, it is not I that has inconvenienced them, it is the LAA and the other small town airport sponsors across the country that have ignored their federal funding grant assurances that have considerably inconvenienced them. The people at the top of the FAA ladder do not consider it an inconvenience at all to be provided factual data and evidence highlighting a massive flaw in the federal funding process. My proof? I have been thanked by them numerous times for bringing this problem to a national audience. It seems that in doling out hundreds of millions of dollars to airports across the country, the FAA has an expectation that the hands that are happy to reach out and snatch up all that money will live up to the terms of the agreement that comes with the funding.

At what cost should a private entity get it's way?

This process has nothing to do with me or Skydive Laconia at this point now. This is not about a private entity getting it's way. This is about the LAA providing a fair opportunity for everyone that wants to enjoy equal access to the airport. If you think this is about Skydive Laconia at this point, you really have no concept or understanding about what is going on here.

The government exists to serve the majority, not the minority.

Wow. Somebody must have slept through civics class........

But even if you were right about this one..........unless you are selectively reading only what you want to read, the "majority" of the community wants us here. You are the minority JP, not me.

You would probably feel differently if it was you and your quality of life that was being forced upon.

This is my favorite statement. It is a shining example of the very self entitled nature of the handful of people up there that are so afraid we will destroy their quality of life.

I hate to break it to you JP, but the quality of life you are so afraid of losing was paid for by my federal tax dollars, and the federal tax dollars of all the business owners and workers up there. The only reason the airport is given funding in the first place is to ensure the community as a whole, not just you, benefit from the facility. The LAA made a deal with the FAA when they reached out and grabbed all that tax dollar funding. All we are doing is ensuring that they live up to the deal they made.

Tell you what? You don't want us there to effect your quality of life? Fine. Go to the LAA, get them to get a loan for about $10,000,000, from a bank and then have them write a check to the FAA for that amount. Then without any future federal funding. You can continue to enjoy your quality of life up there without us. It really is that easy. No funding = no skydiving.

I wonder how "quality" the airport will be though three years later when your asked to personally help pay to repave the runway.

And too bad for everybody they effect.

And lastly, as asked by others, please specify as to what the effects will be that we will have on you and your personal quality of life?

You won't have to wait for us to fly your airplane. You can still fly it whenever you want and where ever you want. We're not going to be using your hangar, assuming you have one.

So, what exactly is it that you believe we will effect?

I'm sorry if you feel that you were not trained well enough to fly your plane with parachutes in the air, but I will be happy to bring a competent CFI to you free of charge for a free flight training on your first flight up after we get there if it makes you feel better.

And of course last but not least, this is America, and if nothing I have said makes you feel any better JP, you are welcome to fly out of any of the other local airports in the lakes region.

If I may ask of you, since you seem to be the sole dissenting voice left on this thread, to give us all a little background on your flight experience to help us better understand your perceived inconvenience to your quality of life.

1) Do you own a plane?
2) Do you hangar it at LCI?
3) How many flights a week do you make with it?
4) How many total flight hours do you have?

I don't expect you to answer those questions though, although it would be nice. I expect rather, like Mr. Hemmel, you will just keep shouting at the sky about us without bringing any facts to the table.

And as for Congress. It is my obligation to inform them of the facts. The airport manager contacted congress when she tried to scare them into believing that parachutes landing in the object free area was such a grave safety concern, despite it already being allowed to be done across the nation by the FAA. Was she "inconveniencing" her Congressperson? Or was it okay for her to do it first because she is on your side?

So, I too contacted our Congressperson to give them the facts. But more so, contacted them before this process concluded to ensure that they were briefed about the NHDOT Dept of Aero, and the potential loss of "block grant" status as a result of the LAA. I didn't want our Congressperson to pick up a local paper 3-4 months from now and read the headline "FAA drops New Hampshire from Block Grant program", without giving them the background as to why it was likely to occur and who was to blame for it.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom