Saturday, March 09, 2013

Standard-Examiner: Feds Want to Shut Down Ogden Airport Control Tower

“It’s not good news. It’s not good news at all,” sez Ogden-Hinkley Airport Manager Royal Eccles
The sky is the limit. There are options to grow. The ability to bring people in and move people out at a (reasonable) cost is just great.
Royal Eccles, Manager, Ogden-Hinckley Airport
Ogden airport going commercial
Sept. 17 2012
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!
Robert Burns, Scots Poet
To a Mouse
1785

Airport Bosters in HappierTimes
Amidst all the hoopla concerning Ogden-Hinkley Airport's recent expansion , and particularly with regard to the even more recent arrival of much-ballhooed commercial service by Allegiant Air, this morning's more than slightly unsettling Standard-Examiner story casts some troubling doubt on the commercial future of Ogden-Hinkley Airport, as upcoming and clownishly random federal budget sequestration spending cuts throw a monkey wrench into the grand plans and schemes of some rabid Ogden boosters.  Here's this morning's bad news, Ogden City lumpencitizens, straight from the pages of our home-town newspaper:
"The federal government wants to shut down Ogden-Hinckley Airport’s one and only control tower, a move that officials say would be devastating to the airport’s future, particularly its commercial jet service," this morning's Standard-Examiner grimly reports.

“It’s not good news. It’s not good news at all,” sez Airport Manager Royal Eccles, in a truly masterful display of understatement.

If Ogden's tower closes, "Ogden-Hinckley faces the prospect of laying off all five of its air traffic controllers," according to yesterday's Salt Lake Tribune story:
Needless to say, this alarming news has set Ogden-Hinkley's airport officials scrambling:

"Eccles said he and other city officials are working feverishly to compile [information about how the closure of a particular tower will adversely affect the national interest”] and plead the airport’s case. Eccles said work is also underway to recruit the help of Utah’s Congressional Delegation," this morning's S-E story reassures its readers (as if Utah's congressional delegation actually has any real "political juice" whatsoever, regarding this political hot potato).

Ogden-Hinkley's Future?
Something tells us that Mr. Eccles and his fellow airport cronies have an uphill fight in pleading that an Ogden-Hinkley tower closure would "adversely affect the national interest ,” inasmuch as both Hill Air Force Base and Salt Lake International Airport are conveniently situated a virtual stone's throw down the road. So perhaps it's time to pose the sodden (and pregnant) question:

Would it be prudent for Weber County Forum's old pal Royal Eccles to get to work compiling his own job resume, right along with his "national interest argument," just in case "circumstances" suddenly transform Hinkley Field from a booming intrastate commercial air traffic up-and-comer to a sleepy general aviation airport with neither a need a fancy control tower, NOR for a grossly overpaid Airport Manager?

Just a thought...

6 comments:

Danny said...

I love Allegiant Air!  Please figure out how to keep (and expand the flights of) Allegiant Air!

Allegiant Air is the best (and maybe only) good news Ogden has had for a long time!

Bob Becker said...

What I'm waiting for is the opening of the TRAX line to SL airport so I can get tge re by all rail and not have to keave a car in the "economy" lit which is nie,w $9 aday.

blackrulon said...

Apparently cutting spending is all fine and good for others but every dollar of federal spending in Utah is needed.

Larry Zini said...

This is another scare tactic from the Feds.  All that this means is that the cities Ogden and Provo will have to foot the bill instead of getting more handouts from the Federal Government. What ever happened to the idea from this president that we all have to do our share?  Seems like this gets lost in the process in Utah. We don't need more Federal money, they are taking away this state's independence with handouts of tax handouts and the national debt is 16 trillion. 

Smaatguy said...

Spot on....sick of the "sky is falling" bs being generated in Washington....it's a freaking drop in the bucket..no wonder they can't balance a budget...cut a nickel out and it's the end of the world...use the National Parks to do it to!  If they cut out half the middle manangement federal loafers I bet nobody would even notice they were gone and some people might actually have to work instead of sitting on thier brains.

Smaatguy said...

Let me add this...I am not saying all federal workers are loafers, but there are enough to make a difference in federal budget that are doing basically nothing more than supervising someone who is supervision someone that is supervising someone that is supervising someone that is actually doing something...and getting paid good wages, best retirement and healthcare in the world taboot!

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