What would be the perfect airport for passengers (e,g. No TSA if you are in the USA!) differs considerably than what would be the perfect airport for pilots – especially general aviation pilots.
Hence, a recent post by Vincent, the blogger behind the Plastic Pilot blog, is well worth noting as he outlined what would be the perfect airport for him as a general aviation pilot. To begin with, Vincent simply stated that the perfect airport for him can be described by one key word: Simplicity. In other words, the perfect general aviation airport should have:
- Simple Procedures. Vincent commented that the IFR and VFR procedures for flying into big or even medium sized airport can be “real pieces of engineering.”
- Simple Taxi. Vincent pointed out that flying a complex approach can sometimes be easier than trying to find a correct parking position on a ramp. And then there are the issues of having multiple runways and taxiways to deal with.
- Simple Offices. Vincent noted that this is more of a European problem where you might have to visit several offices to pay all the necessary fees (and you may even have to wait 10 minutes for someone to find a glue stick!)
- Good Restaurant. Besides having a good restaurant, Vincent commented that a good aviation museum is always welcome.
Taking the above into consideration, we want to ask you our readers what you think: What would be the perfect general aviation airport for you? Moreover, is there an airport that you have flown to that meets your criteria for being the perfect general aviation airport? Feel free to share your thoughts below.