Nut Tree Airport Forum

Nut Tree Development Dreams Downsized

2008-06-15T15:06:00Z

The City of Vacaville is about to let the "Nut Tree Dream" go south. What we were originally sold on, a unique and vibrant gateway to our city. A one of a kind "destination development" that would bring back some of the great things that the original Nut Tree offered. Those plans have been lost. What we have received is a strip mall with the normal, found just about everywhere, big box anchor retail outlets. What is more dissappointing is that the remaining development will incourage non-retail tennants that will not attract any I-80 traveler dollars. "Service-oriented" use is the new goal to help Nut Tree Associates fill their ill-planned two story buildings along the East Monte Vista Drive complex. Everyone knew that retail doesn't like 2nd floor seating. The exposure to foot and street traffic to tennants of those two buildings is minimal. Development concept flaws are what the City of Vacaville is trying to mend.

City staff is advising us that "certain compromises in terms of the quality of uses" is a "possible stategy toward finishing out the retail development". They also state that "the economic atmosphere in which the Nut Tree redevelopment project was concieved is different than what the city faces today". I would think that the city staff and the land developers would be thinking with the big picture in mind. A project that would be able to weather the test of an up and down economy. Investing is much like land developing. Quality lasts, go for the best products with good financial backing and history. Our City staff, usually quick to do what is right, in a knowledgable way, now considers the Nut Tree project "a learning process and a normal process to see what works and how we can improve it" according to Senior Planner Peyman Behvand. I know Mr. Behvand to be a very concientous fellow who want to do what is right. This tells me that we have a serious long term problem with our "Gateway to Vacaville".

From the start there was a serious flaw in the plans that the Snell Group brought to Vacaville Planners. There was no involvment of the large land use just north of the project, the Nut Tree Airport. No gateway to the airport was ever proposed. A total disconnect between our City Staff and County Staff promoted total disreguard of the airport bordering Nut Tree Development's northern flank. The other flaw was the planned use of the property most affected by the airport, the land closest to the Runway Protection Zone. This area was designated to have high density housing, a hotel and conference complex as well as business suites. Now the city wants to strike the word "Hotel" from the plan. We have always wanted a Hotel and convention center. Placed in the right area, it would be what would draw people to Vacaville. The Ball Park would be a great place for that. This was a poorly conceived development from the start. How to make it work at this point, let's see what it is like in ten years.

County Staff Breaking Into Hangars

2008-05-29T05:04:00Z

As SOME of you know there is a fire inspection going on at the Nut Tree Airport. Apparently there are some, including myself that never got ANY notification of the inspections. Hey fire inspections are good, but to have county staff calling locksmiths to break into your hanger instead of calling you for assistance is just down right wrong, a waste of tax payer dollars and possibly illegal. Yes this happened to me today and from what I’m told this has happened to more then a handful of other in the past 48 hours. Oh and by the way Eric takes pictures inside your hanger after the fire department is done.

I’m curious as to how many other didn’t get any notification of this inspection. I do know of at least 1 other that wasn’t notified so it wasn’t just myself.

Travis Airforce Base paid off by developer? It's your safety

2008-03-09T02:49:00Z

EnXco, a developer wanting to build additional wind tubines in the Montezuma Hills, offered $1 million at a Feb. 21 Solano County Planning Commission meeting. The money is to be used to improve the radar system at Travis. Travis Air Force base officials withdrew their long standing objections to the additional wind turbines after they were informed by their superiors that there were no "reasonable expectations" of problems with the system.

My question is, has anyone ruled out a negative affect on Radar accuracy in handling General aviation aircraft. Is there still a question in the minds of those at Travis? Has the promised funding clouded the original issue that these wind turbines, built closer to the base, might affect the accuracy of the returns from flying objects. That flying object might be my or your aircraft crossing the TAFB flight space.

The Reporter's Danny Bernardini wrote that Gregory Blue, regional manager of external affairs for enXco, said "We were trying to help them enhance their radar and we're doing it in the form of a gift." "It's all about enhancing the radar so we can co-exist." The question remains, will the additional turbines have an affect that will require some enhancing of the new radar system to remain safe. Does this mean that until the system has been enhanced, are G.A. aircraft at risk during control by TAFB traffic controllers. Has anyone looked into this? Comments?

For those interested in this question, make plans to be at the ALUC meeting, March 13, 2008. The meeting is held at the Solano County Airport Conference Room, 7:00pm. Maybe someone might ask this question of the commission.

Danny Bernardini"s article can be found at www.thereporter.com

Solano Pilots Association, Where are You?

2008-03-04T15:53:00Z

The Solano Pilot's Association is back and the local pilot enthusiasm seems high. On Thursday, March 6th, over 40 pilots and interested persons packed the County Airport Conference room to elect new officers. For a change there was an overall positive feeling about what we might accomplish as a unified group of aviators. The first order of business was to elect officers. The technique was not traditional. Lou Tobin presided during the election. He was last years president. His term ended with no elections taking place. The new officers took time to advise the audience that membership will be a number one goal. With over 300 licensed pilots in the Vacaville area and many of them renting at the Nut Tree Airport, "we won't be happy with 20 to 30 members" advised newly elected President Jimmy Ferriera. An effort will be made to make SPA relevent to the aircraft owners and pilots of Solano County. As a group, we will be able to promote the wants and needs of the airport users. Without a large percentage of local pilots as members, the association will not have a serious impact on future plans and development at the Nut Tree Airport. For information about the Solano Pilots Association as well as membership information to to www.solanopilots.com Comments?

Fixed Base Operator Search on at Nut Tree

2008-03-02T21:29:00Z

Solano County is finally looking for a vendor to take over the FBO position at Nut Tree. The Request for Proposals (RFP) has finally been released for a Fixed Base Operator(FBO) at the Nut Tree Airport. This long awaited document is the first step in securing a new vendor for the FBO complex. The RFP was finally released on Friday, February 29, 2008. Our last FBO vendor went out with a wimper over 8 months ago. We have been without formal FBO services since then. What took so long to publish an RFP is unknown. What would you want in a new FBO? The RFP refers to an FBO Complex. The county hopes to see a comprehensive proposal covering a range of services including aircraft maintenance, retail shop, flight training, aircraft rental, sightseeing, flight planning and pilot lounge as well as non-aviation components such as a restaurant and automobile rental. Solano County uses the term "partnering" in several places in the RFP. This idea indicates our counties willingness to see a more progressive and modern business plan for the FBO that may require several businesses to gather together to get the job done. What do all of you think about this? What do you want? Do you think we could support such a complex. Would it bring more business to our area including the Nut Tree Properties next door? Comments?
You can see the entire request at:
NUT TREE AIRPORT RFP, FBO 2008 Please scroll down to last entry to view the RFP

GA NEWS FEATURES NUT TREE ISSUES

2008-02-24T22:20:00Z

The publication General Aviation News featured an article about the Nut Tree Airport and local aviation issues in their February 8, 2008 issue. The very upbeat article covered an interview with a County Supervisor, our Airport Manager Andy Swanson and this blog's moderator David Aronson. The Nut Tree Airport Forum was also a focal point of the article.

Removing Foster from ALUC "Would Look Suspicious"

2008-01-17T15:25:00Z

John Foster, chairman for the ALUC, survived his appointment during the meeting of the Solano County Mayors on January 16, 2008. According to the Vacaville Reporter, the decision to remove him was delayed. mayor Elizabeth Patterson(Benecia) and others sad they were weary of making a decision based only on the accusations that Foster acted inappropriately at an ALUC meeting. Four of the seven Mayors "were concerned about making a decision without evidence of misconduct". Dixon Mayor Mary Ann Courville said that "removing Foster may look suspicious". "To me, it looks too close to a Wal-Mart decision." Jane Day, Suisun City's vice mayor did move to remove Foster during the meeting. The motion was recalled after hearing about the other Mayor's questions. "As much as you (Day) are telling me it isn't retaliation, it's preceived that way to the public" said Courville.

Mary Ann Courville, you are right on. This entire action stinks of political micromanagement of an appointed advisory panel. We did find out that our original thought that the removal of John Foster would possibly bring a close to the effectiveness of the ALUC. ALUC vice chair John Kakacek, according to the Reporter, said that "if the politicians get rid of Foster, I'm going to resign. I don't want to be a part of a Mickey Mouse organization that is controlled by political outsiders because they don't like our decisions."

You can make a difference about the direction of this action. Please contact your city Mayors and County Supervisors and tell them what you think. Contact information can be found in the right border.

On top of all this is the document from CalTrans advising the Suisun City planners that they agree with the findings of the ALUC on the Wal-Mart issue. That document does not support the actions of mayors Augustine, Sanchez and Price. To give John Foster the boot would not look good for them. You can view the findings of the CalTrans Aeronautics div. below. Your comments?

Caltrans letter to Suisun City

January 27, 2008

The Reporter's Danny Bernardini reported on Suisun City's upcoming decision to overide, or not, the ruling of the ALUC on the Wal-Mart issue. He sites the economic reasoning, the close to 1 Million, year after year, of revenue to that city. He doesn't do justice to the safety issue though. The Caltrans letter above, states that there are wide responsibilities that are transfered to those that overule a land use commission. This particular news article sites a comment by Suzanne Bragdon, City Manager for Suisun City. She maintains that there are no conflicts between the EIR (environmental impact report) and the Travis Air Base Land Use Compatibility Plan. My guess is that Ms. Bragdon either doesn't realize what those two documents are for or that she is using the acronyms as a smoke screen for the public. The Land use compatibility plan is concerned about public safety as well as the long term health of the economic center called TAFB. The EIR is concerned with the habitat, water, species etc. To use these two documents to support a future Suisun City Council's overule of the ALUC's ruling is a staff error in guiding the council. I hope the elected officials understand that. Your comments?

Airport Land Use Commission Shake UP

2008-01-16T15:28:00Z

Tonight, according to the Vacaville Reporter, our own John Foster, chairman for the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) will probably be removed. This could be the beginning of the end for this meaningful commission and it's important work. The affect of removing John is not known but the reasons are clear. The Vacaville Mayor Len Augustine, Suisun's Mayor Pete Sanchez and Fairfield's Mayor Harry Price want him out due to the unfavorable ruling over a Super Wal-Mart.
The experience that I have had with John Foster has been through dealings with the city of Vacaville over the intention to build high density homes very near or in the protection zone of our airport. During our joint meeting with the ALUC, NTAAC, Vacaville city staff and Snell representatives, John made significant points and asked compelling questions about the illogical land use. He has always dealt with people and issues fairly. John has given the ALUC strong leadership and has benefited the health of our Solano County economy by being protective of Travis Air force Base. I caution Mayors Augustine, Price and Sanchez to be very careful with this. The public is watching and we can make a difference once we see what is happening. I encourage our County Supervisors to make an appeal to keep John on and congratulate him for the great job he has done. Any Comments.

Contact Information:

Solano County Supervisors: www.nuttreeairport.com (hit county button) or www.solanocounty.com
Vacaville mayor: Len Augustine www.lenaugustine.com
FairField mayor: Harry Price harryp00@earthlink.net
Dixon mayor: Mary Ann Courville, mary161@aol.com
Suisun City mayor: Pete Sanchez psanchez@suisun.com
Rio Vista mayor: Eddie Woodruff, mayor@ci.rio-vista.ca.us
Benicia mayor: Elizabeth Patterson epatterson@ci.benicia.ca.us
Vallejo mayor Osby Davis mayor@ci.vallejo.ca.us

Your Ten Year Airport Vision

2008-01-04T23:19:00Z

I am not one who grew up at Vacaville's Nut Tree Airport. There are several Vacaville Citizens who actually did spend their childhood at the airport. We need to hear from them about their "airport vision a decade away". Mine is one from someone who loves flight, mechanical things like airplanes, the excitement of pre-flight inspections and the rush of the throttle to the firewall takeoff roll. I also like the people that frequent the place. From the families that accompany the children participating in a Young Eagles Fly Day to the crusty hangar fellows who spend way too much time in a lawn chair looking at their airplanes, I like all of them. The people who fly in for fuel from far off places. They spend a half hour here, telling anyone who will listen about their flight and the aircraft that lifted them. There is a wide range of our neighborhood that visits just to look around. The Duncan Miller hangars are a prime attraction. A little harder to find now that our soil is secure. Easy enough though but we could invite some ideas on how we can be secure and invite visitors as well. At Duncan's hangar you will find a group of men, much aviation history between them, willing to show you around. A "museum" of sorts, old aircraft all polished and restored. I see the education oriented aviation types too. Young and old, consumed by the science and craft of aircraft maintenance. Students at our Solano County Aviation College. They spend days and evenings in a big hangar, a lot of blackboards and test equipment. Parts of a variety of aircraft, engines, wings, you name it. They attend lectures and have hands on lessons on aviation engineering. The private and rented hangars are also a source of activity, people busy doing what they love. Business abounds as well. Plans for more are in the works. A new FBO is in our future. An FBO is another way of saying a training/repair/fueling/aviation store and maybe a restaurant business. Too early to tell as the county is dealing with the preliminary paperwork to invite interested parties to submit a proposal. After summing up what we have now, I see that it is a pretty cool place, as it is. But, as you know, nothing stays the same. In ten years, I hope that most of what we enjoy today will remain. I see a need for bringing more commercial interests along the north/east border. Retail space along the road and commercial hangars that support GA and light turbine or jets. I would like to see a longer runway to allow light jets to actually purchase full tanks of fuel regardless of the time of year or temperature. I want better services for our tax paying aircraft owners. Maybe even a hotel and convention center on airport land. Encouraging tourism along with professional and technical conferences. The new Airport Master Plan should outline visions like these. What do you want your local airport to be like in a decade?
Article addicion made 01/06/2008.... I have been reminded that I did not mention the housing of the original Nut Tree Post Office on the airport grounds. That would be great and I wish it would happen!

County Sups Need Your Push

2008-01-03T06:09:00Z

During the December 4, 2007 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, there were several very important concepts brought up. The subject of the State and Federal legislative platform was discussed. The airport, a strong source of FAA funding, was on the top of the list for 2008 lobbying. The supervisors have noticed that money is coming into this airport and they didn't need to do much to get it. Supervisor Spering asked if the Board had spent time developing visionary or general planing for the future of the airport. Duuuuu. No, not this year. How about hardly... Spering went on to advise that the Supervisors should be setting priorities. Not some sub-committee. Thanks from the past and present volunteers manning the NTAAC. We are waiting Supervisor Spering. Where have the directives come from for the past decade or more. Not from the overworked Supervisors. Over a year ago, three of us from the NTAAC met with both Sups Vasquez and Reagan. We wanted more funding, more support, better county intervention when the city plans affect the airport plans. We were advised that the "Enterprise funding" for the airport allowed for no additional county funding. We wanted funding for a new Airport General Plan. No way. Nothing has happened in over 18 months. Now, we have Supervisor Spering saying there are development opportunities, that there has to be some investment on the part of Solano County. He adds that the airport is "a great economic opportunity". Where have you been. All the while, our local airport management is existing in a war zone. Andy Swanson has limited resources to successfully manage the airport. It seems that the county talks a big talk but puts nothing into the system to make it work. Andy answers the phone, takes out the trash, handles the overflowing toilet in the men's bathroom (a problem for years), fields all the calls from county, attends county meetings and still works with the FAA to increase funding for Airport enhancements and modernization. We are waiting Supervisor Spering, Vasquez and Reagan. It is time for you to promote this airport with some Solano County Funding. More personnel would be a good start. Funding the new Airport Master Plan would be a great way to step up. The NTAAC voted to advise (beg) the Supervisors to do just that recently. I hope all of you out there will view the video excerpt. The County Sups need your push! Comments welcome!

This video is an excerpt of the December 4, 2007 Board of Supervisors meeting. A must see for airport supporters.
http://nuttreeforum.nuttreeairport.com/2008/01/02/county-sups-need-our-support.aspx

How to use this forum

2007-12-29T23:21:00Z

I am sorry that we have had a few problems in the production of our new Forum. There are only a few things we need to know about the use of the forum.

There are several catagories or articles that you all can comment on. If you would like a new one just let me know. By making a comment, you add to the thread and it becomes an interesting column of comments and ideas.

1. If you want to comment on a thread (a thread is a story line that has been built on by various readers). First click on comment under that thread. If you add a comment to a thread but at the end of the wrong original article, it will not make much since as your comment will not be of the same subject matter as the rest of the comments in that thread. It won't make sense to most readers. So...just make sure that you are in the correct thread or article before you submit the comment.

2. On the right border you will find the different threads and the number of comments. By clicking on the article that interests you, a new page with all the comments to that entry thread will appear. A LINEAR listing of original article and then all comments will be seen. Make a comment where it asks for one. Your email and other information is not shared.

3. Articles and original subjects are by the moderator at this time. Original "articles" are welcome. Just contact me and we will make you a contributor.

4. This is the WEB. Be careful about the information you offer. Phone numbers are OK but only if you want anyone and everyone in the world, even Al-Qaida, to know it. Personal information is risky so be careful. I will call you or send you an email if I see something that puts you at risk during the moderation process, prior to publishing.

That is it. . Changes will be made as this thing evolves. Hopefully you will all visit often and comment as you wish.

Nut Tree Airport Forum covered in Reporter article

2007-12-27T06:23:00Z

The Vacaville Reporter did a nice job telling Vacaville about our forum on Wednesday, December 26, 2007. Brian Hamlin, the author of the article, conducted a fast phone interview last week. It is amazing that he got so much out of a 5 minute call. I think he might of visited one of our websites. We are also featured on the "WebCentral" page where the Reporter hosted blogs are listed. This was a welcome bit of coverage. Thanks Brian and The Vacaville Reporter.

Nut Tree Post Office at the Airport?

2007-12-23T04:01:00Z

I read with great interest a few months ago that the Nut Tree Post Office had been offered a home at the airport. The news, that the post office branch bearing the Nut Tree name was being resurrected, was indeed good news. Even better, to have found a home at the Nut Tree Airport. My first question was why didn't the Nut Tree Associates want this bit of Vacaville nostalgia for themselves. A nice addition to their Market Place. Was there a deeper story yet untold? The Powers control the right to the name and concept of the Nut Tree Post Office. The Post Office is a federal operation for sure, but this is a special Postal outlet like the one at DisneyLand. Not funded by federal money, staffed by private employees who wear postal uniforms. I think this is correct. If not someone please let us all know.
What happened to the plans to bring it to the Airport? Andy Swanson, our airport manager, advised me that he is surprised that the deal hasn't been finished by now. He is waiting on those who make the decisions about the post office. In other words, Solano County has done everything they can to help this thing along. They don't know why it hasn't happened yet. Have the County people made a phone call to the Powers people to get this thing happening?

The reasons for wanting the Post Office and it's special Nut Tree Postage Stamp at the Airport are quite basic. It will increase the number of public visits to the airport. It will bring Vacaville residents onto the property so they can witness that we actually have an airport. The postal outlet will bring another business to the site, make it easier for future renters, vendors and the new F.B.O. to do their mailings. There are not many special Postal Codes around. This one commemorates a part of the important history of this area. I hope it continues, especially at the airport. Comments?

Welcome to the new informational and conversational blog concerning the Nut Tree Airport

2007-12-11T05:46:00Z

I am happy to present a forum that allows you to talk publicly about our airport. My hope, as moderator of this interactive part of space, is to promote meaningful dialog about the Nut Tree Airport. I hope that the Vacaville community as well as airport vendors, renter, aircraft owners, hanger owners and all those interested in the airport will consider participating.

Our rules are these:

No profanity
If you have a complaint, follow it up with a solution. Doesn't have to be the end solution, just something positive.
Be kind to the other posters. No slamming allowed. Violators will be ejected.
Original comments only. No forwarded emails will be published. Let the author of the email know about the forum and ask them to submit directly. Thanks

My first action is to invite your all to join in and post questions that you would like our airport manager, Andy Swanson, to answer. Don't hold back, ask what is on your mind.

The next thing on this site's agenda is to invite you all to list what the airport has meant to you over the years. Or, how about, what the airport could do for you or your community in the future.

Now let's start...........

Nut Tree Airport a Community Jewel

2007-12-10T18:43:00Z

A COMMUNITY TREASURE

Solano County Airport Vacaville, Nut Tree
Originally published in Vacaville Magazine

By David Aronson

I had an after school ritual, I rode my bicycle to the local airport and watched the airplanes take off and land. Thoughts of flying were a distraction for me. I would dream of what kind of airplane, where I might go and how it would feel. Drawing and making model airplanes, playing make believe air-combat games, complete with sound effects, was a regular past-time. My fantasies of flight have been shared by many young men and women since the Wright brothers’ first successful flight in 1903.

This same joy, seeing young people live their dream of flight, is available every month at our own Vacaville Nut Tree Airport . In fact, any child from 8 to 18 can fly free due to a program named “Young Eagles”. A project jointly sponsored by the local Tuskeegee airmen and the E.A.A. Chapter 1230. It is only a single event in the life of our local airport. A place that many Vacaville citizens don’t realize is still open and thriving.

On any Saturday you can tour the AircraftMuseum hangars of one of the Nut Tree Airports biggest supporters, Duncan Miller. Duncan has the donuts ready and his three Stearmans, Piper Cub, Vultee BT-13, T-28 and other historic aircraft polished and ready for viewing. Duncan, an airport landmark, is a retired U.S. Air Force pilot and local volunteer for just about every worthy project. Loves and Fishes, Community Food Bank, his local church are just a few. His love, of course, is airplanes and people. Duncan has sponsored so many young aviators that it is hard to count them. Many are currently serving their country or flying passengers for a living. Others help fuel the interest of aviation by hanging out, telling stories or adding to the “gift of flight” by flying others. Duncan’s collection takes up 3 large hangars. He will no doubt invite you into his “living room” for a soda. There you will find wonderful pictures and stories, mostly first hand accounts involving the likes of Chuck Yaeger and Bob Hoover.

During your visit to our local airport you will also note many experimental aircraft being stored and assembled. The trend toward small experimental aircraft leading the way for designing and testing new certificated aircraft is real. Two new certified aircraft manufacturers, Cirrus and Lancair (Columbia), began as “kit” manufacturers. In fact they remain in that business alongside the certified aircraft direction. In fact, every aircraft that you have every flown in, all commercial airliners, began as experimental aircraft.

During your visit to the nut Tree Airport you will also find large corporate hangars filled with exotic aircraft, aircraft repair businesses and also the Solano Community College Aeronautics Division. This school curriculum teaches the science of aeronautics to young and old. These well trained students are ready to take certification examinations and will join the ranks of commercial aircraft mechanics, aviation business management and aircraft design.

The NutTreeAirport is not just a recreational and historic-rich destination though. It is a dynamic part of Northern California’s economic vitality. It is one of approximately 19,000 airports in the United States. During a typical day, you would see approximately 297 flight operations at the NutTree Airport. These would include commercial flights like corporate jets flying execs from one of our biotech/pharmaceutical manufacturers or oil line inspection flights by a company hangared at the airport. Some are light jets carrying packages for delivery, medical flights, law enforcement operations, weather monitoring and aviation training flights. Other flights are commuting pilots who use aircraft for work travel. It is a busy place that adds to the diversity of our community’s transportation options as well as growth options for our community.

The Nut TreeAirport is a “general aviation” airport. “General Aviation” is all civilian flying except scheduled passenger airlines. Our local airport currently has no air carrier flights but does support commercial aviation every day. An estimated 65% of general aviation flights are conducted for business and public services that need transportation more flexible than the airlines can offer. That flexibility can be a local businessman flying his own small airplane to see four clients on a one-day trip to Oregon or a CEO and five staff members working at 30,000 feet while en route to a meeting. The efficiency of this type of transportation is proven. General Aviation carries more than 13% of all air passengers while using less than 5% of the total fuel. In a typical year, General Aviation aircraft carry about 90 million passengers. In 1999, the air carriers consumed an estimated 19.43 billion gallons of fuel. Because of the efficiency of smaller corporate and personal aircraft, General Aviation consumed only 1.2 billion gallons. Barely 5.8% of all the fuel used for air transportation in the U.S. Smaller Commercial Jets is where air flight is headed. Our Nut Tree Airport will be a destination in the future.

The airplanes that “live” at our local airport are part of roughly 215,000 civil aircraft registered in the Unites States. 200,000 are general aviation airplanes. This fleet or aircraft is the mainspring of a $20 billion a year industry which generates more than $102 billion in economic activity nation wide. Our community benefits as the airport creates a positive ripple effect in our local economy. Business people take advantage of rapid, on-demand air transportation, and the airport helps attract corporations that would never locate a plant, headquarters or distribution center in a town without an airport. Imagine Genentech and Alza (J&J) not having chosen Vacaville for their operations.

Our local airport began as a dirt strip in the 1930 when Ernie Smith made an emergency landing next to the Eucalyptus grove. Ed Power Jr., the former Nut Tree Restaurant owner, constructed an improved airport in 1955. It was a popular destination during the height of the Nut Tree Restaurants’ success. It was also the home of the Vacaville Rotary Clubs’ Fly-ins. These events brought the likes of John Glenn, General Jimmy Doolittle, Chuck Yaeger and others as guest speakers. Ed Power donated the airport property toSolanoCounty in 1968. The airport remains a SolanoCounty operation to this date. There has been some confusion on the part of the community about the airport’s future and the surrounding land. The land around the airport is in the City of Vacaville’s jurisdiction. The Nut Tree property, to the east/southeast of the airport, is Vacaville Redevelopment land. It is being developed and some of it purchased by Snell and Co.

OUR AIRPORTS FUTURE

The current management of our Nut Tree Airport is very aggressively promoting the Airport General Plan. The airport has received a runway extension, re-alignment and enlargement of the taxiways, totally new airport apron and tie-down parking. A new environmentally friendly wash-area has been installed and we now enjoy a new automobile parking lot as well as a wider entry road to the airport . The new security fencing and an upgraded pilot lounge in the County Building were completed in March of 2007. Approximately 18 acres of land have been purchased for future expansion just north of the airport. The County is planning to purchase more land to protect the airport from developer’s encroachment. There is a lot more development planned and the City and business community should be really glad! A formal connection between the airport and the Nut Tree development is a must. It would allow an easy walk for airport arrivals to take advantage of the new shopping and restaurants. Expansion of the city bus line to the county airport building would encourage more fly-in business for our shops and Vacaville community activities like Fiesta Days, Saturday Downtown Market and other downtown events.

Our NutTreeAirport is a very important part of what Vacaville is. It is an asset that only a few communities enjoy. Once gone, it will never return. Like a prized, one of a kind treasure, it is well worth protecting and supporting. Come out and see for yourself.

For more information about the NutTree Airport. www.nuttreeairport.org

Rumors and why I won't comment on them

2007-12-10T04:33:00Z

We have all been listening to the rumor-mill at the airport. Rumor slinging is a natural part of being in aviation. Story telling takes practice and spreading rumors is like telling stories. Just my theory. I would like to list the current rumors for you. I am convinced that by the time I did, the rumor would have already changed, like a mutating virus. By the time you identify it, it has been changed by the next teller. I invite you to share the latest rumor that you have heard about the Nut Tree Airport. Maybe a way to start such a track would be to write; "I just heard that __________. Is it true?" Just a suggestion to show you how easy it is.

Protecting Our Local Airport

2007-12-10T04:25:00Z

The Nut Tree Airport is an important part of our community. A gift from the Power family, it has been "managed" by the County of Solano since 1968. The airport, until recently, has not had the kind of support that it deserves. The airport has not grown as feverishly as the community surrounding it. Vacaville's growth has put a great strain on the future of the airport. Land value increases put development strain on the use of the land. The land could contribute more revenues as a shopping mall or residences, making the airport an under-achiever in some minds. The Airport General Plan is 15 years old and needs immediate updating. The Nut Tree Airport Advisory Committee voted to ask Solano County to contribute funds for the new general plan, to the tune of $300,000.000. These funds would come back to the county from FAA grants. This would allow Andy Swanson to proceed immediately with General Plan, not wait another year for FAA funding to be approved. What do you think about the Solano County support for our airport so far?

We will discuss ways to promote our airport in this forum. I hope to also cover methods that might help us support the future of the Nut Tree Airport.

The Friends of the Nut Tree Airport, (FONTA) is forming. Organizing at this point, developing the charter, by-laws, incorporation papers and non-profit status. The board of directors will be announced soon, as the paperwork is completed. The mission of this group is published at www.friendsofnuttreeairport.com. If you would like to get active go to their website. Use it as a resource for your advocacy activities concerning the Nut Tree Airport. You will find contact information for those State and Federal elected officials, County Supervisors, City officials and others. The site also lists a chronological events report for Nut Tree Airport News.

Visit the Airport and look around. Also, visit the websites: www.solanopilots.com, www.Nuttreeairport.com, and www.EAA1230.com. These sites are informational only. Nothing to purchase, just more input about what the airport and it's users are about.

You can also become active in our local Chamber of Commerce, attend City Planning Commission and City Counsel meetings and let everyone know about your views here at the NTAF (Nut Tree Airport Forum).