Wednesday: FAA meeting on Surf Air route over Bay

I continue to wonder why a private business owned by a non-resident is allowed to use a community airport. How does usage at airports work? Does the airline pay a fee or have a contract of some kind? What about at large, international airports, like SJC or SFO?

As well---another question. Are commercial jets allowed to fly wherever the pilot chooses, under visual conditions?

Thanks

@neighbor,

it's NOT a community airport. The airport has taken Federal money for improvements which makes it an FAA airport.

There are private airports maintained by residential communities and they operate differently.

This airport supports ANYBODY that wants to land there. as long as they can legally (as in aircraft weight and runway requirements) do so.

Roy Thiele-Sardina
SEL, MEl & Instrument

The San Carlos Airport is owned by San Mateo County. It is not owned by the FAA.

The airport is self-supporting--it does not draw from the county's general fund for upkeep or operations. Tenants and businesses like Surf Air all pay lease and concession fees to operate from the airport.

See Web Link for more info.

SQL is not owned by the FAA, but because San Mateo County accepted money from them the FAA gets to say how it is run.

Just like politicians accept $ from special interests and are beholden to them, county administrators accept $ from the FAA and now we have no say in how our local airport is run? Unacceptable!

At neighbor:

Yes, when flying VFR (basically visual conditions only) an aircraft may fly pretty much anywhere. There are laws as to minimum altitude and airspace that is tightly controlled for traffic management (around SFO for example) but otherwise you may fly pretty much anywhere. The only actually restricted airspace is few and far between and are mostly just about nuclear power plants, special government facilities etc...

You should take a discovery flight and you’d love it! $150 and you can view the bay from a totally different perspective for an hour. Totally worth it, trust me!!!!!

91.119 Minimum safe altitudes; general
Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the
following altitudes:
(a) Anywhere – An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without
undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.
(b) Over congested areas – Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over
any open-air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle
within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
(c) Over other than congested areas – An altitude of 500 feet above the surface except over
open water or sparsely populated areas. In that case, the aircraft may not be operated
closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
(d) Helicopters – Helicopters may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed In
paragraph (b) or (c) of this section if the operation is conducted without hazard to persons
or property on the surface. In addition, each person operating a helicopter shall comply
with routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the Administrator.