Interim City Manager Mark Foxworth has announced that Sam Carver, who currently manages the Witham Field/Martin County, Florida Airport has accepted the job of Fernandina Beach’s next airport director.
Carver has almost 30 years’ experience in the airport industry and has extensive knowledge of FAA funding and policies.
He also has innovative ideas to make the airport part of the larger Fernandina Beach community, Foxworth said. His anticipated start date is May 30.
Foxworth thanked HR Director Denise Matson and former airport director Nate Coyle for culling through the applications and conducting in-depth interviews, which led to identifying Carver as the ideal candidate to take the helm at the airport.
Sam: just leave the soccer fields alone!
Replace the airport with a sports complex. Build More; soccer fields, pickleball courts, and another 18 holes with walking trails. sell enough of the property to cover the cost. Those 3-4 execs can fly into JAX instead.
Please educate the flight schools out of Craig that frequently ignore FHB Noise Abatement guidelines.
Where are those published?
Fernandina airport noise abatement rules can be found here:
https://www.fbfl.us/994/Airport-Noise-Abatement
If you are interested in visually tracking individual aircraft in (almost) real time, FlightAware has the best (free) website that I know of. RadarBox and Flightradar24 also track aircraft, but their free versions aren’t as useful.
Note that none of the websites track 100% of the aircraft, but at least 90% will be visible on their tracking maps.
Thanks…..reading the guidelines, I wonder which one Anonymous views as being “frequently” violated? I don’t see many turn crosswind below 800 feet, although it is hard to tell if they are over water yet or not when they make that turn. Looking at the map it is impossible not to fly over some “noise sensitive” areas with the exception of 22 departures. With the diurnal winds in the summer bringing in ocean breezes after about 11am, 22 departures would be with an ill-advised tailwind.
Agree that Flightaware is fantastic. It came in very handy when I was working.
The flight schools frequently exceed the 5 touch-n-go limits. typically 8-10. the worst case was 22 back in January. Lately gotten a bit better. And they were all out of CRG. So I don’t think Fernandina got a dime. Just their noise and air pollution.
As Vince pointed out, the “guidelines” are not rules blessed by the FAA…..you can’t really enforce them…..you just ask folks to hopefully comply. I never see the pattern overly full on Sunday’s so I can see why a Flight Instructor may find FHB ideal for training on landings and exceed 5 if his student needs the extra work. Quite often I only see 1 aircraft doing touch and go’s. Corporate jets make the most noise out there…..
Today’s example from Holladay https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N152SJ is currently on 10+ passes. Maybe the FAA needs to put some teeth in its rules.
How much money could the city make selling all 650 acres of airport land? Say if $100k for 1/4 acre, 4 x 650 x $100k = $260,000,000. How does that compare with airport revenue say over 30 years?
Eric the income issue is a ruse. Since the nuisance garnered over 10 million in grants over the past 15 or so years, all the revenue must be used at the airport. None flows to the city. The guidelines about touch and goes are not rules. The FAA would not allow them. The AP has bamboozled the city into doing things citing FAA requirements when ALL construction must originate with the city as the city owns the air port not the FAA, some other government body, not the airport “commission” not the FPO.
The City does not have the authority to sell the airport and close it down. The FAA has a formal procedure if a governmental “owner” wishes to rid itself of management of the airport. If I remember correctly, the county would get first rights of refusal and then the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. As Vince indicated, the airport does not utilize any of the City’s general operating funds but is self sufficient from user fees and grants for the capital projects from the FDOT and FAA.
Dave the city of Santa Monica managed to close its airport after a 30year fight. I am not suggesting this nuisance be closed just pointing that out. The notion The city needs to keep requesting funds to build out this facility is reckless. I doubt there are more than 50 CITY residents who wish to house aircraft there. The point is why do it unless the goal is to turn the city into an air hub. If they wish to do something to upgrade it a runway restraint system should be garnered.
Is the lead in photo a picture of the Fernandina Beach airport in past years?
Appears to be Witham Field in Stuart, FL.
(Thanks, Google Lens.)