quade 4 #1 January 27, 2003 http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/news/stories/20030126/localnews/855561.html Quote Skydiving business closes By CARL BURNETT JR. The Eagle-Gazette Staff -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Taylor Air Sports has folded it's last parachute and closed it's doors at the Fairfield County Airport. "We told them we were not going to renew their lease when it runs out next May," said Steve Goodyear, president of the Fairfield County Airport Authority. Gene Taylor, president of Taylor Air Sports, said they decided to close the doors Jan. 1. Taylor Air Sports provided parachute training for students and carried out jumps at the airport during good weather. Taylor said they were running approximately 1,000 students through the school a year and providing between 3,000 and 4,000 jumps a year. "We've been there for 14 years, and I spent the last two years there full-time trying to make it a go," Taylor said. Goodyear said one of the reasons for not renewing the lease was concern about the number of jumps being made onto the runways with the air traffic coming into the airport, especially on the weekends. Taylor said the closure and the non-renewed lease was partly political and partly because he just didn't want to bother with it anymore. Ron Houser, a member of the Taylor Air Sports Skydiving team, said he would miss it. "Taylor Air Sports has run a safe, fun and friendly operation at the Fairfield County Airport since 1988," Houser said. "Their safety record is impeccable, as any of their customers can attest to." Houser said Taylor was the life at the airport. "Taylor Air Sports actually breathed life into the Fairfield County Airport. On Saturdays and Sundays, when TAS was open for business, a majority of the cars in the parking lot belonged to TAS members or skydiving spectators. There were countless people who had no interest in the airport or flying at all who would come there to watch the skydivers," said Houser. "With the departure of TAS and Gene Taylor from the Fairfield County Airport, that facility will lose a very valuable resource of aviation knowledge and experience. These are qualities that any airport of that size would be proud and happy to have available to it." Taylor said that he was looking around and trying to find a place to base the school, but it had been a tough couple of years. "If we don't find something by the beginning of the season, sometime by April or May, we will quit," Taylor said. "It's too bad, but that's life. I quit a lucrative full-time career to pursue this, but business is tough enough without having to fight the Good Ole Boy network at the Airport Authority. It's time to move on." Goodyear said the airport was looking to use the hanger for other aircraft. Originally published Sunday, January 26, 2003 quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #2 January 27, 2003 So imagine an airport shooting themselves in the foot... I wonder if they've thought through the amount of money they're loosing from fuel sales and the government from the increased numbers of take offs and landings they have due to jump aircraft... That sort of ignorance on the part of airport officials is frustrating. I've seen it first hand with my DZ, pilots hate jumpers for not very good reasons and usually for outlandish crap that they heard from someone once, nothing actually true.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #3 January 27, 2003 Its sad to see this DZ close as its only 20 minutes from my house and it usually had a nice vibe for a 2 182 DZ. Gene recently had a King Air at the DZ, but I never got to jump it since there were'nt enough people there when I was. And accourding to one of the staff members last year, TAS brought thier fuel in from off airport. Also just off the DZ was the meanist Farmer McNasty I've ever heard of, threating jumpers with his shotgun and filing lawsuits and complaints about low airplanes and jumpers. The town of Lancaster is undergoing some rapid growth due to a lot of civil projects (new highway bypass) and a large amount of people moving there from Columbus. Last I was out at the airport there was only 2 tie down areas open and that was after they expanded the tarmac area. Many times jump planes would be in traffic waiting to take off. The airport is the one of choice for private pilots in the southeast portion of Columbus since its out side the Class B around CMH and its a nice facility. I'll miss the DZ but due to some intense advertising by one of the DZ's thats about 90 minutes away, a general lack of good vibes about the area just off the DZ and just the nature of DZ's and the economy... its not a total shock. I do wish Gene and Karen the best of luck in finding another area to open a DZ at if they chose to.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
