2007 Aircraft Owners & Pilots Assoc. Expo in CT This Weekend - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

SwampYankee · #1 10-04-2007, 01:54 PM

I know there are a number of airplane enthusiasts here, and it's probably too late for anyone interested that already didn't know about, but it's a pretty big deal for CT.

They're expecting about 1800 private aircraft to fly in today through Saturday. While the new planes and equipment are all at the Convention Center, there is a display of private aircraft at the airport that is open to the public and free admission. My parents went up there for lunch and said they've got everything from biplanes to seaplanes to private jets.

Our neighborhood is right in the flight path of the planes who ignore the approach instructions so there should be a lot of neat stuff flying over the next couple days. It ought to really rile up the newcomers to the neighborhood that whine about the plane traffic!

Brainard Sealed Deal For Big Convention

By ERIC GERSHON
Courant Staff Writer
October 1, 2007

For this jackpot, Hartford has Brainard Airport to thank.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association - the world's largest pilots group - originally planned to hold its 2007 convention in Atlantic City. But when New Jersey's seaside gambling capital decided to close its secondary airport, the 413,000-member AOPA started scouting other East Coast sites.

Hartford's shiny new convention center made it a contender. But it was the state-owned Brainard - which itself has been threatened with closure - that helped seal the deal. AOPA typically needs multiple airports to handle the large number of participants who fly themselves to the event, plus room for showcasing scores of display aircraft.

Together, Bradley International Airport and Brainard can do the heavy lifting, with other small airports as backup.

"Without Brainard, Hartford would have been a much harder sell," said Chris Dancy, a spokesman for AOPA, which is expecting 10,000 people to attend its convention Thursday through Saturday in Hartford. "It was a huge factor for us."

And so it happened that Brainard - targeted for redevelopment as a non-aviation facility - helped the 2-year-old Connecticut Convention Center book what will likely be its biggest convention ever, weather permitting.

"This has opened my eyes as to what an asset Brainard is," said H. Scott Phelps, president of the Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau. The airport, Hartford's first, is now part of the bureau's standard pitch to convention planners, he said.

State transportation officials said they are preparing for 1,800 private aircraft to fly into the area during the three-day convention - more than typically fly into Bradley in a month. Officials say Bradley and Brainard will be able to provide parking for 600 aircraft at a time.

About 70 show aircraft, including restored antiques and recent designs, will be on display at Brainard, and open to the public. These planes start arriving today.

No New England city has ever hosted a national AOPA convention, but roughly 33,000 active pilots live within 100 miles of Hartford, the association said.

To prepare for the onslaught of aircraft, the airports and their fixed-base operators - companies that provide services for private aircraft - have imported extra help from around the country, ordered extra fuel trucks and, at Brainard, closed a spare runway for use as an aircraft parking lot.

Regional airports in Simsbury, Windham and elsewhere may offer overflow parking, if necessary.

"It's a real opportunity to shine," said Stephen Korta, the former state transportation commissioner who is Bradley's acting administrator.

The same could be said for Hartford and its region, which will get a chance to present themselves to an affluent group of conventioneers. AOPA alternates the site of its convention between the East Coast and California.

"Not all the attendees go to every event, so they'll be out and about, even on the opening night," Phelps said.

Conveniently, he said, the International Jazz Festival will also be underway in Hartford.

So far, conventioneers have booked about 5,700 hotel rooms for the convention, officials said. All told, AOPA's event is expected to pump $10 million into the local economy.

Most of the action will be at the convention center itself, where more than 580 exhibitors will advertise products and services, from aircraft equipment to flight instruction, and experts will lead seminars on safety (among them, "Mistakes Pilots Make: Top Five Accident Causes" and "The Ups and Downs of Takeoffs and Landings"), jokes ("Rod Machado's Aviation Humor") and emerging aircraft types ("Very Light Jets").

Other scheduled seminars include "Buying Your First Airplane," "Fly-in Destinations in the East" and "What You Should Know About Aging Airplanes."

An association of female pilots has planned a breakfast with astronaut Catherine "Cady" Coleman, at the Marriott Hotel next to the Convention Center.

Erik Lindbergh, a grandson of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, is scheduled to participate in a talk for non-pilots called "Invitation to Fly." Growing the number of licensed pilots in the United States (and its own membership) is a major goal for AOPA.

Another chief goal of the association: preserving small airports like Brainard, the subject of the convention's Friday general session, "Where Will You Land?"

Like other small airports in Connecticut and nationwide, Brainard has caught the eye of developers. Just last year the Metropolitan District Commission proposed closing it to make way for a mixed-use development that would include housing and light industry supported by a trash-to-energy plant.

Dee8go · #2 10-04-2007, 02:11 PM

I'm sure there are a lot of big spenders in that crowd, too! That shouldn't hurt the local economy at all.

SwampYankee · #3 10-04-2007, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee8go

I'm sure there are a lot of big spenders in that crowd, too! That shouldn't hurt the local economy at all.

Funny you should mention that, I just came across the estimates for Thur-Sat:

10,000 expected to attend
1,800 private aircraft flying in
5,700 hotel rooms already booked
$10 million in expected revenue

Not too shabby for a 3 day event, for these parts at least! Hartford is trying like hell to become a player in the mid-size city market, and while I don't agree with all of their efforts and expenditures, this was a nice nugget to fall into its lap. Granted it's no Atlantic City, but the area around the Convention Center is developing nicely (although far from finished) and the two largest casinos in the world are only 30-40 minutes away for those who really want to gamble.

Mistress · #4 10-04-2007, 02:25 PM

One day, I'll be able to get off the porch and fly with the big boys....Until then, it's the tuna can.

Dee8go · #5 10-04-2007, 02:25 PM

Here's a chance to find out how good those people you elect in the local elections really are.

SwampYankee · #6 10-04-2007, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee8go

Here's a chance to find out how good those people you elect in the local elections really are.

Geez, thanks for throwing a wrench into the gears, Dee. I hadn't thought about how bad they could F it up! Although in my defense, there isn't a single politician in the state of CT that has anything to do with anything that I can take credit for voting into office

SwampYankee · #7 10-04-2007, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress

One day, I'll be able to get off the porch and fly with the big boys....Until then, it's the tuna can.

Yeah, but there's lots of shiny stuff to look at in the mean time! It's like boat shows for me, I rarely miss them because that's the only time I'll ever see the inside of the big new ones. Keeps me motivated, though!

Dee8go · #8 10-04-2007, 02:38 PM

Sorry 'bout that, Swamp. It's just that it seems to me that attracting business to one's city is one of the more important things the elected folks should be doing. How well they do at that seems to say a lot about their performance in general.

SwampYankee · #9 10-04-2007, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee8go

Sorry 'bout that, Swamp. It's just that it seems to me that attracting business to one's city is one of the more important things the elected folks should be doing. How well they do at that seems to say a lot about their performance in general.

"Should" being the operative word. That's debateable here, it's more like "In spite of".

Hartford is a microcosm of CT which is a microcosm of New England. Hartford just went through a reassessment. As a result many small businesses saw their taxes increase 90-100%. Lo an behold, many started to close up shop and move to the suburbs (thank you Hartford!). We (Hartford/CT/N.E.) are hemorrhaging businesses like crazy, usually to the south, and our elected officials can't figure out why. So in order to make up for the lost revenue they increase the business taxes. Which makes more businesses question the value of staying here. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!

The state legislature and most of our city politicians lean heavily towards the anti-business side, which I know is cliche and talking point-esque, but they truly are. You can only poke companies with a stick for so long before they say screw you and move to where they're wanted. Dammit, you got me into a political discussion

Mistress · #10 10-04-2007, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

Yeah, but there's lots of shiny stuff to look at in the mean time! It's like boat shows for me, I rarely miss them because that's the only time I'll ever see the inside of the big new ones. Keeps me motivated, though!

Buddy Davis....

Dee8go · #11 10-04-2007, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

"Should" being the operative word. That's debateable here, it's more like "In spite of".

Hartford is a microcosm of CT which is a microcosm of New England. Hartford just went through a reassessment. As a result many small businesses saw their taxes increase 90-100%. Lo an behold, many started to close up shop and move to the suburbs (thank you Hartford!). We (Hartford/CT/N.E.) are hemorrhaging businesses like crazy, usually to the south, and our elected officials can't figure out why. So in order to make up for the lost revenue they increase the business taxes. Which makes more businesses question the value of staying here. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!

The state legislature and most of our city politicians lean heavily towards the anti-business side, which I know is cliche and talking point-esque, but they truly are. You can only poke companies with a stick for so long before they say screw you and move to where they're wanted. Dammit, you got me into a political discussion

My God, don't tell me Marion Barry has moved to Hartford and become your mayor now!

SwampYankee · #12 10-04-2007, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress

Buddy Davis....

Stop it!!! If money were no object and I could have ANY boat (megayachts included) it would be a BD 70 Sportfish. Midnight Blue hull, red bootstripe.

SwampYankee · #13 10-04-2007, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee8go

My God, don't tell me Marion Barry has moved to Hartford and become your mayor now!

Illegal drugs and prostitutes aren't so much the problem. It's more along the lines of fraud, embezzlement, bribery, mob connections, quid pro quo with state contractors and pedophiles.

Dee8go · #14 10-04-2007, 04:00 PM

You think M Barry stopped at drugs and prostitutes?!

WVOtoGO · #15 10-04-2007, 06:16 PM

We do the NBAA conventions. Kind of expected to.

DJ is a 99 (International Organization of Women Pilots) and a Whirly Girl (International Women Helicopter Pilots). So we do those gatherings quite often.

We’re both EAA and IAC members for some odd reason or another. So we do Oshkosh just for the parties with folks we know. (But don’t care much for EAA politics.)

Both are AOPA members as well. But, never attend the APOA meetings.

Same for the CAF. Pretty much keeps us up to speed on parts locators.

Mistress – You should join the 99s ASAP. Pending your areas membership, you could have some fun with those gals. Of all the zillion and one aviation clubs and/or organizations you can get involved with, the 99’s are worth your time. The rest of them that we are part of (about 15 ttl.) are pretty much a nifty magazine and that’s about it.