Just wondering

By Cane Cutter
Published/Last Modified on Saturday, June 27, 2009 12:38 PM CDT

I am from the outside looking in. I always wondered why Acadiana Regional Airport was so under utilized. It has the capabilities of landing some of the bigger jets flying today. To me it is a jewel in the ruff. ARA would have the capability of shutting down Lafayette Regional. Or is that the problem, a political one? There would be all sorts of possibilities that could be realized with an infusement of money to expand ARA; from freight, passenger, oil related, etc. It is such a waste. Can someone enlighten me as to why such an impressive asset is being wasted.

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Comments

    I was There wrote on Jul 21, 2009 10:53 PM:

    " Scooter, when Jeanerette gets a REAL runway like ARA, please come back and tell us that again. "

    Scooter wrote on Jul 14, 2009 5:29 PM:

    " Y'all are all missing the boat-the reason ARA isn't going anywhere is because Iberia already has one premier airport (Jeanerette International) and can't support two "

    Great Pumpkin wrote on Jul 9, 2009 2:17 PM:

    " To D.Hertz:

    You are confused. The Great Pumpkin is all for growth of aviation commerce in Iberia Parish.

    I am pleased that some in here have joined us with a more positive or at least have shifted to a neutral attitude toward growing ARA aircraft operations.

    Aircraft jobs are good jobs and many times are growth jobs. "

    MR CLEAN wrote on Jul 9, 2009 11:33 AM:

    " To D. Hertz:

    I wholeheartedly agree. Touche!

    I have lived all around the state, and I like it here in New Iberia - better than anywhere! "

    D. Hertz wrote on Jul 9, 2009 10:08 AM:

    " To Great Pumpkin:

    If you are an aviator and have any serious concern for your own safety and the safety of the others you fly in your Cirrus, then you need to help, not hurt, the fight against encroachments at ARA.

    If we do not take a stand, we will wake up one day and not have a viable airport.

    Also, we have the room and facilities to support heavy aircraft industry. What is your big opposition to attracting this kind of business to ARA?

    Maybe you are just enjoying the thought of retirement. "

    D. Hertz wrote on Jul 8, 2009 9:17 PM:

    " To Mr. Clean:

    I actually love living in New Iberia. I am just stating that it would be really nice to utilize such a marvelous facility like ARA to provide higher paying, skilled jobs to the people who live here.

    I like this area even more because of the spirited debates in these forums. "

    Great Pumpkin wrote on Jul 8, 2009 6:37 PM:

    " Great Pumpkin is pleased to see a general softening of attitudes toward stronger aviation commerce at ARA.

    Great Pumpkin thanks all of you whom have stayed the course and most especially those of you whom have softened for a positive re-think.

    ARA can be anything we want it to be. But it will take positive attitudes and strong planning.

    What is or is not going on in Lafayette is fine, but most of us aviators in Iberia Parish dont give a hoot to hear about Lafayette. "

    MR CLEAN wrote on Jul 8, 2009 3:29 PM:

    " To D. Hertz: Sorry to butt in, but what's wrong with living in New Iberia?

    I love it here. Not too big, not too small. There are problems, but that's everywhere!

    And note that I've lived in Haynesville, Arcadia, Vivian, Lake Providence, Oakdale, Metairie, Hammond, DeRidder, Rayville, Rayne, Lafayette....just to name a few. My father was a minister. We moved around a lot. "

    D. Hertz wrote on Jul 8, 2009 8:33 AM:

    " I read yesterday that the States have only received about 10% of the stimulus money from the federal government. THere is 90% left to 'give" to the states.

    To you naysayers, why don't you come up with some reasonable ideas on projects that would benefit the airport and aviation industry instead of preaching your same worn out arguments over and over? "

    I Was There wrote on Jul 6, 2009 10:24 PM:

    " Sorry guys, but I don't think I'll join your club today. After Naval Avation at New Iberia I worked over thirty years for an aircraft manufacturer. The last project I worked on before retirement was the C-17. Don't get me wrong. I wish ARA well. I would like to see what became of NAAS New Iberia prosper. In a couple of years when the economy as a whole picks up perhaps it will. "

    D. Hertz wrote on Jul 4, 2009 11:23 PM:

    " You doubter types are a joke. You probably think that your last payraise of $1.00 more an hour was something to behold.

    To people that own businesses and see the potential in the aviation industry, you guys are a nuisance.

    You truly deserve to live in New Iberia. "

    The Great Pumpkin wrote on Jul 4, 2009 10:27 PM:

    " To I was there:

    The Great Pumpkin approves of aviation commerce in Iberia Parish. The Great Pumpkin is pleased Tom is crossing over, and looks to have "I was there" streching his wings and fueling his aviation intellect to cross over.

    The Great Pumpkin prescribes an I.Q. of only 130 to join the roster of aviation commerce-ers in Iberia Parish........certainly "I was there is a canidate! "

    Red Baron wrote on Jul 4, 2009 10:18 PM:

    " to I was there:

    You are a great student of local Aviation History. So why don't you tune in to aviation commerce and turn your aviation intellect into product?, ...........too many years on "not my job" government payrolls dulled you out? "

    Sky King wrote on Jul 4, 2009 10:12 PM:

    " to Tom:

    You can join our club if you take an oath to aviation commerce and memorize that about 300 airports in America close each year at the hands of land-grabbing industrial freaks, and we do not want ARA to be one of them.

    The Lafayette airport is landlocked and is immediately populated around the periphery..........leaving marginal crash zone.

    Therefore ARA is in a more plausible aircraft industries growth contention than the Lafayette airport.

    I think you need to be holding the funeral for Lafayette Apt., not ARA. "

    interesting wrote on Jul 4, 2009 7:24 PM:

    " Could possibly shut down Lafayette airport? Who are you kidding....lol. The director at the airport before and now still can't get AVEX to pay their bills on time making the airport late in paying what they need to pay to the parish council. Avex is the main rental income the airport has and you think they could take over Lafayette. Time to do some serious thinking on that statement. Sounds like this should be in the comic section of the newspaper. Avex has never pair their bills on time and were almost put out. "

    I was There wrote on Jul 4, 2009 5:48 PM:

    " Tom, you can join their club only if you believe in The Great Pumpkin "

    Tom wrote on Jul 4, 2009 12:54 PM:

    " To Red Baron and Sky King.

    OK guys, you win. From now on I will call myself Snoopy and live atop my doghouse.

    Now, can I join your club? "

    D. Hertz. wrote on Jul 4, 2009 12:32 PM:

    " Lack of vision. That's what this whole area is suffering from. Some of you are right, ARA will never amount to anything with sourpuss attitudes like yours.

    Our federal government is spending money like crazy, some of which could come this way and you naysayer old forts are still preaching demise.

    If you can't support the idea of commerce, just stay quiet and fly off into the sunset of soap operas and social security. "

    Red Baron wrote on Jul 3, 2009 10:13 PM:

    " to isn't remarkable:

    From your comments I surmise you are not a pilot or aircraft owner. Accordingly you have nothing to talk about.

    However longer runways save lives when the chips are down for aircraft with mechanical trouble or when landing in critical weather.

    The extra long runway at ARA exceeds the emergency safety margin of "airports within a 30 minute flight".

    How many aircraft do you own and how much flying time do you have-thats what I thought. "

    Red Baron wrote on Jul 3, 2009 10:05 PM:

    " Tom:

    We will send the industrial stuff to your backyard because we do not want it on our airport, and whereas you sidestep installing the brain dead jobs on the Lafayette Airport.

    You must have been toatally disconected from aviation commerce while leveled out on stress pills as a controller.

    Airports can indeed be self-supporting with proper management.

    Now why dont you go out and by you an airplane if you want to get connected and have something to talk about? "

    Cajunator wrote on Jul 3, 2009 1:52 PM:

    " Have any of you considered the new survey results recently released? Lafayette was the only city in Louisiana to have increased in population since the 2001 census survey. How can anyone think that we need two airports so close together? Developing Acadiana Regional would be more of a waste of money that John Mertha airport. But what the heck, we're already the laughing stock of the nation. That's all the country needs is another empty "airport to nowhere". Maybe we could get Hurricane Chris to perform there. "

    Tom wrote on Jul 3, 2009 11:51 AM:

    " Sky King. Stop patting yourself on the back. I have fifteen years as a military pilot but that doesn’t qualify me as a business guru.

    My opinion is there is no reason to spend money on an airport that isn’t going to ever recover the expenditure. ARA has a lot of land that could be donated/sold cheap to attract high paying industry. Why not use it for that?

    Not sure what your agenda is, but trying to make a mini JFK out of ARA just isn’t going to work. "

    Sky King wrote on Jul 3, 2009 7:31 AM:

    " Only in Iberia Parish can one with no aircraft credentials be an instant expert on all things aircraft and aircraft commerce.

    It feels good to know that after 30 years of commercial aviation involvement, I am no longer lonely for peer exchanges.

    One overwhelming characteristic of you shoplifted aviaition experts I notice however is the doom and gloom.

    Us real aviation experts are positive and calculated.

    Be careful when you walk outside all you shoplifted aviation experts, the sky might be falling. "

    I Was There wrote on Jul 2, 2009 12:42 AM:

    " The Army Air Corps started construction in 1942 and completed two 4000 foot runways in 1945 as the war ended. The Navy purchased what became the Navy Base in 1954. Construction of a single 8000 foot runway was started in 1958 and the base opened in 1960. I was there from 1962 through the end in 1964. And yes, I did turn some of the lights out. For some of the above dates I referenced a Daily Iberian article by Jeff Moore that I saved several years ago. "

    just isnt marketable wrote on Jul 1, 2009 5:58 PM:

    " Despite all the dreamy rose colored rhetoric, ARA has nothing of any value that is unique. It's long runway is simply not needed by 99.9% of the airplanes in service, and that is ALL that is there. There is no other infrastructure. There is nothing for a recruiter to sell. There are a dozen other better facilities within a 30 minute flight. The Russian Antinov might make a stop once every few years, but other than that, it has little to offer anyone. "

    Master Sparks wrote on Jul 1, 2009 10:26 AM:

    " The Air strip was in military operations as early as 1954, From 1946 to 54 it was a cival base.
    To I was there: ( Jokingly) I guess you're the one who turned off the lights. "

    Entertained wrote on Jul 1, 2009 10:16 AM:

    " To I was there: I believe the date of origin is slightly off. Four years is a very short life for all that was built there by the Navy.Can anybody clarify the construction date? "

    I Was There wrote on Jun 30, 2009 10:01 PM:

    " zzrider, the runway was built in 1959-60. The Navy did not leave because of the sugarcane farmers. The Navy left because of a decision made by the Secretary of the Navy. The Navy signed the base over to the US Civil Service on the morning of December 31st, 1964. I remember that because I was the last enlisted man to leave the Navy base that morning. Not sure what the date was when the Civil Service signed the base over to ARA and LSU. "

    Tom wrote on Jun 30, 2009 5:28 PM:

    " Sky King.

    If you have the means of “sending Industrial Complex stuff” anywhere, send it to ARA. The unemployed in our town would appreciate that. Also, if the city or parish were able to attract an industrial that would employ 10-100 people, I wouldn’t call it “industrial junk”.

    My initial response was based on my experience as a staff ATC officer responsible for twenty-five ATC facilities. Doesn’t make an expert but does make me question why anyone would want an “infusion of money” for a facility that’s never going to have any traffic. "

    Sky King wrote on Jun 29, 2009 8:25 PM:

    " Tom:

    Nobody is talking about shutting down any airport, anywhere.

    We here in Iberia Parish dont give a hoot what goes on at the Lafayette airport.

    In fact since you say the Lafayette airport is under capacity I will look into sending Industrial Complex stuff to the Lafayette Airport Authority, what is good for Iberia should go even better for you high class Lafayetters.

    You see many of us here in Iberia want aircraft stuff on the airports, not industrial junk.

    We get by fine here in Iberia Parish without the prescriptions of Lafayette lovers. "

    zzriderr wrote on Jun 29, 2009 5:05 PM:

    " This airport has been here since 65 along with a stream of military income and jobs that were forced to leave because of agricultural might versus the better good of the community. New Iberia is lost in the dark ages, full of people witn money and power that have dark hearts and selfish goals.sugarcane production brings in more for the few and darn the majority, yet the corrupt ones pit black against white and both are too igonorant to see its the rich versus the poor and the fools continue to pick their colors "

    Tom wrote on Jun 28, 2009 5:34 PM:

    " TO Cane Cutter

    It is underutilized because it was overbuilt and unneeded.

    Lafayette airport is way under capacity and is only a few miles from Acadiana Regional. Why would anyone other than civil aviation and helicopters want to use Acadiana?

    Do you really think a small town airport could shut down an airport in a major city like Lafayette?

    ARA should concentrate on expanding its industrial complex and forget about becoming a major airport. "

    MRS wrote on Jun 28, 2009 5:21 PM:

    " EXCELLENT question!! "

    Barbara Sue wrote on Jun 28, 2009 3:55 PM:

    " Lay off the Crack Pipe you guys.....no one in their right mind is going to drive 20 extra miles to catch a plane to Dallas or Houston when they can catch the plane in Lafayette,. It just ain't gonna happen Wake up ! "

    old eagle wrote on Jun 28, 2009 1:36 PM:

    " it would be too noisy - we like our peace 'n quite...... "

    Sky King wrote on Jun 28, 2009 7:33 AM:

    " Cane Cutter:

    The Iberia Parish Airport Authority never saw fit to budget for a part time airport business recruiter. They never saw fit to hire a full time airport business recruiter either.

    Only very recently was a rather lame web-site put up.

    At least the new airports manager has begun to grasp that airport recruiting cannot run on automatic.

    Yes, I very much agree this airport could do more with some vision and persistence! "

    Money wrote on Jun 27, 2009 10:32 PM:

    " It hasn't been developed because leaders of the past didn't want it to be. The only thing the ARA has is ONE large runway. You would have to invest $100 million to do anything with this airport. Sewage (there is none), Major Road Infrastructure, land development not to mention adding at least 1-2 more runways. Its never going to happen when you have a city/parish 4 times the size in population, money, revenue with infrustructure and buisness 20 miles down the road. The best ARA will be is what it is now an industrial & private plane airport. "

    D. Hertz wrote on Jun 27, 2009 6:33 PM:

    " The underdevelopment of ARA is due to years of our local leaders being asleep at the switch. It is pathetic to think that we have such a great facility with more land to develop aviation industry than any community around and the local leaders have not seen fit to invest in it.

    Shame on our local leaders for all of these years. They have been busy trying to figure out how to pad their pockets and win reelection to care about a great source of pride for this area. "

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