City officials

[R.Perry]

I get a request from the city of Clovis California to map the ponds at 4111 N Winery Ave, Clovis, CA. Mapping requested altitude requested, 250, no problem other than the ponds are right at the end of the normal departure of Fresno International Airport runways. I don't think there is any chance of getting authorization but I will try. I get a call from the city manager and his comment is "If I give you permission to fly there, you can fly there."
Ok, you have the airport shut down for a couple hours while I do my flights, and you get permission from the FAA and I will get your ponds mapped. He through a temper tantrum and said he would get a real professional to do the job, I told him he was an idiot, and go for it. I don't think we are friends anymore.

So if any of you professionals out there want a job, go for it.

 

[R.Perry]

Forgot to post it.

 

[Volatus Drones]

Scary that a government official isn’t taking the advice of a licensed professional!

 

[BigAl07]

Wow!! I'd let the FSDO in on this as they definitely need to make a phone call and "enlighten" that county official. If this was my area I would be glad to give them a call as a FAASTean Member.

If you need me to do anything let me know.

Allen

 

[MapMaker53]

BigAl07 beat me to the same comment. That guy poses an eminent danger to the airport and the public, especially if a drone pilot believes he has clearance to fly just because that idiot says he does. You did the right thing, R.Perry.

 

[R.Perry]

It is my understanding he is going to call either the airport or FAA today, would love to ease drop on that conversation. LAANC wouldn't even submit the request, go figure, but I tried.

 

[R.Perry]

Wow!! I'd let the FSDO in on this as they definitely need to make a phone call and "enlighten" that county official. If this was my area I would be glad to give them a call as a FAASTean Member.

If you need me to do anything let me know.

Allen

Thanks BigA, I really doubt if he is going to find anyone that knows how to do mapping that would be so stupid to try it.
I will call the FAA in Fresno and advise them of the comment and attitude. I tried to explain to him that his city authority ends as soon as one leaves the ground and is air born.

 

[Kristina Fowler]

Never forget: the PIC always has the final word.

 

[cfimuncie]

Yeah...they think they own the place. A local Mayor went over the airport managers head and took it upon himself to send out a road salt truck to the local airport and salt the runway during a icing event. Very corrosive to aircraft. The airport manager had to have the fire department come out and wash the entire 5000' runway.

 

[R.Perry]

5000' feet is s short runway, to short for heavies. He was lucky it wasn't eight to nine thousand feet.

 

[PatR]

Scary that a government official isn’t taking the advice of a licensed professional!

Even more scary is a city official thinking he controls the airspace. His authority is limited to hangars, buildings, and auto parking areas. Anything an aircraft rolls on or flys from at Fresno belongs to the Feds.

 

[Deleted Member 998]

I would have tried to get the approval the right way and charged him a hefty fee.

 

[R.Perry]

Just an update on this incident, it seems the person that called me wasn't the city manager, because I spoke with him and he was very interested in finding out who called me, seems he got a hot phone call from the folks at the airport. He definitely wasn't the person that called me. The gentleman that called me from the city offices was very support of the airports authority in such matters.