Any individual aircraft owner can contract with a federally licensed instructor for the instruction they need, not that some third party says they need.” Darryl Eaton, the secretary for the Santa Barbara Flying Club, said he was actually using the flight simulator at Above All when his club got its audit letter from the airport authorities. The addition of Southwest to SBA is expected to bring an influx of travelers from more destinations, giving the local economy an estimated $300 million annual boost and around 1,200 jobs. I was like, ‘Woo!’” exclaimed Cathy Murillo, Santa Barbara’s mayor. Destinations and flight schedules have yet to be determined, but Southwest is expected to release those after the 1st of the year. December 18, 2020, 10:54 AM . Copyright ©2021 Santa Barbara Independent, Inc. Reproduction of material from any Independent.com pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. Airport Commissioner and long-time community member, Captain Karen M. Kahn received the esteemed Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award on March 3rd in the Historic Terminal of the Santa Barbara Airport. Select from premium Santa Barbara Airport of the highest quality. Airport Department; News & Facts. NEWS RELEASE January 5, 2021 Movie Talk Video Conference The City of Santa Maria Public Library is pleased to announce its next Movie Talk Discussion Group Meeting. Kathy Janega-Dykes, Visit Santa Barbara President and CEO, says one of the main reasons Southwest chose Santa Barbara was a change in their business model; the airline is now looking at destinations and regions with a strong leisure and tourism base. While the airport could limit flight instruction at a club, that felt like a heavy-handed tactic, she said, because too much instruction was not typically an issue on airfields, which are highly interested in safety. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Latest News; Community News; Routes Magazine; Routes Aviation Podcast; More. His instructor, appalled, texted an apology, Williams said. Channel City Flyers was started by three pilots, one of them Mike Fountaine, who is also a certified flight instructor. Channel City Flyers was given a reprieve until the end of January to conform to the airport’s new rules, though Zachrisson said they were still attempting to find a compromise. The new owner, a Chinese company, managed it from Orange County. By Scanner Andrew City and county firefighters are responding to an Alert 2, aircraft emergency, at the Santa Barbara Airport. Three million dollars in federal grant money could hang in the balance. SBA - Santa Barbara Municipal Airport Current Conditions. Current Weather Forecast. SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Santa Barbara Airport will have a new airline providing flights in 2021. 42°F (6°C) Wind-- kts. Spitfire gave up its lease at Santa Barbara’s airport in October 2020. Williams finished his time with other instructors, including Mike Fountaine. Airport observers speculated it was chiefly a means for Chinese pilots to practice English and that Spitfire had been a shell company for several years. 500 Fowler Rd., Santa Barbara CA, US 93117----At this airport, it is currently-- -- ----Current Delay Status. Current Weather Conditions. A wrecked plane and the body of its pilot have been raised from the ocean floor nearly a week after it crashed off the Southern California coast. Visibility. The Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, From Goleta to Carpinteria will host a virtual State of the County for release on Friday, December 11 th, 9 – 10:30AM.. “Are you going to take flight lessons from someone who pulls up in a car?” he asked. JetPhotos.com is the biggest database of aviation photographs with over 4 million screened photos online! The Sullivans made a verbal complaint to the FAA in 2018, which resulted in a letter from George Aiken, the airports compliance program manager for the FAA’s Western-Pacific Region. Saying he wanted the airport to resolve the issue — and prevent FAA investigation and action — Aiken reminded SBA of the need to avoid unjust discrimination among its tenants, organizations, and persons “authorized by the airport sponsor to engage in commercial aeronautical activities at the airport, but who are not actual lessees at the airport with leased facilities.”. After a record-breaking 2019, Santa Barbara Airport is ending twenty at a near stand still, but a big lift is coming. The airline said Wednesday it … Grid; List; Southwest adds two new California destinations. 26-Dec-2020. Find the perfect Santa Barbara Airport stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. In November, the airport added a flight to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport also through Allegiant. For most pilots in an urban area like Santa Barbara, the thrill of flying starts with instruction, and the person who teaches you to fly matters. It’s mostly a grudge match, a fact that even airport staff acknowledges. That's good news for air travel and the South Coast economy. VIEW SBA DEPARTURES. When they’re able to catch an airplane to visit their sister, their friends, have fun, they’re looking forward to doing that,” said Murillo. The Telegraph. Many have told the Independent the Sullivans’ complaint feels personal. “The purpose of a flying club is not to teach people how to fly.”. Downloads; Careers ; Media Centre; Charity Partnerships; ASM; Aviation Week Network; A message from the President of Aviation Week; Search Search: Close. As a new club, nearly half its members are students trying for their pilot’s license. DELAY STATUS LOW. Santa Barbara Airport. Southwest announced Wednesday that starting in the second quarter of 2021, it intends to serve the Santa Barbara Airport. Even the airport agrees that the field’s two clubs can allow its members to be instructed in club aircraft; the question is how much, a point the FAA leaves up to airports to determine. David Williams is on the boards of both the Santa Barbara and Channel City clubs. A second school, Spitfire Aviation, was caught up in an insurance scheme in 2014 and soon changed hands. Spitfire gave up its lease at Santa Barbara’s airport in October 2020. In order to comply, Thompson’s staff asked both clubs for a membership audit in order to find out just how many student pilots they had. Fun Fact: I live right across the street from KSBA! Southwest Airlines is on its way and this news channel's Ryan Fisher reports. Among the speakers was one of Channel City’s student pilots. “This certainly makes our destination more competitive for all types of travel; visiting friends and family, vacationers, meeting attendees when we’re able to start booking conferences, and business travel.”. Use this page here to login for your Independent subscription. The Sullivans kicked him out of the flight school, he said, even though he’d spent $10,000 on lessons with them. Cost Calculator. SANTA BARBARA, CA – In a move that City of Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo calls a “game changer for our entire region,” Southwest Airlines announced today its ‘intent to serve’ Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) beginning in the 2 nd quarter of 2021. At December’s commission meeting, Thompson announced the airport would send a request for proposal to enlist a second flight school. Fountaine asserts it holds 85-90 percent of the flight instruction at the airport. Reporting a Learjet 60 with landing gear issues. What differentiates a club from a school is that clubs cannot operate as a for-profit or compete with commercial tenants of the airport in any way, such as offering transportation, photo tours, or instruction to nonmembers. He’d taught flying at the airport for 26 years in various capacities, including through his own flight school Fountaine Aviation from 1996 to 2003. Southwest Airlines plans to begin serving Santa Barbara Airport and Fresno Yosemite International Airport next year. The Santa Barbara Airport is bringing one of the most flown airlines in the world to its hangars. The new owner, a Chinese company, managed it from Orange County. Site by In a written statement to the Independent, Shawn Sullivan made the case for Above All’s economic issue: “Aviation is a challenging business environment, both from the standpoint of regulatory complexity as well as financially. Goleta was seen as a reliable site due to the good weather which allowed for year-round non-stop training of pilots and air crew. Kristen Miller, Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, says the forecast of the local economy, once a sense of normalcy is restored, isn’t all that bad. Parking. He said he was within three hours of completing his student flight time with Above All Aviation when he joined Channel City. Santa Barbara received what some may consider an early Christmas present on Wednesday when Southwest Airlines announced it will begin serving the Santa Barbara Airport … Trew Knowledge. News. (stock photo) By edhat staff After less than a year of non-stop service to Salt Lake City, Delta is pulling out of Santa Barbara Airport. Constitutional rights were invoked by another speaker. Mike’s always flown single-engine aircraft and knows them in and out.”. “This news couldn’t come at a better time,” said Murillo. If the group he’s formed wins the contract, Zachrisson hoped they and Above All would begrudgingly find a way to compete against each other. Santa Barbara City Mayor calls this a "game changer for our entire region". “This announcement really increases access to Santa Barbara. On Wednesday morning, Santa Barbara Airport announced Southwest Airlines coming to the airport starting the second quarter of 2021. Guest speakers include: Board of Supervisors Chairman-Gregg Hart, Santa Barbara County Executive Officer-Mona Miyasato, Santa Barbara Assistant County Executive Officer-Nancy Anderson, and UC Santa Barbara Economic … Murillo has lived in Santa Barbara her entire adult life and says the arrival of Southwest was perfect timing for great news. Accessibility; Terms and Conditions; Social Media; Welcome to . … As the cost of operating a flight school (which is built into the regulatory requirements) is a significant factor in the challenges Above All faces in keeping our doors open, any unfair advantage that other providers enjoy must necessarily be opposed if we are to continue to provide for the community.” She added that she welcomed healthy competition. That $300 million estimate includes direct airport spending, the added jobs, and supplementary leisure spending. The combatants are the sole flight school left on the field — Above All Aviation — and a flying club that formed in 2016, Channel City Flyers. Flying clubs exist under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules to promote general aviation and pilot safety — but their main purpose is to allow members to share the cost of buying, storing, and maintaining aircraft. “No one expects the first quarter of next year to be very robust, but after that, we feel like business can resume more normally,” said Miller. Bob Rice, S.B. Hello! Now there’s a way to directly enable these efforts. The year before forming Channel City, Fountaine walked out of Above All Aviation over a disagreement with the owners, Shawn and Joel Sullivan, about instruction. Search Continues For Pilot Of Small Aircraft That Crashed After Leaving Santa Barbara Airport By CBSLA Staff September 27, 2020 at 6:17 pm Filed … Every day, the staff of the Santa Barbara Independent works hard to sort out truth from rumor and keep you informed of what’s happening across the entire Santa Barbara community. “Above All Aviation is a monopoly, and I think a little healthy competition is good for the consumer,” Fountaine said. It's Official! Word-of-mouth among pilots is what gets him students, and the student has to have access to an airplane. The thermometer reached 80 degrees at the Santa Barbara Airport on Tuesday afternoon, tying a 45-year-old record for the date.. Book a Flight. SBA-Santa Barbara Airlines (Caracas) is planning to wet lease Boeing 767-383 ER TF-FIB (msn 25365) from Icelandair (Keflavik) for the Caracas-Miami route, effective June 10. They say flying is the most fun you can have with your pants on — the corollary is that it’s on the ground where the trouble begins. VIEW SBA ARRIVALS. Santa Maria Airport has seen steady growth in flight offerings over the last year. For Henry Thompson, the airport’s administrator, even an informal complaint, like the Sullivans’, to the FAA is a serious matter. Effective July 8, Delta plans to reduce its domestic flying by 80% for the second Channel City has about 30 members and similar rules and boasts a Piper Comanche with retractable landing gear. Here is a compilation of some spotting I did at my home airport, Santa Barbara Airport. Once revised, the entire set of new rules regarding instruction would go to public comment before heading to the Santa Barbara City Council for enactment. Santa Barbara Airport expects economic boom with Southwest Airlines’ arrival. If you believe an Independent.com user or any material appearing on Independent.com is copyrighted material used without proper permission, please click here. Public Notices; Environmental Management; Storm Water Resources; Facts; Policies and Terms. Support the Independent by making a direct contribution or with a subscription to Indy+. Ground Transportation. Channel City replied they didn’t track that kind of information. Jason Lee explained to the commissioners that he’d started flying a year ago “when I found the pursuit of flight was within the grasp of a person of modest income.” He’d visited Above All, but online pilot blogs advised trying different instructors. As a certified flight instructor, Fountaine acknowledged he had almost no overhead compared to Above All, but they have all the credibility an office and a brace of aircraft can offer, he believes. “Given the risks involved in flying,” Lee explained, “choosing an instructor is not to be done lightly.” He went on to say, “The ability of the instructor can mean the difference between life and death” and asked the commissioners not to curtail his ability to choose an instructor. The Santa Barbara Airport is bringing one of the most flown airlines in the world to its hangars. One, Santa Barbara Flying Club, formed in 1947, has about 60 members — several of whom are student pilots — and charges membership fees and for flight time in its three small aircraft. Above All had complained to airport authorities since 2016 about competition and economic discrimination from the new flying club. Get the top stories in your inbox by signing up for our daily newsletter, Indy Today. Sullivan insisted the economic unfairness was the only reason she filed a complaint to the FAA. Santa Barbara Muni Airport (Santa Barbara, CA) SBA Map & Diagram New Window: ( Normal ) ( Terrain ) ( Satellite ) More FBO and Airport Information Donald Trump was dealt a stinging rebuke by Republican senators last night as Congress overrode his veto of a sweeping defence bill. Aiken’s letter clearly linked a resolution of the conflict to the airport’s continuing eligibility for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) money — SBA gets about $3 million a year in AIP grants for maintenance and other necessary work. Flying’s president, argued the airport administrator was trying to change the rules “so that we would not be able to use the instructors of our choice. Defying gravity tends to have life-ending consequences, and for student pilots, choosing an instructor is not only a matter of knowledge but even more a matter of trust. Broken clouds. The Santa Barbara Airport has reopened following a 19-hour shutdown due to the crash-landing of a large transport plane… Lompoc Health First to Offer Public Vaccinations, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics Prepares to Vaccinate Its 22,000 Patients, California Legislature to Vote on Tenant Protections, COVID Hits Record Highs in Santa Barbara County, Vaccine Rollout in Santa Barbara County Moves Faster Than State, Santa Barbara County COVID Cases Continue to Soar at Unprecedented Levels, Vaccination Plans Being Outlined in Santa Barbara County, Jeannine’s Closes Its Downtown Santa Barbara Location, By the Numbers: Santa Barbara’s Third and Worst COVID-19 Wave, Art Meets Science: Charcoal & Watercolor Seahorses, Adult Studio Art Workshop (via Zoom): Drawing, Please note this login is to submit events or press releases. “It was like the Dodgers winning the World Series. 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