Important Information About The Georgetown
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I am the owner of two aircraft, one of which is based at Georgetown Airport, the other is registered in El Dorado County as well. I and my friends are regular visitors to the airport as well as hundreds of others who come for the ambiance and friendship that is always evident there and is particularly evident in Steve and Trish Cimmarusti's warm welcome.We are there for the many fly-ins held throughout the year such as the Moonlight Fly-in, the Taildragger Fly-n and the Chili Cookoff. Another fly-in that I have not attended is the 120/140 Fly-in. At the Taildragger Fly-in last Labor Day weekend, some of us rented cars, bought supplies at Mar Val's and ate at the restaurants in town. Some of us rent rooms at the Inns in town. The VFW Post fed hundreds of pancake breakfasts on Saturday. The Catholic Church people provided lunch, while over two hundred "Swine Tasting" dinners were served Saturday evening. We fueled our planes at your airport and bought snacks and pilot supplies from the "shack". Much of the planning and execution of these events are the result of Steve and Trish's devotion to the well being of this choice place to visit. Your airport has been featured in several national flying magazines. You might want to get a copy of the January 2002 issue of "AOPA Pilot" magazine (Aircraft Owners and Pilots) whose cover article featured Georgetown Airport and the job that the Cimmarusti's have done to make this airport the "Best kept secret in the Sierra". I'm sure their are many copies available. In addition, Steve and Trish voluntarily operate the Unicom and monitor the frequency 24 hours a day as a public service to provide a safe environment for aircraft. It is also vital that someone with expertize be there in emergencies. Accidents have occurred at the airport while I have been there. Two years ago a PT22 stalled on takeoff and crashed in the dense forest North of the airport. Steve and his son Nick found the aircraft and directed the helicopter to the spot which could not be seen from the air. Although the passenger was killed, the badly injured pilot was rescued in a timely fashion probably saving his life. Since 9-11, all aspects of the aircraft industry have suffered severe setbacks. In particular, General Aviation is struggling and many businesses have been shutdown because of the airport closures and other economic problems. Now is not the time to be closing the FBO at Georgetown, rather, I would suggest to you that you take what steps are necessary to maintain them in business and seek support through the state and federal government for relief from the effects of 9-11 on General Aviation. Your airport is vital to the safety and well being of your community and we should spend every effort to see the airport and the businesses there thrive. Thank you for your consideration,
Jim Campbell
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