Airport Identifiers

[blueldr]

We have a whole bunch of airports out here west of the Rocky Mountains in the eleven western states and each one of them has an alpha or alpha- numeric identifier. However, even an old geezer like me, who is sharp as hell with lots of experience, can't remember too many of them. Some of the really big ones like DEN, SFO, SLC, and LAX are really easy. Then there are the ones that we little airplane operators use and they're kind of hard to remember. It' kind of a pain in the butt to have to look up what airport an obscure identifier belongs to. If I talk about a trip from O70 to 3U2 with a fuel stop at WMC and S67, it doesn't mean much to somebody unfamiliar with that part of the country. If I talk about a trip from Jackson,CA, to Johnson Creek airport in ID with fuel stops in Winnemuca,NV, and Nampa, ID, people at least can picture in their minds an idea of my route without having to look up the identifiers to see what I'm talking about.
I guess the jist of all this rambling is that it would be nice if we all used place names instead of identifiers for the sake of those people who are not familiar with the territory. Probably more people would read the story. I know I would.

[iowa]

i agree.
the 1st half of my log book
is filled with airports names
in the to and from columns.
now it is filled with 3 symbols.
other than the frequent stops,
i haven't a clue,
without looking them up,
where i went.
will make reminiscing
in the nursing home
pretty tough someday.
dave

[170C]

I agree BL, identifiers of airports we don't go to often don't mean much except to our GPS's & ATC.

Say, you've been to Winnemuca man You must be like Hank Snow and have been everywhere

[Curtis Brown]

I agree! That goes for fly-in annoucements also.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

BL I'm with you 50%

Bet you have know idea where Pottstown, PA is. Sure beats PTW I suppose but if I wanted to go to map software or planing program or even a sectional, finding Pottstown, PA can be difficult. Then of course what if I was talking about N47 Pottstowns other airport.

I propose that when writing airport names are treated like an abbreviation. The first time it's mentioned in a thread the full town name and if different the airport name then the identifier. There after when referenced simply using the identifier is sufficient.

Here are examples:

Pottstown Limerick (PTW), PA - Airport name and identifier, State Pottstown is the name of the town and is omitted for brevity because it is in the name of the airport.

Pottstown Municiple (N47), PA - same as above.

Pennridge Airport (N70), Perkasie, PA - Airport name, identifier, location.

It's really about being more specific when you write providing more info for you reader who has no clue where or what your talking about.

By the way (BTW), can you tell (CUT), I spent the first 25 years of my professional career (PC) in the newspaper field.

CUT, BTW I've changed my PC to flying Medical Evacuation (MedEvac), based out of PTW.

[N170CT]

Yep, we all love 'em AWNAMs. (Acronyms With No Apparent Meaning)
chuck

[GAHorn]

There are FOUR airports here at "Spicewood, Texas"! (Hoodathunkit?)

88R is listed at AirNav as "Spicewood Airport",...even though it's NOT! (It's the old Austin Air Ranch, also known as Windemere!) 4 miles northeast of Spicewood and NOT REALLY at Spicewood at all! (But neither is the Spicewood Post Office which moved from Spicewood in the mid-90's to a community actually known as Hollingsworth Corner.)

8TA3 is MY place, known as the "Flying X River-Ranch" 2 miles NW of Spicewood, TX.

0XS6 is actually the Lakeside Beach airport, an unattended rough piece of grass, largely unused, located 3 miles NE of Spicewood and 2 miles east of my place.

52TS is actually at FALL CREEK, about 4 miles SE of Spicewood and barely qualifies as a strip at all, more suited to ultra-lite or helicopter useage, as it's 1800' is an exaggeration and located down in a hole with hills and trees at both ends. It's only hangar is one of the obstacles at it's west end, and the airport owner keeps his Luscombe 25 miles away at Granite Shoals airport because 52TS is too short for airplane use. (He once asked if he could keep his airplane at my place, but never followed up on the request.)

So in actuality, my own place is much more qualified to be called Spicewood airport than any other. (Although AirNav has the ownership of my place and it's runway conditions listed incorrectly, it's still a good website for researching airport identifiers.)

I think we should list airports by Name, and Identifier, Flying X,(8TA3).

KORD, the huge Chicago O'Hare, got it's identifier because of the little grass strip's original description.... Peach Orchard.

[170C]

George, do you think Spicewood moving their postofice was an attempt to confuse you Maybe they are trying to send you a message. They are probably afraid of that crazed "little airplane" pilot that has a tendency to land late in the evenings when there aren't runway lights

[GAHorn]

George, do you think Spicewood moving their postofice was an attempt to confuse you Maybe they are trying to send you a message. They are probably afraid of that crazed "little airplane" pilot that has a tendency to land late in the evenings when there aren't runway lights

Who? ME?
(That's just a rumor... it was too dark for anyone to tell, wasn't it???? )

[170C]

George, there were strong rumors , but no physical evidence Probably just some crazed person's theory

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I think we should list airports by Name, and Identifier, Flying X,(8TA3).

I think that's what I said. Glad to see your coming around to my way of thinking George.

[GAHorn]

I think we should list airports by Name, and Identifier, Flying X,(8TA3).

I think that's what I said. Glad to see your coming around to my way of thinking George.

I thought it was YOU coming around to MY way of thinking! (I was just waiting to let someone else offer a solution first, for a change.)