Green Hell (and the Oakland Airport)

[Robert Eilers]

Our Sheriff's Office hangars our aircraft in Oakland. The hangar is one of the oldest on the airport. The hangar is actually a nice size and meets our needs, generally. However, every year this time of year, Finches roost in the rafters and of course pepper the surface of the aircratt with the remains of their last meal. I informed the Port of Oakland regarding the problem and here is the series of events that have transpired thus far: First two weeks later the Port sent a Port employee by to assess the problem. Of course they made an appointment with me for the assessment - I was expecting the nests to be removed. The Port employee explained he was there just to take a look. Two weeks later the Port again made an appointment with me to deal with the nests - this time some higher pay grade Port employee showed up and informed me the Port would have to arrange for an Envrionmental Specialist to evaluate the nest and the type of bird occupying them. Two weeks later the Port makes another appointment with me to meet with the Environmental Specialist. The Specialist shows up and determines the birds are Finches and the nest can be removed. Two Weeks later the Port makes an appointment with me to meet with their contract exterminator. The exterminator shows up in a compact pickup, no ladders and unprepared. He informs me the hangar is a "big" hangar. I assure him I was aware of that fact. He explains he must make arrangements to come back with the proper ladders, etc. It has been two weeks and I am still waiting to hear from someone. I have to tell you the bureacratication of every thing we do is getting rediculus.

I have heard of the Port's Environmental People placing cones and crime sceen tape around aircraft in which a certain species of bird have nested in the engine cowl. The airplane was essentially impounded and the owner prevented from using it until the birds left the nest.

Holy $%^&.

Next year I will remove the nests.

[Bill Hart]

Can you say "Red Rider"

[GAHorn]

Robert, You tell the Port Authority the next time they have a 911/crime-in-progress call you'll make an appointment to send someone (a trustee) out to see the location. Then you can make another appointment to send a janitor out to see if any cleanup will be required. Then you can send a dispatcher out to see if an officer will be required. Then you can send a sargent out to see how many officers will be required. Lasty, you can make an appointment to visit with officers, provided the Port can make an arrangement with the suspects to be on the scene at the same time so as to accomodate an arrest.

[1SeventyZ]

Environmental fads or not, I think that's just the government way of doing things.

[GAHorn]

Thank the lord they aren't Condors or you'd have to protect them, they'd have to remain, and the poop would be a lot worse!

[ron74887]

Well, everyone's giving an opinion on how screwed up the govt is an I agree but to get rid of the bird--The bakery here uses a rotating yellow light/strobe and leaves the doors open to scare them off. working for the Sheriff's office I bet you have one laying around. May need to get a 120 volt one. Can't hurt might even scare off port authority !! Ron

[lowNslow]

Robert, are you in Hangar 5 at OAK, previously home of Boeing Air Transport.

[Robert Eilers]

lowNslow- you are thinking of the Oakland Police Department hangar. We are in the old T hangars on the West side of RWY 15.

[Robert Eilers]

ron74887 - I'll give the rotating beacon idea a try.

[Robert Eilers]

The Oakland North Field Airport has played a very historical role in the development of aviation as we know it today. Charles Lindeberg flew out of Oakland, Emilia Earhart flew out of Oakland. The Old Oakland Airport Hotel building in which they slept is still standing - condemend now - but standing. The Oakland Airport was touted as the first modern airport in the United States - once. When I taught at Sierra Academy in the early 70's - fresh out of the Army - the airport was vibrant and productive. World Airways - Ed Daley's airline - was based at Oakland and was providing military airlift services during the Vietnam War and made history during the evacuation of Vietnam. SFO Helicopters was running commuter service between Oakland and San Francisco. Sierra Academy was going full bore - at the peak of it's profitability. We were training students from all over the world. In a given day I would have Japanese, American, Saudi, Pakistani, Nigerian and Singaporian students. The Old Navy hangar had a little coffee shop in one of the end buildings. The Flight Service Station was located in one of the historic buildings. I used to be able to walk in and brief myself. Over the years the Port of Oakland has strangled most FBO's out of business or forced them to relocate. Now days there are two jet centers servicing the NetJet folks and others - otherwise the North Field is a ghost town. It breaks my heart to see such a historically significant airport degenerate into nothing more than a revenue stream for the Port.

[GAHorn]

Back in the early 80's (about 1983 to be exact), I flew a Hawker into Oakland for the AMEX subsidiary I was chief pilot for. We were being merged with Fireman's Fund Insurance and they kept the G-II there.

While my co-pilot was putting the engine covers on, and installing the gear-pins, I went into the old wooden hangar that served as the FBO to arrange the rental car and order fuel/catering for our departure a couple days later.
While the girl was out in the parking lot retrieving the car a short little balding gentleman came up to me and, noticing my QB wings on my lapel, gave me the QB greeting, so I gave him the return and we struck up a short, pleasant conversation.
He asked me if I'd like to see the 1934 New York QB Hangar Yearbook. Now my private thoughts were "No, I want to get to the hotel and get out of this suit and have a drink!"... but I didn't want to be rude to someone who was actually an "old-timer" in QB, so I answered, "Sure."
He led me out to the parking lot and popped the trunk on an Oldsmobile Delmont 88 and pulled out a huge, leather-bound photo-album that had the QB wings embossed into the weathered old leather. He kept talking as he led me back into the FBO and into a small conference room where we would be alone.
He opened the old tome and began pointing out different aviators and pilots, calling them by name. Most of them he obviously knew personally, as he would also tell me which theatre or battle, etc. they'd served in. Most of the subjects of the photos were World War One pilots, some of them ACES. I had no idea who this guy was that was showing me all this, but he certainly knew a lot about early aviation, and as he talked I began to take a better interest in the photos and the stories.
After a while, he finally pointed to one old, cracked photo of three guys standing together and facing the camera. They were all wearing wide 1930's style neckties and holding fedora hats in their hands.

"..and here's a picture of Charlie and Ernst and me", he said.

I leaned over and took a closer look at the photo. It had a caption beneath it with the subject's names printed, and as I read it... I suddenly realized who I'd been talking to.
All the while this old man was being nice to me and showing me his photos of his younger days... I was impatiently barely polite to him.... and there he was pictured as a much younger man, standing right between Charles Lindbergh and Ernst Udet (fellow Squadron member in WW-I of Baron von Richtofen, and later of Luftwaffe fame.)
Yep. I'd been completely unaware that the nice old gentleman I was merely being polite to was General Jimmy Doolittle!
What a guy!

[Bill Hart]

I love storys like that, but what are "QB" wings?

[Jr.CubBuilder]

"..and here's a picture of Charlie and Ernst and me", he said.

I leaned over and took a closer look at the photo. It had a caption beneath it with the subject's names printed, and as I read it... I suddenly realized who I'd been talking to.
All the while this old man was being nice to me and showing me his photos of his younger days... I was impatiently barely polite to him.... and there he was pictured as a much younger man, standing right between Charles Lindbergh and Ernst Udet (fellow Squadron member in WW-I of Baron von Richtofen, and later of Luftwaffe fame.)
Yep. I'd been completely unaware that the nice old gentleman I was merely being polite to was General Jimmy Doolittle!
What a guy!

Wow, that would be cool.

[GAHorn]

I love storys like that, but what are "QB" wings?

I can do no more than refer you to an unauthorized, non-official reference written by Wings magazine:
http://oldbeacon.com/beacon/qb.htm

and to:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=QB+Quiet+Birdmen
(Don't believe all you read at such websites that is written by non-QB's, however.)

[n3833v]

We have a group here that meets every year. Some of the guys have some fantastic stories to tell, so I am told.

John