A big THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to our most recent survey of General Aviation needs at Santa Barbara Airport. We had a tremendous response from 113 participants. Take a look below at the highlights and summary…
Question #1: What type of flight training services are you interested in at SBA?
- 95% of respondents want some type of flight training
- 70% of respondents need recurring Flight Reviews and Instrument Proficiency Checks (IPC’s)
- 54% of respondents want to pursue a new rating
Question #2: Are you interested in a tie-down or hangar at SBA?
- 78% want a tie-down or hangar.
Question #3: What other services would you like to see on the field (open-ended)?
- A second flight school
- Another FBO! All we have is a monopoly. Competition leads to more choices and better services
- Public Parking for aircraft
- Maintenance Hangar that is available to public.
- Transient Tie down Parking
- A great restaurant.
- More small GA mechanics, additional flight training options
- More hangars and at a more reasonable price.
- We have too few tie-downs and hangar space here at KSBA
- A decent company for cleaning airplanes. Power Wash is TERRIBLE!!!!!
- More parking.
- Simulator, independent mobile maintenance (comes to you)
- Aerobatic instruction / rental, Photography of me in my plane flying.
- More piston maintenance
- A reasonable and competent mechanic.
- Better airport management. This airport has been a mess for 30 years. Look at how great KCMA is, we could be just as good but our management is the worst.
- More maintenance options on the field
- It would be nice to have an airport restaurant!
- Additional service and training facilities
- Cirrus Service Center
- Maintenance mechanic
- IA’s or A&P’s. SBA seems to be low on aircraft mechanics, especially for high performance and complex aircraft.
- a second flight school
- Lavatory facility for south ramp tie down (former Atlantic).
- Club, plain rentals, school, more options for maintenance.
- two flight schools
- Avionics shop, alternative A&P shop (no more Above All monopoly), restaurant
- GA Maintenance.
- Aerobatic instruction and rental,
- A great restaurant on the field for private aircraft and community
- MORE hangers. Plane partnership coordination.
- Get the GA Master Plan done at last! Add a few free public tie-downs for visitors
- A second flight school and affordable permits for independent flight instructors.A visitors center.
- Restaurant that you can fly in and enjoy a good meal and not be charged outrageous landing and handling fees
- Avionics
- Land at airport in no cost transient parking and be able to walk off of the airport property and be able to return to our aircraft without a fee for not using any services.
- Thank you.
- A competent respectable A&P (maintenance) shop.
- GA Restaurant
- A good low cost restaurant readily accessible to pilots and public.
- Strategically located public rest rooms.
- FREE large meeting rooms for SAR, CAP, Aero Squadron, and aviation community.
- A 1st class air museum of our aviation history showing memorabilia that captivates the young aspiring pilots.
- Free itinerant parking for aircraft and public vehicles.
- Transient parking; Only being able to park at an expensive FBO is challenging.
- More training/rental services, types of aircraft available
- transient parking with no lading fees, additional flight school, space for aircraft builders
- Would like to see more flight schools available
- Restaurant again!
- Airport restaurant
- Aircraft maintenance
- Additional mechanic services on fieldwould be amazing
- Easier access for mechanics. The current near monopoly situation, given the personality involved pressures pilots to make poor airworthiness decisions
- Independent flight instruction on the field; city tie downs
- Flight schools
- A reputable flight school
- A decent FBO and a little competition!
- Transient parking
- An airport commision that cares about aviation, not just an airline service.
- More hangar space
- Not currently active
- detailing
- More transient parking and a dedicated private GA area
- Independent A&Ps
- Restaurant!!
- More competitive self serve fuel prices. Santa Paula and Camarillo self serve fuel is significantly less costly; often $.75-$1.00 less per gallon!
- Avionics and A&P support for turbine aircraft
- Affordable transient tie downs.
- Another option for GA light aircraft repair and maintenance. Digital Atis
- More hangars. Also, hangars East of 15L should go back to Signature since we can’t access the Atlantic FBO in the field.
- Food, dining
- Independent A&P independent CFI
- Mogas
Question #4: Please include anything else you wish to share (open-ended).
- More educational programs for youths around aviation
- A restaurant you can visit without a ramp fee
- For GA on-field resources, private lease hangar & development is an interesting option.
- I would like to better understand the master plan and it’s impact on light plane GA.
- The airport could use training aircraft equipped with modern avionics. Likewise for flying clubs.
- I’d like to see an end to the political infighting. I’d also like to see more parking options – tie downs and T-hangars specifically.
- Need an airport management that understands aviation.
- There has to be a better way, to get a security clearance for ramp access. the whole system or watching videos and taking the test is a waste of time. We summit a full back round check as it is.
- Create a GA training and community Hub for aviators and other interested parties can come together to learn, train and talk aviation. Kind of like a co- working space for flight training
- We have a world-class airport with a very low class, general aviation teaching operation and service operation in Above All. Airport administration needs to take steps to establish another option for general aviation pilots both in service and training.
- Weather Topics
- SBA needs to be more GA friendly. With a place to park your aircraft, have a meal, and fly out. Landing and parking fees are a deterrent to GA pilots.
- The Airport need to be more accessible to GA pilots. Would be great to revive the airport Restoran.
- Additional hanger so not so long a wait for hanger space.
- GA neglected for decades. It’s our f’ing turn.
- Thank you SBAviators for conducting this survey
- Competent GA mechanic facility and allow mobile mechanics.
- Less drama from the Flight School (Above All)
- Promote the atmosphere to make private and general aviation community feel at home outside of the AOA. Promote the field as one that pilots want to visit and not just another dull airport screened off by fence wire. Try to remember airports as they once were.
- Airport Regulations are rigid and very unfriendly. This stems from assignment of car insurance, parking stickers and inability to do any maintenance in your own hanger.
- Simplify renewal for gate pass
- Thank you for all your work in keeping KSBA running smoothly and for reaching out to the community
- The airport should be more GA friendly, people should be be able to start a business at the airport without petty bureaucracy shutting them down.
- Having only one FBO that dominates the field is not good
- Worst run airport I’ve ever been to. Airport commission should look to Camarillo to see what a well run airport looks like. They are missing tremendous opportunities for generating income for our community while improving the overall services for general aviation as well as commercial transport. Tempted to leave my e-mail, but I don’t trust them.
- The airport definitely needs more homes for GA aircraft. I have been on a waitlist for years now. It is odd that the master plan forecast indicated little to no GA growth, yet many GA pilots have been waiting for a spot at the airport for a long time now… waiting to spend money there and bring more business there.
- Airport Management and the City of SB really screwed aircraft owners who had City tie-downs. Tie-downs were transferred to Signature and Atlantic with little or no warning. Signature and Atlantic are charging $265.00 monthly for a tie-down. I was paying $150.00 monthly to the City.
- Dial back the political infighting. Promote GA for the benefit of all rather than special interests.
- Landing fees at KSBA R A total turnoff for GA pilots!!!!
- Please bring a restaurant back to SBA!
- Maintenance in hangars
- The airport requirement for independent instructors to obtain unreasonable insurance is creating difficulty in finding instruction at SBA. This will only serve to reduce safety and create anti-consumer monopolies for instruction on the airport. The requirement does not benefit the community and must be adjusted or removed.
- Please let’s have additional hangar & tiedown space
