The Private Airport for $$$

[foomoon_design]

Since I have only been here 3 years, and I am just getting back into the car movement....How come with FSU,FAMU,and TCC here(60,000+) there is not any SCCA or "hot" runs happening in town, especially when there is a perfectly good airport here in Talle. that sits empty? You know something to keep us all very happy, and allow people to get their foot in it, without risking the dreaded "drag race" arrest, or at the least "reckless driving" ticket.....

Just thinking, maybe this is an old issue?

[mcswain]

i've been thinking thats good idea heres a link to airport racing.
http://www.flashlightdrags.com/

[Kinson Cook, Jr]

Since I have only been here 3 years, and I am just getting back into the car movement....How come with FSU,FAMU,and TCC here(60,000+) there is not any SCCA or "hot" runs happening in town, especially when there is a perfectly good airport here in Talle. that sits empty? You know something to keep us all very happy, and allow people to get their foot in it, without risking the dreaded "drag race" arrest, or at the least "reckless driving" ticket.....

Just thinking, maybe this is an old issue?

I think, that the city of Tallahassee, whom owns the airport, did not want the liability anymore for others (i.e SCCA). I konw they did use to run where the old airport use to be (FedEx now). Maybe someone in the know will chime in.

[go_speed_go]

The Dixie Region SCCA was holding autocrosses for close to 15 years at the old airport parking lot. Back in 2002, they refused to allow any more events there. There was some VERY strong back room politics going on. If you come out to an SCCA meeting, you can watch us all get red in the face about it after asking. ;)

The next site after that was up in Bainbridge at the Commodore Decatur Industrial Park. The site was an old WWII training strip with a surface best described as gravel pushed into asphalt. It was very course, but it was free and we had no place closer that would allow it. Dixie was there for a few years until South Georgia Motorsports Park was discovered.

The SGMP surface is outstanding and the site is huge. There are few other irons in the fire for other sites, but none are much closer and site aquisition moves slowly at best.

Anything built in Tallahassee in the last 20 years or so has been subject to "green" ordinances which require curbing with grass and trees every xxx feet. That pretty much kills any parking lot as a potential site for any "moving car" related activities, not to mention most (if not all) place don't want them. Dixie spoke with anyone and everyone with anything resembling a usable site in Tallahassee and the surrounding counties, but nobody would have us.

On top of all that crap, I know plenty of members here can give you links to the effort a few years back to re-open the old drag strip out highway 20. :mad:

[towelie]

Tallahassee hates fun which includes strip clubs

[foomoon_design]

I will try and make the SCCA meetings, and not to re-hash but, on Capital Circle there is a "private" airport that is for sale just north of the new airport,that couldn't be used?

[KattWoman01]

If you are referring to the Little airport on Hwy. 27, they would probably nix that idea because of the neighborhoods in close proximty. And it is still in Leon County.

[Kinson Cook, Jr]

If you are referring to the Little airport on Hwy. 27, they would probably nix that idea because of the neighborhoods in close proximty. And it is still in Leon County.

Not only that, but it's 190 acres and even at a rock bottom price of $7K per acre, that's still $1.3 million.

[Nactall]

Not only that, but it's 190 arces and even at a rock bottom price of $7K per acre, that's still $1.3 million.


wow I didnt think they were asking that much holy crap I knew it was expensive but man

[foomoon_design]

oh well I tried:oops:

[go_speed_go]

The airport off 27 also has a horribly bumpy surface according to pilots.
With the runway ~1/2 the width of a proper drag strip, it wouldn't be something you'd want to drag down side-by-side.

[KattWoman01]

The airport off 27 also has a horribly bumpy surface according to pilots.
With the runway ~1/2 the width of a proper drag strip, it wouldn't be something you'd want to drag down side-by-side.

+1

[DustnF]

The airport off 27 also has a horribly bumpy surface according to pilots.
With the runway ~1/2 the width of a proper drag strip, it wouldn't be something you'd want to drag down side-by-side.

More narrow the Aenon Church? lol :secret:

[AComa]

the going price for the airport on 27 is 10mill.

[Kinson Cook, Jr]

wow I didnt think they were asking that much holy crap I knew it was expensive but man

I was just guessing what they want and what I think the going rate
should" be.


the going price for the airport on 27 is 10mill.


Well, that land's definitely not worth that much, that's over $50K per acre, a more reasonable price would $15-20K per acre which would be $2.85M -3.8M.

[Sandy H.]

There were so many different stories and excuses for why we lost that site nobody could ever know the actual reason. Some said it was a new airport manager. Some said it was due to 9/11 security. Some said Fedex supported us but they pretty well covered the lot with trailers after we left. Look at the trailers they have on it in this pic and it is unusable for autocross. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=tallahassee&ie=UTF8&ll=30.402361,-84.354315&spn=0.00204,0.003433&t=h&z=18

I started back autocrossing right at the tail end of using the lot in front of Fedex but it wasn't THAT great of a site. Still better than having to go to Baimbridge.

I got to a point that I wasn't going back to Bainbridge. The rough surface and gravel was just to much. Hell I found gravel under my intake manifold and I can't remember how many times I got hit in the face with rocks out there. Friggin race tires looked like they were run over a cheeze grater.
http://i325.photobucket.com/albums/k395/roadracingmustang/graveling.jpg

I'll give away my age now. Back when I started auto-x in the 70's we ran in the parking lot by Campbell Stadium. Most of those were done by the Tallahassee Corvette Assoc. but they would let SCCA do a few through their contacts. I think it was all handled through a campus based sport car club. Long before the University Center and all the green space.
http://i325.photobucket.com/albums/k395/roadracingmustang/me-mini-2.jpg

Cecil ain't to bad for me. Only 60 miles from my house in Miccosukee and the surface is awesome.

[Sandy H.]

If somebody had the connections to get us on it this lot it looks killer from Google. It's a just a little SW of the Fedex lot.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=tallahassee&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=30.398665,-84.354674&spn=0.00204,0.003433&z=18

If it doesn't have light poles and stuff I can't make out that would be a great autocross lot. Looks to be a little over 400' square.

[go_speed_go]

^^ That's a brand new patch of asphalt they put down in the last few years. No way in the world Tallahassee would ever let cars near the real planes.

I knew another guy who drove in events out in the stadium parking lot. The smile that would grow on his face as he talked about doing 70+ out on that parking lot was priceless.

[Gt]

Good ole Airport parking lot :)

http://www.blownstangs.com/cars/88gtvert/misc/88gtautocross.jpg

[NotoriousGreaseMonkey]

Hehehe, I was wondering when that pic was gonna show up..lol