London City Airport in Vincent Van Gogh landscape

[JLS]

Hello to you all,


Perhaps you know France from fine wines and food specialities. Salon-eyguières local
airport is running toward privatization in the Natural regional Park of Provence
"Parc Naturel Regional des Alpilles".


What's best known of the Park are its fine landscapes (near Saint-Remy-De-Provence)
where Vincent Van Gogh did his most famous paintings.


Evidently there local property is quite costly, and real estate selllings are in the
million euros scale (for the most remote and genuine home in the vernacular type
of Provence countryside).


BUT, as you could know french people, they deserve to preserve a local airstrip run by a
non profit organization with 1200 members and 175 aircrafts on the airport (from
clubs to private owners). Hourly rate for gliding is in the 50$/hour (with towing) range
and piston engine rent is in the 150$/hour range for the four seater
(with gas) (most popular types are Jodel-Robin club aircrafts).


Eyguières mayor said he would privatize, and the members (who ran the non-profit
organization for 25 years without a cent from subsidy, only with their work
and money) just realize that a new 5000ft runway could be possible with their
eviction, to realize a sort of "Short Take Off and Landing" local regional
airport with tens of thousand passengers a year, while Marseille National
Airport is at 30NM.


So What ? Airlines against GA pilots in a really beautiful countryside for
making money out of people attracted to land in Van Gogh landscape ?
What about local owners with their vernacular home and twin turbo props
or Falcon Jets(for the local rich and famous) with landing (take off) paths at
less than 1000ft ASL ?


If you have chance to come in France to visit the place, wouldn't you prefer
to rent and pilot with (french and whatsoever other nationalities) friends
a light aircraft from Salon Eyguières and had your burden with Airlines in
Nice or Marseille instead of having an angry smile from local people, just
because you destroyed the Park landing there with other hundred people with
Airlines ?


You can sign the petition against Salon-Eyguières privatization here
change.org/p/non-à-la-privatisation-de-l-aérodrome-de-salon-eyguières-lfne


Thanks for your attention.