The author's plane gets ready to leave Signature Tampa for the last time. [Courtesy: Dick Karl]
Key Takeaways:
The author was unexpectedly forced to relocate their aircraft from Tampa International Airport after 38 years to a smaller reliever airport, due to the FBO prioritizing larger, more profitable jets.
This expulsion underscored the author's long-standing anxiety about finding and affording stable hangar space, an ongoing concern throughout their airplane ownership.
The move was particularly painful due to the author's deep personal connections and friendships with the FBO staff developed over nearly four decades, leading to a strong feeling of dislocation.
Our last flight out of Tampa International Airport was short.
After being based at KTPA for 38 years, we were nudged out to a nontowered reliever airport, KVDF, known as Tampa Executive Airport. The flight took six minutes to fly but has taken months to reconcile.
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Dick Karl is a cancer surgeon who appreciates the beauty and science involved in both surgery and flying. Dick’s monthly Gear Up celebrates the human side of flying. He writes about his enthusiasm for both the machines and the people who fly and maintain them.
