AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2014 - 54

PILOT BRIEFING

SAN MARCOS

INDIANAPOLIS

PLYMOUTH

SPOKANE

CHINO

FREDERICK

ST. SIMONS ISLAND

Access adventure
St. Simons Island is a world-class small town
B Y I A N J. T W O M B LY
WHEN YOU THINK OF GEORGIA'S GOLD COAST,

beautiful beaches and top-end golf come to mind.
St. Simons Island and its smaller cousin Sea Island
offer this, but both are a mere headline to an inviting story of fun, adventure, culture, and relaxation.
Such a unique mix of activities-from natural
wonders to history and culture to great food-welcome visitors year-round to one of the country's
finest barrier islands. And the gateway to all of it is
Malcolm McKinnon Airport (SSI), host of AOPA's
seventh and final fly-in of 2014.
It would be easy to dismiss St. Simons Island
and SSI as a beach town and a beach airport. The
beaches are wide, the water warm, and the sun
bright. But St. Simons is truly a small town, with
tree-lined streets, locally owned shops, and drivers who wave at one another as they pass. The
difference is that they live among world-famous
golf courses-there are six full PGA courses, topranked resorts, including two ranked within the
top five nationally-and the occasional international political summit.
The airport mirrors the unique feel of the
town. There are plenty of airport bums keeping
seats warm every day of the week, but instead of
grading only each other's landings, they get to
watch aircraft from some of the country's biggest corporations come and go for meetings,
54 | AOPA PILOT November 2014

conferences, and the occasional executive perk.
Despite the sometimes high-end clientele, Golden
Isle Aviation-the FBO-remains a place to chat
with friends and drink a cup of coffee.
Golden Isle is helping to support Renn Gruber,
a private hangar owner who is hosting events at
SSI. Gruber's impressive hangar houses his charter and managed aircraft. His is just one of many
privately owned hangars on the airport. The city
allows private ownership of all hangars, and collects only a modest ground lease. It's all part of a
fantastic working relationship between tenants
and airport management.
The close-knit airport community is a modern
rendition of what's been happening there since it
opened in 1938. From training pilots to housing
German POWs and working on secret radar technology, the airport has a colorful past. It continues
to thrive 76 years later, thanks to its focus on community and great service.

2014 AOPA FLY-INS
SAN MARCOS
MUNICIPAL AIRPORT
(HYI)-APRIL 26, 2014
INDIANAPOLIS REGIONAL
AIRPORT
(MQJ)-MAY 31, 2014
PLYMOUTH
MUNICIPAL AIRPORT
(PYM)-JULY 12, 2014
FELTS FIELD,
SPOKANE
(SFF)-AUGUST 16, 2014
CHINO AIRPORT
(CNO)-SEPTEMBER 20, 2014
FREDERICK MUNICIPAL AIRPORT
(FDK)-OCTOBER 4, 2014
MALCOLM MCKINNON AIRPORT,
ST. SIMONS ISLAND
(SSI)-NOVEMBER 8, 2014

WWW.AOPA.ORG/FLY-INS

AOPA Fly-In takes place
November 8 at Malcolm
McKinnon Airport (SSI).

THE MARITIME CENTER is the
island's former Coast Guard
Station. Today it serves as an
inviting small museum.
http://WWW.AOPA.ORG/FLY-INS
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2014

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