Another airport about to be shut down?

[Mike]

Am I the only one who is getting tired of people moving next to an airport and then complain about the noise?   

The North Las Vegas airport has gone through a rough patch the last couple of months when 2 planes almost in the same week fell short of the runway and crashed into a neigborhood. Now "the public" and residents close to the airport are getting really worried about "all that air traffic" and once again the discussions flared up again when a home built airplane made an emergency landing in a Las Vegas street. Of course the news interviewed random neighbors who we have never heard before and who are not involved in aviation and the lady they interviewed stated that "she lives right underneath the approach path and is very worried about every plane that flies over her house...."
I say:
Are you kidding me ? ? ?   

The approach path of this airport was there BEFORE she moved in this house, and it was there BEFORE the house was built. This can NOT me a surprise!! And this can NOT be something she never thought about until AFTER the first emergency landing!!!

Is there a website where pilots can fight for their airports?

I get so tired of these discussions and of the news seemingly backing the residents almost every time. They never mention that people got their houses over there really cheap and almost every news channel has helicopters which also need to take off from SOMEWHERE?!?! right?!

[Oddball]

Load of crap if you ask me.  They must of moved in with full knowledge of the airport near by? or did their estate agent cover up the fact? even models are being complained about, get the feeling our new neighbours will be complaining about us soon.

[4X-NTY]

Ah... if things are going in the US the same the go in Israel then you should expect the airport to become temporary,for atleast 50 years.

We got an airport called Herzliya (LLHZ),it's been here since around 1935,used by the brits when Herzliya (the city,not the airport),used to be a small town and pretty far from the airport himself,the town started to grow into a city,and around the 1960 it reached the airport,and now the airport is surrounded by houses,most of their residents commenting on every aviation-related article on the net that the airport should be close becuase it was built too close the people and plane are flying really low and they are dangerous and blah blah blah,now,Herzliya is one of the eight airports in israel,one of the eight-Ben Gurion Intl. allows GA only for instruments approaches training and emergency,and another one requires a week earlier notice. Herzliya is one of the busiest airport in the country,serving the civilian aircraft,along with air force and Arkia Airlines.

Herzliya is now considered "temporary",a few months ago the higher ranks held a conversation if to keep the airport or to destroy it,they didn't come to a decision,so in the meanwhile the airport stays until the next conversation,which is scheduled to 2020.

[TheSoccerMom]

When I saw that the guy in the homebuilt had gone down by North Vegas, I thought "OHHH NOOOO, NOT there!"   

After the two bad accidents, earlier, when everyone was all riled up, they made a concerted effort to involve the community with the airport, to try to educate the neighborhoods, etc. as to what exactly goes on at that airport.  That is ONE BUSY airport... and it's pretty valuable to that entire area!

AOPA works to promote airports, and to prevent their closures.  I don't know if Nevada has any strong state aviation groups or not, but Idaho (for instance) has the State Aeronautics Division (government) as well as the Idaho Aviation Association (private group);  along with the 99s they all work to keep backcountry strips groomed, safe to use, and OPEN...  and AOPA does help as well.

It IS frustrating to be misunderstood....!!  A lot of people just see flying as a rich man's hobby, and never think of the medical flights, the traffic and news flights, the firefighting flights, blah, blah, blah...  it seems like an uphill explanation sometimes....   

 

[Stef]

Mike, I remember watching that movie about Van Nuys airport a few weeks ago. One of the commentators made a very good point: Once an airport is closed, it can never be re-opened! After the land is developed for residential or other use, you will never be able to find a spot that's big enough for a new airport.

I guess if you'd moved next to a highway and then demand it to be shut down, everybody would consider you a kook! But for some reason that logic does not apply to anti-airport activists....

[Oddball]

Strange thought.............build a Airport next to a housing development and ask for them to be shut down lol 

[cotejy]

So agree with you Mike. We are experiencing the same kind of things where I fly. They changed the patern because of complains from residents. They are looking to close the airport and those freaks living near an airport that was there for decades when they build their houses are now sending complaints in mass when someone is off pattern by a few feets. One airplane cutting a little short on the down wind and there are 10 residents on their balcony taking picture to send to the authorities.

It's like the gun shooting club where I go. They celebrated their 100 anniversary a few years ago. Now, residents want it to be closed because of the noise. They build their houses 15 years ago. They are so close to that club that when you shoot, even with ear protection, you can hear the echo bouncing from their homes. Do people really buy houses without looking at what is in the neighboorhood? I would never ever buy or build a house that close to a shooting range but if you do, don't complain!

Wide area of excellent agricultural lands are invaded by cities growing. Then, people complain because airport are too noisy, farm stink, wind mild are ugly, trafic is bad, meat price are going up,...

BTW, I just read the CW book "think big". You did a good job on the section about people complaining about airport noise. This was the only section I didn't laugh but still a very good one.

[Mike]

BTW, I just read the CW book "think big". You did a good job on the section about people complaining about airport noise. This was the only section I didn't laugh but still a very good one.

Thanks cotejy! You know you can have those strips on disc/file/printed if you ever need them to help keep airports open.
We give those out at no charge in effort to help aviators keep their fields open. Maybe a little humor can help, we just want to do our part....

And guys, I am glad Stefan reminded me:
Check out AND TELL EVERYBODY about "One Six Right"!!
This movie is one big commercial for small airports and why they should stay open!
And it has beautiful flying scenes and tons of historic material, not to mention a really good sound track....

here is a link:
http://www.terwilligerproductions.com/onesixright/

Spread the word!

[Louis]

We have two airports under threat in the greater Montreal area right now (Mascouche, CSK3, and St-Hubert, CYHU). This is going to get ugly.

Both old and very significant GA airports. The one under most danger being Mascouche as the newly re-elected anti-airport mayor wants to sell the airport land (once surrounded by fields, now prime suburban real-estate next to two major highways) by 2011. This one is going to the courts for sure...

In St-Hubert the mayor has changed, but its unclear to what extent the new one is favorable to the airport's presence, and there's a complaints group that has gained some momentum lately.

"Alternative" airports if these were to close are further away, and not nearly as attractive or appropriate for GA.

Cotejy, je pense que t'es du coin toi aussi?

[Mike]

oh no!

will our comics help??

Let me know?!

[cotejy]

oui louis! I was talking about Mascouche (CSK3). And was in St-Hubert before that. So I know what you are talking about.

If there are to close CSK3, do you think CYMX could be an alternative for GA? I know I'm dreaming but take a look: http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=fr&geocode=&q=mirabel+airport&sll=45.521503,-73.615952&sspn=0.116905,0.308647&dirflg=r&date=09%2F11%2F05&time=09:55&ttype=dep&noexp=0&noal=0&sort=&tline=&ie=UTF8&hq=airport&hnear=Mirabel,+QC&ll=45.678361,-74.027081&spn=0.05829,0.154324&t=h&z=13

I think I already talked about this airport before on this forum. This is a great international airport now used only by a few cargo airplanes. That would be so wierd to have 12000 X 200 runways used mainly by 172, cherokee, homebuild,...

[Louis]

Mike, I'm quite busy right now, but I wouldn't mind trying to translate the relevant ones and forwarding them to people more directly involved in both cases.

Mirabel would be an awkward alternate for Mascouche: controlled airspace (recently downgraded from tower to FSS, could go back to tower due to politics and large aerospace players like Bombardier, L3 and Bell Textron on site) with a very wide spectrum of aircraft. Compare that to Mascouche, where the biggest aircraft you'll see is the occasional light piston twin or single turboprop.

Mascouche has nowhere near the landing fees of Mirabel, or the security requirements, etc.

And Mirabel, despite its boondoggle/white elephant/ghost airport status, is poised to make a nice replacement for Dorval, bound to run out of capacity someday. (My totally wild guess is somewhere around 2025) Unfortunately, I fear the all-too-common lack of foresight from our leaders until then will probably mean the "surplus" land will all have been sold, and sprawling suburbia built all around the place.

Plus moving all those businesses from one airport to the other isn't going to be easy as there's only one FBO-type facility that I'm aware of in CYMX. And it's already taken.

A shiver just ran down my spine... What if mayor Marcotte (in Mascouche) decides to pull a "Daley"?

In St-Hubert's case, some things could perhaps be moved to St-Jean, but that airport can only do a fraction of what St-Hubert can. Runway lengths, instrument approaches, FBO facilities, proximity to downtown, etc. just don't compare.

[Mike]

no problem...

send me a PM with your email address and quick note and I'll send your the high res files if you want!

[YawningMan]

We have two airports under threat in the greater Montreal area right now (Mascouche, CSK3, and St-Hubert, CYHU). This is going to get ugly.

Both old and very significant GA airports. The one under most danger being Mascouche as the newly re-elected anti-airport mayor wants to sell the airport land (once surrounded by fields, now prime suburban real-estate next to two major highways) by 2011. This one is going to the courts for sure...

In St-Hubert the mayor has changed, but its unclear to what extent the new one is favorable to the airport's presence, and there's a complaints group that has gained some momentum lately.

"Alternative" airports if these were to close are further away, and not nearly as attractive or appropriate for GA.

Cotejy, je pense que t'es du coin toi aussi?

I hope he doesn't turn out to be another Richard Daley.

Long live Meigs Field. Meigs is dead.

[Mike]

What happens to Meigs field is a total shame!! 

I couldn't believe what happened there (but I am guessing I am not alone there....)