Thomas Tupling hopes to prevent the closure of Mansfield Airport (8W3) in north central Washington state by rallying the support of others.

“I was born and raised in Mansfield and the airport has always been there,” Tupling said. “Once something is gone, it’s never coming back as Mansfield learned with the railroad.

• READ MORE: Getting Spring Creek Airpark Back on the Charts

The sounds of the airplanes buzzing around the town of Mansfield is a sound probably as prominent as the sounds of Celilo Falls, and one day it was just quiet. The sounds were never heard again. I was in my yard last weekend, and I could hear the planes buzzing around. I thought that could be the last of the airplanes in Mansfield.”

Like many other airports across the country, low or dwindling aircraft operations are a factor in being on the chopping block. The Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority (CDRPA), the airport’s owner and operator, is considering its future.

This is not the first time the CDRPA has conducted this exercise. In fall 2022 it was reported that the future of the airport was in question.

Jim Kuntz, CEO of the CDRPA, provided Virtower data from July 15, 2022, through July 31, 2024. On average there have been shy of 10 total operations (takeoffs and landings) each month. April 2023 was the busiest month during the noted observation time frame, tallying 32 operations.

Despite historically low operations, Tupling feels that the airport’s closure would have a negative impact on his community. There are a handful of things to do in Mansfield that would entice pilots to visit.

• READ MORE: Ottawa Executive Airport Sets Sights on Future Growth

“Mansfield is a small community of around 314 residents,” he said. “We have no crime and it’s sunny here all year-round. So, it’s beautiful to fly around here and visit. Growing up, I remember people flying here just to eat lunch downtown, which is only a short walk from the airport. People would fly in from Oregon, Idaho, and elsewhere to fly fish at Grimes Lake, where there are landlocked salmon, or other lakes and rivers nearby. There were also airplane poker runs that would visit the airport here, when I was a kid.”

If the airport continues to operate, there are some capital improvements that would be needed to be completed in the near future.

“A final decision on Mansfield Airport has not been made by the [CDRPA],” Kuntz said. “The challenge remains the lack of airplane activity. The policy question is should taxpayers’ funds continue to subsidize the airport with very little use. Should taxpayers invest a large sum of capital dollars to undertake needed capital projects at the airport, such as repaving [the runway]?”

There are no hangars at the airport, and if there were some, it’s possible traffic could increase. Tupling has formally explored this theory, polling local pilots to understand their desire to keep their aircraft at Mansfield Airport.

• READ MORE: Flying to the Finger Lakes

“I have reached out to a lot of agencies and private pilots,” Tupling said. “It’s another bureaucratic situation of the chicken or the egg. The flights are done substantially, but the airport is currently in bad condition from the lack of maintenance and upkeep. The [CDRPA] has a different goal than the taxpayers of the upper plateau, but I do understand they have a budget to protect as well. The port has verbally stated if the airport is closed, they would work with the taxpayers to utilize the land in the most productive way supported by a feasibility study.”

There are nine leased sites allocated on airport land, which may be an attractive option for pilots to build their own hangars.  

The Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority expects to have a decision related to the airport’s future by the end of the year. For Tupling and others interested in the runway’s continued existence, the hope is that the next headline is not “Mansfield Airport Closes.”

The post One Man’s Rally to Keep an Airstrip Alive appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The non-tower facility, roughly 10 miles west of Palm Springs International Airport (KPSP), has a 5,000-foot runway. According to the most recent AirNav data (calculated as of year-end 2023), it is home to 22 single-engine aircraft, two multi-engine aircraft and one helicopter. It averages 105 operations per week—75 percent of which are transient.

The city has been trying to close Banning Municipal Airport (KBNG) since 2017, following its 2016 study that concluded: “The airport lacks the necessary infrastructure and demand to remain viable and has become a financial drain on the community.” According to city officials, the study also found that closing the airport “would unlock significant economic potential for the city, paving the way for transformative development and job creation in our region.”

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians tribe owns much of the land adjoining the airport, and the city claims that economic development of that land has been compromised by state-mandated crash zones. Charles Martin, chairman of the tribe, was among those working to close the airport.

Terms of the amendment require the city to repay the FAA for fair market value for 20 acres of airport land it received in a 1983 grant, repay all unamortized airport grant money and redistribute all salvageable airport and aviation equipment to other airports.

Banning Mayor Alberto Sanchez said, “We will be working with the FAA on the process to have an orderly closure of the airport in the coming months. We are working to develop a timeline, however, we do anticipate it will take a bit of time for the process to unfold. We will be working with the current tenants of hangars to ensure that there is a relocation assistance plan, most likely at one of the 14 nearby airports.”

Last year, Banning approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with Texas-based Perot Company subsidiary Hillwood Properties to develop the land. Perhaps ironically, Hillwood developed AllianceTexas at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. The Hillwood website describes the development as “a 27,000-acre, master-planned development encompassing industrial, logistics, corporate office, retail, aviation, multifamily housing, and more.”

In announcing the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act with the amendment clearing the way for Banning to close its airport, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, D-California., said, “For too long, the Banning Municipal Airport has been a financial drain on the community, preventing redevelopment and economic growth. Now, after years of work, the city of Banning and Morongo Band of Mission Indians can finally unlock untapped economic opportunity blocked by the airport. This is a significant milestone for the city and tribe—and a major step toward creating good new jobs for local residents.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post City Cleared to Begin Phasing Out Banning Municipal Airport appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The airpark is adjacent to Wakulla County Airport (2J0). On September 19, the Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners is expected to vote to close the county-owned, public-use airport.

Since 1987, the airpark has had a through-the-fence agreement with Wakulla County for airport access. There are 47 homes at the airpark.

"It's the only public-use airport in Wakulla County," says Steven Fults, who has been the airport manager for 10 years. Despite the situation, he says he’s not worried about being out of a job. "It's a volunteer position, at no cost to the county." Fults is also part of the Owners Association (HOA) at Tarpines. He alleges that the county's actions over the years have demonstrated a lack of support and appreciation for the airport.

"They (the county) removed the lighting and the irrigation that the HOA paid for and never replaced them, even though the HOA has a contract with the county that clearly states the county is responsible to maintain the lighting and irrigation," he says.

If the Wakulla County Commissioners vote to close the airport, the airport license that allows it to operate will be revoked and the 15 acres that the airport sits on will be declared surplus property.

Could Airpark HOA Take Control? 

Wakulla County is located in northern Florida along Ochlockonee Bay. Wakulla County Airport (2J0) was established in the 1960s by Fenton Jones, a local lodge owner. Jones donated the property to the county in 1966 under the condition that the property would always remain a public airport. The airport has a grass runway aligned north-south and measuring 2,590 feet by 70 feet. There are 20 T-hangars on the property.

The HOA has discussed taking over the liability and management of the airport and assuming responsibility for its operation. However, the county has the option of rejecting any offer made by the HOA and proceeding with the airport closure.

If the county votes to close the airport, the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) must notify the Florida Department of Transportation of its intent to abandon the airport and terminate the license. The FAA must also be notified of the intent to deactivate the airport and discontinue its use, and a date for the abandonment of the airport will be set.

If the HOA does not take over the airport, it is Fults' understanding that the property will revert back to Jones's heirs to do with as they please.

"The county has allowed the airport to become highly deficient," Fults continues, "and now, [they want] to dump their mess on the HOA or the (Jones) heirs, or just walk away."

According to Fults, the airport is not eligible for FAA funds; however, the county accepted more than $300,000 in grants from the Florida Department of Transportation for the creation of an airport master plan. It returned a $175,000 grant it had received for widening the runway to put it into compliance for public use airports.

"The HOA offered to take the airport reluctantly, but only if they cleared the title, and replaced the lighting and irrigation," Fults says. "The county has been offered FDOT 100 percent no-match grants to fix the airport, but the BoCC refuses; they now are abandoning it."

The proposed closure is drawing concern from aviation advocacy groups and officials from other airports in the Sunshine State who describe airports as economic engines that bring tourists to the area and support the community by providing open space and platforms for emergency medical transport.

Airport’s Benefits Are ‘Undeniable’

Andrew Chan, manager of Inverness Airport (KINF), located roughly 184 miles to the south of Wakulla, sent a letter to the Wakulla commissioners noting that the closure of the airport would be detrimental to the community.

“For 56 years, the airport has provided positive social, educational, recreational, and economic impacts to the county,” Chan's letter states. “The benefits to the community are undeniable. Reducing public infrastructure goes against the recommendations of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), Airplane Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), National Air Transportation Association (NATA), and your constituents. As Americans, we are granted certain rights such as FREEDOM. Freedom of flight is a precious right we have in the U.S. that exists in few other countries. Closing airports serves to deny this right.”

Supporters of the airport are urging concerned citizens to reach out to the Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners to voice their opposition to the closure.

The Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners did not immediately respond to FLYING’s request for comment.

The post Aviation Community Rallies To Save Florida Airport From Closure appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The town of East Hampton on New York’s Long Island raised the ire of pilots and aviation businesses late last year when it began discussing plans to change East Hampton Airport (KHTO) to a private-use operation requiring permission before landing.

Charter companies, aircraft owners, aircraft servicing businesses, and trade groups, like the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), blocked East Hampton’s plans with a number of lawsuits filed just as the town was preparing to close the airport last month and reopen it a day or so later as a private facility. 

The planned change included a new identifier (KJPX) with new rules limiting operations based on aircraft weight, time of day, noise abatement concerns and other factors.

But as in many sports, a block, no matter how resounding, doesn’t end the game so much as change its direction. East Hampton’s new direction takes it closer to shuttering the airport permanently.

In a presentation at a town meeting this month, William O’Connor, a partner with East Hampton’s consulting law firm Cooley LLP, seemed to suggest that “several coordinated lawsuits” had forced the town to consider the more extreme move of closing the airport. He said a public engagement session held last year “made clear that the community will not tolerate unrestricted operations to and from JPX,”

O’Connor indicated the town’s plan for a private airport reflected the residents’ desire to reduce aircraft traffic and noise. But because the lawsuits resulted in a restraining order that halted the process, the town “has asked counsel to effectuate permanent closure as soon as legally possible.”

O’Connor left the door open on a possible reopening of the airport at some time in the future “under commonsense regulations.”

East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc, who for some has become the face of the anti-airport movement, did not respond to a request for an interview.

How We Got Here

Noise complaints have long been a problem for the East Hampton Airport, which opened in 1937 and reportedly was a good neighbor for a long time. In the early days aircraft using the field were piston powered, their operations were less frequent and the East End population was not as dense as it is today.

Changes in culture, technology, and expectations have also led to conflict between aviation enthusiasts and residents seeking tranquility. For example, apps and platforms like PlaneNoise and Air Noise Report have made it easier to complain about loud aircraft, while for travelers, booking a flight from Manhattan to the Hamptons is just a few keystrokes away through a range of services. Flights take less than 45 minutes compared with three hours or more by car.

It seems clear that keeping the airport open, if possible, will require compromises that will affect nearly everyone’s convenience.

The post Plagued By Lawsuits, East Hampton Moves To Close Airport appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

There are calls for the airport to be shut down and the property redeveloped—and sometimes these efforts span decades and are successful. Other times, the pilots and businesses in the community are able to thwart the closure effort using facts at a time when emotions are running high.

Case in Point: Whiteman Field

One of the latest airports to appear on the closure radar is Whiteman Field (KWHP) located in Pacoima, California. KWHP is one of five general aviation airports owned by Los Angeles County. 

The airport was built in 1946 in a neighborhood that at the time was filled with middle-class engineers and technicians, most of whom worked at local defense plants or by people who were involved in the movie-making industry. Most of the homes were built in the 1930s and the neighborhood thrived. 

As the years rolled on, the neighborhood surrounding the airport began to decline and the airport grew. In 1973, the county of Los Angeles purchased 100 acres of land adjacent to the airport, evicting a trailer park and revamping the property to lengthen and realign the runway so that it could accept larger aircraft.

Today, the airport sports a 4,120-by-75-foot paved runway and is home to approximately 600 aircraft, ranging from corporate turboprops to public agency helicopters. There are several businesses at the airport, including flight schools, light manufacturing, and storage. 

A satellite view of the airport shows it is now surrounded by homes and light industrial buildings, as well as freeways and railroad tracks. The neighborhoods around the airport are described by the local media as “low income housing.”

One of the most vocal groups supporting the airport’s closure is Pacoima Beautiful, a community organization that, according to its website, was established in 1996 by a group of concerned mothers who were worried about the pollution and deteriorating conditions of the community.  

The website alleges that “for the better part of 75 years, Whiteman Airport has been more detrimental than beneficial to our community,” and as such, they are calling on the county of Los Angeles to close the airport, which they perceive to be a playground for rich people with airplanes.

Steven Frasher, public information officer for Los Angeles County Public Works, says that is not an accurate assessment; instead, he says the airport is an economic engine.

“Whiteman Airport is home to numerous businesses, Glendale Community College’s pilot training program, and various non-profit aviation organizations,” he says. “As described in the 2020 Economic Impact Analysis for the County-owned airports, Whiteman Airport directly supports approximately 275 jobs, representing $22.7 million in employee wages. Overall, the airport and surrounding communities benefit from over $112 million in total airport-related—direct, indirect, and induced—spending each year.”

Frasher adds that the airport is home to law enforcement and firefighting operations, medical services, as well as youth programs and provides space for community events.

FLYING made several attempts to reach members of Pacoima Beautiful as well as members of the Pacoima City Council and the Los Angeles County and Board of Supervisors, but our telephone calls and emails have not been returned.

Accidents in the News

According to the NTSB—and feeding the calls for closure—there have been several accidents and incidents in the vicinity of KWHP over the past decade.

The most recent was in April when a Cessna Skymaster went down 4 miles north of the airport along a freeway embankment. According to the preliminary report, the twin had just taken off from KWHP when the pilot reported to the tower that his landing gear was not fully retracted. The pilot asked to stay over the airport and climb to 2,500 feet. The tower approved the request. There were no further radio transmissions from the pilot. Witnesses on the freeway reported seeing the airplane in a left turn then the nose dropped and the airplane spiraled to the ground. The pilot was killed, but no motorists were injured.

In January 2022, the airport made national news when the body camera of a police officer captured the rescue of the pilot of a Cessna 172 that made an off-airport landing on the railroad tracks near the airport after an uncommanded loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. The injured pilot was pulled to safety seconds before a train hit the aircraft. 

Foothill Division Officers displayed heroism and quick action by saving the life of a pilot who made an emergency landing on the railroad tracks at San Fernando Rd. and Osborne St., just before an oncoming train collided with the aircraft. pic.twitter.com/DDxtGGIIMo

— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) January 10, 2022

The most publicized crash was in 2020, when a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182 came down on a city street a few hundred feet short of the runway and within 50 feet of an occupied home. The pilot was killed, and the aircraft burst into flames.The pilot had reported a loss of engine power and was trying to glide to the airport. It was a VFR morning, and the video of the burning aircraft putting black smoke into the clear blue sky was on every television station in the area. The fire destroyed the aircraft and two parked cars. It also singed the front yard of a home. The homeowner—who still lives there—notes it is frightening to her when she hears aircraft overhead.

James Miller, the former manager of Whiteman Airport, notes there have been accidents at the airport, but that the city council and other elected officials are quick to exaggerate or misrepresent the facts.

“Their statements can be outrageously false,” he says. “People who want to close the airport make outrageous statements like ‘everyday people are dying from lead poisoning from the airport,’ and we ask, ‘Can you show us the 350 death certs from last year to show the statement is accurate and true?’ and of course they can’t.”

These exaggerations do get the attention of local politicians, says Miller, noting that after the January incident the Pacoima City council passed a resolution calling for the closure of the airport and urged the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to do the same.

In May, U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas, who represents the city of Pacoima in Los Angeles County, called on county officials and the FAA to close the airport for 30 days so that a safety audit could be completed. 

“The surrounding community is literally afraid for their lives,” Cárdenas told the Los Angeles Times. “There are way too many crashes coming in and out of Whiteman Airport.”

No Plans to Close the Airport

According to Miller, “None of the crashes have something to do with the safety of the airport—the control tower works, the airport has proper lighting, but there is no need to shut down the airport to conduct a survey. There have been incidents in the previous 10 years, but a gear-up landing or a hard landing is not an accident. An airplane running off the runway but not off the airport property is not an accident.”

“There is no plan to close the airport,” Frasher says. “Los Angeles County has not made any decision to close the airport, nor has it made any determination as to whether any FAA Airport Improvement Program grant funds could be returned to the Federal Aviation Administration.”

According to the FAA, “Los Angeles County, which owns Whiteman Airport, has received $4.8 million in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants for Whiteman since 2006. The most recent grant was in 2021. When airport operators accept AIP grants, they agree to certain conditions. One of these conditions is to keep the airport open for at least 20 years from the date of the most recent grant.”

The FAA adds that they have not received a request from Los Angeles County to close Whiteman.

The post Is Your Airport in Danger? Whiteman Field Provides a Cautionary Tale appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

But at the general aviation level, the total is closer to 3,300 for airports that are open to the public and part of the FAA’s National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. That’s still a big number, but it is getting smaller as airports across the country close, for reasons that range from a critical mass of noise complaints to real-estate development plans that value warehouses and shopping malls above runways and ramps.

For pilots who have been around a while, airport closings can start to feel like an epidemic. We read about (and in our case, write about) political maneuvering aimed at “repurposing” airports. Communities make economic and environmental cases for cutting pollution or putting the space to what they consider better use, as with the current battles over Reid-Hillview Airport (KRHV) in San Jose, California, and Hartford-Brainard Airport (KHFD) in Hartford, Connecticut.

Personal experience also shapes our opinions. East Hanover Airport (N58) in New Jersey, where I got to briefly take the controls of a Cessna 182 while in fifth grade, closed in the 1980s, but no development followed. You can still see the runway through the weeds. About 50 miles northwest, Trinca Airport (13N), where I made my first decent tailwheel landings, closed two years ago. The sweet grass strip could no longer resist the force of rising real-estate values.

As more people move farther from cities, rural areas once considered “the middle of nowhere” and perfect for airfields are suddenly ripe for development. Meanwhile urban neighborhoods, some of them on the rise after years of decline, seek to keep existing residents while attracting new ones. An airport’s expanse, with space for new homes, stores, offices, and parks, must make a tempting target.

Below are six airports whose futures are in doubt for a variety of reasons. Some of their stories are well-known, some not. But in each case pilots, flight students, mechanics, FBO operators, and others in the aviation business will miss them if they close.

Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport (KXLL), Allentown, Pennsylvania

Opened in 1943 as part of a production site for Consolidated-Vultee military aircraft for World War II, the airport has been considered for other uses throughout its history. The city of Allentown and other groups have proposed building high-rise apartments and a warehouse on the property and using the runways as drag strips, only to be thwarted by resistance from the local community and federal officials.  

Teterboro Airport (KTEB), Teterboro, New Jersey

While many airports face threats of closing within months or a few years, the end of the line for Teterboro, a hub for business aviation, could be decades away. Still, the outlook is grim, according to the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit that seeks to improve economic and environmental conditions. The group says Teterboro, with a field elevation of 8.4 feet, is likely to be flooded most of the time by late this century.

Robert Newlon Field (I41), Huntington, West Virginia

Known for its Fly In Cafe, outdoor activities and RV campsite, this 2,300-foot turf strip is friendly to vintage taildraggers. Attractions include a Fly-In Festival in August, the nearby Cabell County Fairgrounds and October’s Milton Pumpkin Festival. The airport’s fans worry that disputes between the county commission, which owns the property, and the airport manager could result in the sale and possible closure of the airport.

Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO), Santa Monica, California

Many have heard about the years-long dispute over this legendary airfield that was once home to Douglas Aircraft Company. It is a classic case of residential zones closing in around a once-remote airport. Complaints about noise and pollution eventually resulted in the shortening of the runway to 3,500 feet from 5,000 feet in 2017 to keep jets out. That year local and federal officials also agreed to close the airport on December 28, 2028. But airport advocates continue efforts to save it.

Whiteman Airport (KWHP), Pacoima, California

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors began looking into options that include possible closure following a handful of accidents near the airport, which is in a densely built-up area. In January, an airplane set down on nearby railroad tracks and was hit by a train shortly afterward. Police video showed officers pulling the injured pilot free of the wreckage seconds before the train destroyed the aircraft.

Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport (KDET), Detroit, Michigan

A model for other big-city airports when it opened in 1927, the facility was Detroit’s primary airport until 1947, when many airlines moved to Willow Run Airport (KYIP) and later to Detroit Metro Airport (KDTW). From the mid-1960s through the 1990s, several airlines returned, but the airport gradually became better-known for dilapidation. While the city has looked into redeveloping the site for other uses, private groups have sought to raise funds, revamp the airport and keep it open. While its GA operations continue, its future remains uncertain. 

The post These Six Airports Have Uncertain Futures appeared first on FLYING Magazine.