Sun, Apr 20, 2003
Boyer: Don't Plough It Under For Housing
AOPA
President Phil Boyer joined the effort Wednesday to for another
public-use airport to serve the critical need for general aviation
capacity in the New York/Long Island area.
Boyer met with local media and town officials from Riverhead
(NY) to discuss the future of Calverton Corporate Air Park, a
massive private-use airport on the grounds of a former naval air
station. AOPA says the airport has been underutilized since the
Navy left some eight years ago and transferred the property to the
township. Local developers have expressed interest in developing
housing on the land.
"The town should resist pressure from the developers and instead
work to fulfill the vast potential of Calverton," said Boyer. "This
former military field, turned into a general aviation airport open
to all, could become an economic engine for the region."
Just Say No To Developers
The town of Riverhead became the owner of the
property during one of the rounds of military base realignments and
closures during the 1990s. The airport has a 10,000-foot and a
7,000-foot runway. It sits far enough east of metropolitan New York
City to be away from the approaches and departures at JFK and La
Guardia airports, but close enough to provide access to the
metropolitan region.
"There is a critical lack of capacity for general aviation
aircraft in the New York City area," said Boyer (pictured right,
center, between Riverhead Town Council Supervisor Robert
Kozakiewicz and AOPA member Mark Houraney). "Keeping this airport
operational and opening it to public use could go a long way to
filling that need."
Boyer pointed to other communities, such as San Bernardino
County (California), which have seen great benefits from taking
over a former military airport and turning it into a GA field.
And to answer the "nimby-noisers" (not in my backyard because
airplanes make noise) in the community, Boyer explained how, with
an airport as large as Calverton, the noise "footprint" stays
inside the airport property.
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