Fri, Apr 16, 2010
Will Work On A "Hybrid" Plan To Shift Runway Safety Zone Away
From Houses
More than two years of discussion over a plan to downgrade the
Venice, Florida airport has yielded very little, as the city
council voted Tuesday to not forward the plan on to the FAA.
The city will work to develop a "hybrid" plan for Venice
Municipal Airport (KVNC), according to a report in the Sarasota
Herald-Tribune. The council said it would pursue a plan that meets
federal requirements for the airport while trying to lessen the
impact on nearby homes. The council was not specific in what that
would entail.
The plan that was rejected by the council would have reduced a
runway safety buffer, but would have also discouraged "larger,
faster" airplanes from using the airport. Two council members
maintained their support for the so-called "B2" plan because it
removed several homes and a golf course from the safety zone
mandated by the FAA.
The issue was not whether airplanes fly over the houses. A
representative for the consulting firm said that the primary issue
is that homes located in an airport safety buffer have reduced
property values and higher insurance premiums. The FAA
contends that downgrading the airport would have a negative impact
on airport business.
Mayor Ed Martin has twice traveled to Washington, DC for
meetings with the FAA, who said unequivocally that they would not
allow the airport to be downgraded.
The paper reports that the vote came after the county spent over
$1.1 million in developing plans with two separate consultants.
Still, the council stopped short of endorsing an alternative that
would shift the runway about 500 feet, removing most of the houses
in the Gulf Shores neighborhood from the safety zone, but keeping
the airport designation a "C". Several council members have said
they will not approve any plan that does not address the issue of
the safety buffer in the Gulf Shores neighborhood.
More News
Aero Linx: International Business Aviation Council Ltd IBAC promotes the growth of business aviation, benefiting all sectors of the industry and all regions of the world. As a non->[...]
"During the annual inspection of the B-24 “Diamond Lil” this off-season, we made the determination that 'Lil' needs some new feathers. Due to weathering, the cloth-cove>[...]
Also: Bushcat Woes, Hummingbird 300 SL 4-Seat Heli Kit, Carbon Cub UL The newest Junkers is a faithful recreation that mates a 7-cylinder Verner radial engine to the airframe offer>[...]
Also: Seaplane Pilots Association, Rotax 916’s First Year, Gene Conrad After a decade and a half of struggling with the FAA and other aero-politics, G100UL is in production a>[...]
Also: Martha King Scholarship, Montaer Grows, Textron Updates Pistons, FlySto The FAA is hiring thousands of air traffic controllers, but the window to apply will only be open for >[...]