FAA, State DOT And Pilots Fight To Keep Pine Mountain Open
The fight against a developer's efforts to close Georgia's Pine
Mountain Airport is gathering momentum. Now, the FAA and the
Georgia Department of Transportation have joined the AOPA in trying
to keep the GA airport open.
As ANN reported Tuesday, the AOPA sent a
representative to testify against attempts by the Ida Cason
Callaway Foundation to shut down the airport in order to build a
five-story hotel.
The Pine Mountain Airport (PIM) is the only GA airport in Harris
County -- an area where the population is rapidly growing. In spite
of that, Callaway Foundation CEO Edward Callaway told the Columbus
Ledger-Enquirer, "I really do feel the hotel is quintessential to
reinvigorate the gardens." He said investors in the $20 million
hotel and wellness center will pull out of the project unless the
airport is shut down.
The FAA, which granted the airport $13,275 for a study in 2003,
takes a pretty dim view of Callaway's argument. The administration
"views this airport as an important part of the national aviation
transportation system," said the FAA's Chris White. "We expect that
airport to remain open for 20 years from the date of the last
grant. The county government would be obligated to adhere to the
obligations."
No, White said, the county can't get
out of those obligations by paying back the federal money spent on
PIM. He said there's never been a case where the FAA has gone along
with a payback scheme when it involved closing down an airport.
The Georgia DOT agrees. "We've identified the Pine Mountain
airport as being in the state's best interest," said Edward
Ratiganm, chief of aviation programs for the Georgia DOT. He, too,
was quoted by the Ledger-Enquirer. "The FAA has determined it's in
the national interest. Airports fill a vital transportation role in
the state."
The AOPA based its argument on financial interests.
"What makes the Callaway Foundation proposal to close PIM almost
surreal is that dozens of other communities, particularly those
reliant on tourism, are literally competing to attract an 'on site'
airport," said Roger Cohen, AOPA vice president of regional
affairs. "For the county to consider destroying a 5,000-foot runway
literally within three-wood distance of a world-class golf resort
defies all economic logic."
The land for the airport was originally donated to Harris County
by Callaway, with the provision that, if the airport ever ceased
operations, Callaway would get the land back. Callaway also
operates the airport. 18 months ago, Callaway Director of Business
Development Ralph Callaway told county commissioners the field was
running a $71,000 annual deficit. He said, if the runway wasn't
improved and the entire field fenced in, PIM might be ordered shut
down.