(Aero-News thanks our good friend Dave Weiman, editor and publisher of Midwest Flyer Magazine, for the following article regarding unsettling developments at a recent meeting in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN -- Ed.)

The Deputy Executive Director of Operations for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), Tim Anderson, proposed at the commission's July 5 operations committee meeting, a formal policy prohibiting air shows on MAC airports.

Commissioners claimed that they were interested in all aspects of the issue, including safety, liability, insurance, public relations, and financial, but heard only from one representative of the Reliever Airport Advisory Council who was in support of air shows at MAC reliever airports.

Information was apparently not sought from the International Council of Air Shows, the Federal Aviation Administration National Airshow Coordinator, nor from air show producers and airport officials in other large metropolitan areas in which successful air shows are held each year.

Anderson noted that he had been a career military pilot prior to his work at MAC, and that he was a great fan of air shows, but did not feel they were appropriate on MAC reliever airports. He said staff had determined that only Airlake and Lake Elmo airports would qualify to host an air show under FAA airspace guidelines.

Anderson went on to show commission members numerous video clips from national news networks of air show accidents, or accidents by air show performers while training for air shows. He said that although these accidents are statistically rare, they do occur every year, and that MAC needs to put safety foremost by limiting opportunity for accidents wherever possible.

Anderson also stated that some claims of potential revenue have been overstated, and that MAC must retain control of all reliever airports and not risk an air show accident that might prompt cities or legislators to change the status of MAC operating a system of reliever airports.

Glenn Weibel, Chair of the Reliever Airport Advisory Council, told commissioners that he could show videos of airliner accidents, but airliners are still allowed to fly into metropolitan airports, despite the potential for accidents, which would claim many more lives than a small air show airplane piloted by one person, and operating distant from spectators under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines.

Weibel added that the Reliever Airport Task Force had recommended finding additional sources of revenue for relievers and this would be a missed opportunity for both Airlake and Lake Elmo. These two airports run the largest deficit in the system. He concluded that he respectfully agrees to disagree with Anderson.

Also speaking without any knowledge of the air show industry in addition to Anderson was newly appointed MAC Chairman Jack Lanners who said that air shows were great in a more rural setting, but not in the metropolitan area. Again, there was no mention as to the success of air shows in other large metropolitan areas including Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington, DC, nor apparently any interest among commissioners to seek out more information before passing policy prohibiting air shows at MAC airports.

The commissioners all voted to pass the following staff recommended action: "That the Management & Operations Committee recommend to the full commission the adoption of a formal policy prohibiting ‘air shows' and air show type flight activity at all of its airports, and that the proper officers of the Commission create and execute the necessary policy document."

This action was included in the consent agenda for action at the full commission meeting July 17, and was approved. It was made clear that this policy will not alter MAC's support of Crystal's Open House, Lake Elmo's Fly-In, and Anoka County-Blaine Airport's Aviation Days in which there are no air show performances.

The MAC policy could be challenged as MAC may control the airports they own, but do not control the airspace above their airports, which is controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration. It is also possible to hold "off-airport" air shows in open areas within the metro area.

MAC is also obligated to meet all federal grant assurance requirements for any airport which has accepted federal airport development money, and it could be argued that MAC is discriminating against a form of General Aviation, and therefore in violation of federal law.

FMI: www.midwestflyer.com