[JYO] Northern Va. Sprawl Could Threaten Small Airfield - JYO

_http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=1183441_ 
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Northern Va. Sprawl Could Threaten Small Airfield 
July 9, 2007 - 10:42am

By SANDHYA SOMASHEKHAR
The Washington Post  
LEESBURG, Va. - The runway at Leesburg Executive Airport was getting steady  
traffic on a recent morning from amateur pilots practicing their landing 
skills.  A tiny Cessna 172 droned across the asphalt, its engine revving as it 
climbed  into the sky. The sound petered off into a low hum as it circled and 
landed,  ready for another try.  
Brad Ackmann, a flight instructor, watched and listened. Neighbors in housing 
 developments to the north occasionally complain about the noise, he said, 
and  pilots try to keep out of their way.  
But there will be no way to keep out of the way of a development proposed on  
the western edge of the airport, he said. Called Crosstrail, it is expected 
to  bring 1,000 houses within earshot of the runway.  
"The strange thing is, you know the people are going to complain even if they 
 move in knowing the airport is there," said Ackmann, 21, of Leesburg.  
And if they complain, it could eventually force the town of Leesburg to shut  
down the airport, according to aviation experts who say the advance of 
housing  developments is one of the leading threats to small airports across 
the 
country.   
"Nationwide, we are losing nearly two airports a month, and one of the  
overriding issues is encroachment," said Chris Dancy, a spokesman for the  
Aircraft 
Owners and Pilots Association, which has been lobbying against  Crosstrail.  
Later this month, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will decide whether 
 to give the developer the go-ahead to build the 500-acre complex of houses,  
shops and offices just south of Leesburg. The board already has adjusted 
zoning  in the area to make way for the Peterson Co.'s project, but it is 
divided 
on  whether Peterson has made the project palatable enough for its neighbors.  
Among the supervisors' concerns is the airport. Although airport officials  
stress that accidents are rare, there have been six crashes at or near the  
airport since 2000.  
But a larger issue is noise. If residents complain about air traffic, the  
town could limit any plans to expand the airport. Eventually, critics of the  
project say, protests could grow so loud that the town would be forced to close 
 
the airport.  
And that would harm more than just a few amateur pilots. The airport, one of  
about a dozen small airports in the region, contributes an estimated $45 
million  to the local economy each year. In addition, it has received millions 
of 
dollars  in federal money for its role in keeping small aircraft off the busy 
runways at  Dulles International Airport.  
Three flight schools operate out of the Leesburg airport, as well as  
emergency helicopters. It does a brisk business among corporate executives who  
come 
to the region for meetings.  
Advocates of Crosstrail say predictions that the airport could close are  
exaggerated. David D'Onofrio, a spokesman for Peterson, said the project  
includes 2 million square feet of office space that would increase business at  
the 
airport. And the homeowners - who would join others homeowners already  living 
in that area - would be informed of the airport's presence before they  sign 
their deeds.  
Besides, the Federal Aviation Administration already has said Crosstrail's  
houses are far enough from the airport that noise shouldn't be much of a  
problem, said Supervisor Mick Staton Jr., who says he supports having homes in  
that area but has yet to decide whether he will vote for Crosstrail.  
"They're meeting the guidelines that have been laid out by FAA," Staton said. 
 "You have to believe the FAA would create minimum guidelines that are  
reasonable."  
But that doesn't take into account that the airport is expected to grow in  
the coming years, critics of the project say. Nor does it allow for the whims 
of  residents who might complain anyway. One need only to look to the problems 
at  Ocean City's municipal airport, which is seeking to expand but is facing 
strong  opposition from nearby residents, they say.  
"There's nothing wrong with putting compatible businesses near an airport,  
but residential near an airport is just setting in motion the wheels of  
conflict," Dancy said. "Eventually, homeowners are going to complain about the  
noise coming from the airport. It doesn't matter that the airport was there 40  
years before the houses."  
The Leesburg Executive Airport was founded in 1963 by Arthur Godfrey, a  
broadcasting legend who would often refer to his airfield as "the cow pasture." 
 
Today, it has a modern terminal with the ability to accept planes coming in 
from  overseas. About 50,000 small airplanes touch down there each year.  
Although hundreds of houses have cropped up in the vicinity, the airport  
remains hemmed in by little more than trees. Deer are often spotted on the  
runway. On Friday morning, a few minutes after a Beechcraft Bonanza slid onto  
the 
runway, a fox trotted out of the trees to have a look.  
Brad Ackmann said he learned to fly in 2002 at this airport. He plans to get  
a job as a pilot for one of the major airlines.  
"Airline pilots have to go somewhere to learn what they're doing," Ackmann  
said. "It would be a shame if this place had to close down." 




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