A group of pilots and aviation enthusiasts have formed Friends of Montgomery County Airpark Airport (KGAI) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and have started a petition to save the airport.
According to officials with the new group, an anti-airport group called “Citizens For Airpark Safety” has petitioned the local government to stop touch and goes at the airport.
The airport, which opened in 1960 and has a 4,202-foot runway, is used by flight schools and medical airlift services.
Officials with Friends of Montgomery County Airpark Airport say they want to protect touch and goes at the airport and improve local attitudes toward the airport.
As one of its first efforts, the group created a petition on Change.org to help raise awareness about the airport.
The petition notes: “Montgomery County airport is a community asset. Its vital transportation infrastructure to the region. We ask the Montgomery County Revenue Authority not to take action to hurt the airport.”
“The local airport and general aviation airports across the country are vital hubs for medical transportation and education,” it continues.
Several people who have signed the petition also commented, including Donald Stanton, who noted: “I’m signing as the freedom of flight is important, not only for pilots but for the community as it attracts business and is a source of revenue to the community.”
Jason Avila added: “I learned to fly on the east coast and small airports are what make general aviation amazing. They also bring in revenue for the local community. Save general aviation and stop pushing to close the airports!”
You can see — and sign — the petition at Change.org.
One of my early Flight Instruction jobs was at Montgomery County Airport in the mid late’70s …Gibson Aviation… and I remember when the construction of homes began … we used to quip “we can see the chandeliers and people eating their dinners!”
With homes so close that residents can smell the Jet-A and the bustling industrial area now surrounding the airport, I’m amazed the airport lasted this long.
I kinda remember when Ok City Downtown went through the same issues…. 😢
So,where do you suggest we do the training for touch and goes . I have lived on a airport all my life and my children are still alive and working as engineers and as a lawyer,. I haven’t seen the effects of the lead on our community from aircraft operation So if you bought your house close to a airport you would have been aware of aircraft noise ,so why did you buy your house ?
Aircraft designers do not go out of their way to make a aircraft noisy or belch out lead.
We should stop believing urban myths and research facts and talk to the people who operate their businesses around airports . Try walking in their shoes for a day.
I wonder if any of the homeowners use leaf blowers, weed eaters or lawn mowers to keep their yards. These devices make as much noise as an airplane several hundred feet overhead. Ate they going to ban their yard implements? Probably not. They seem not to mins if their noise
is bothersome, but they themselves don’t want to be bothered.
Years ago a petition with 200 signatures was asking to close the airport where I hangar. As I left the FBO, A TV crew asked to interview me, noting that I had a plane there. As I gave them my opinion, the LifeFlight helicopter took off. Then, as if on cue, several military students in fatigues walked past me. I pointed out that as many as 20 airmen solo each week after receiving training at our field. Then, Scott, the Forestry Service pilot walked past after having flown to assist firefighters put out a fire. I never saw the broadcast, but I cannot imagine that those signatories were proud of their opposition to having the community benefit from an airport.
I can understand wanting to eliminate touch and gos because it pushed the go part further down the runway and pushes the noise profile futher from the end of the runway. Example is that runway which is 4200 ft long. If I take of from the end, I use lets say 1000 ft on the roll and another 1200 ft to get to 50 ft which leaves another 2000 + to get higher before the end of the airport. If I do a touch and go, unless I land on the first bricks, I will be pushing the airplane further down the runway on the go.
This is a falsehood and no one, not even who you call “NIMBYs” are opting to close the Airpark, not from what I heard. Maybe instead of petitions you should look to meet with residents and hear their concerns. Airports close because of ignorance and unwillingness to meet the community half way. They have rights as well so be respectful and meet with them. It’s this ridiculous behavior that causes misunderstandings and people to close an Airport.
Um
before painting with the broadbrush, perhaps SMO and Meigs field cases could be reviewed. In both cases, airport authorities went more than ‘halfway’ to keep said fields open. Meigs is gone. SMO is leaving.
The NIMBY’s want the real estate. They’ll keep hammering until they get it.
It happened to SMO- it’s going to happen again…:((
Weight and aerodynamics. Cars are not as limited on space.
During THE VN WAR the USA had a motorized glider that was so quiet the VC couldn’t hear it overhead. It flew at night sniffing for ammonia. People and horses have ammonia is their urine.
That exhaust system was 30 feet long and was heavy.
I am reasonably sure this airport was there long before any homes were built around it. As always towns expand toward airports. People build and buy homes near airports, then complain about the noise and safely.
Back in the early 80s when I flew in there often from FDK it was in the middle of a corn field with nothing around it.
once had unfortunate experience of four flight school aircraft doing continuous touch and goes at chn no way to leave for half hour
also at lna but helicopters
bad practice by flight schools
Re: several posts above. I’ve always wondered why there aren’t mufflers on piston airplane engines. The weigh and back-pressure can’t be that much of a problem. As to noise abatement, yes, housing developments built next to major highways have resulted in taxpayer-paid tall barriers erected between the houses and the road. As to planes spewing lethal lead into their communities, do we still use leaded fuel? Logic in these cases holds no sway. Years ago a community in North New Jersey sued a receive-only satellite antenna farm claiming those dishes were causing cancer. No radiated RF, just received. Once that snowball gets rolling, by the time it gets to the bottom of the hill it’s a boulder the size of a house. You need to get a powerful politically conservative politician on your side to combat those idiots. Good luck local GA airports. You may be a vanishing breed. Figure a way to fight fire with greater fire power. /J
There are mufflers on piston powered airplanes. Engine noise is not the chief problem but the sound of propellers beating the air is. The tips are at or near supersonic speeds at high power levels and this is the source of much of the noise. Yes an airplane needs high power during takeoff and initial climbout until it reaches an altitude that will allow it some options in case of an emergency. What would be worse, a bit of noise on takeoff or a crash into a neighborhood because the airplane had not reached a safe altitude because the pilot reduced power early to satisfy noise restriction policies?
The NIMBY’s solution: ‘Why, just close the airport!’
And turn it from a tax-generating entity to a ‘park’ where people can go and throw trash around- bonus, big $$$ for already-loaded developers…
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/leaded-gas-was-phased-out-25-years-ago-why-are-n1264970
Why, in this day and age, don’t we have more effective mufflers on our aircraft?
Why do pilots with controlable pitch propellers insist on full pitch on take-off for ten minutes when flying way below gross weight?
All pilots should read the HAI publication “Fly Neighborly.” Good suggestions for fixed wing aircraft too.
Not intending to start an argument, but what does this have to do with the article? FWIW, full power take offs are appropriate, whether constant speed prop or fixed pitch prop equipped. The article doesn’t say anything about aircraft noise—and throttling back or reducing rpm won’t make much difference if it had.
Not intending to start an argument Cary, but have you ever heard a 206/207 takeoff (especially with a seaplane prop)? This coming from a guy who LOVES airplane noise. The prop tips are supersonic and make a terrible racket. Bring the RPM back down 150 or so and it is tolerable.
At our local airport, any attempt by GA pilots to mitigate noise is undone by the ‘Sheriff’s Flying Club’ screwing around in their choppers at 200 agl.
These local airports were built in then-rural areas…..Montgomery Airpark, Bay Bridge Airport, Hyde Field, Potomac Airport, Freeway and Suburban Airports, Lee Airport……the list goes on. Land was sold adjacent to all these airports, and people built houses, knowing full well that an airport was nearby. Then they complain about the noise! If they built a house near an interstate highway, they’d probably want the road closed, too!
Same old same old. But they’ll get developers to pay off the right politicians and eventually steal the airport’s land- that was more often than not, paid for by Federal taxpayers.
On a similar topic ….. Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose has a socialist board of supervisors who have voted to close the airport in nine years so as to build low income housing.
Airports that were built almost a hundred years ago, like KRHV, are surrounded by housing now and people claim that “little planes are belching lead over their communities, killing our children” and we need support everywhere to counter the complaints
There is not much difference between a go-around and a touch and go. I hope they are not the next thing on their stop list. It sounds like a noise/traffic issue. I can forsee the next complaint. Eliminate the flight school and then close the airport. It’s the old argument, which came first the airport or the complainer.
I’m sorry but I seem to be confused. Are they trying to close the airport or just stop Touch and Go’s? I live in Florida where we have a lot of big flight schools. There are several airports around me that have stopped allowing touch and go’s. All traffic must complete a Full Stop Landing. Then they can simply taxi back and take off again, back around the pattern and full stop again. I believe the airport authorities did this due to the high training aircraft traffic at the airports to allow aircraft not associated with the flight schools trying to take off to have a chance.
We also have several airports that do not allow Touch and Go’s and also have very strict Noise Abatement Rules. These are in place due to Residential Community’s around the airports.
So if they are trying to stop Touch and Go’s because of the noise of multiple airplanes ganging up and just doing Touch and Go’s for hours on end then maybe they have a point. You have to admit that Us GA Pilots have not really done our best to instill a lot of trust in our sport. What with all of the Wheels Up Landings, Fuel Mismanagement (Running out of Fuel), Base to Final Stalls. And the myriad of other stupid things that happen. Maybe they are just trying to lessen it happening over there houses.
But if this is an attempt as a first step to shut the airport down, then no this I agree is something that has to be fought and stopped.
The story just didn’t make it clear the reasoning. Oh and by the way I am not a nub at flying. Been flying since I was 14 and at 62 still fly every day.
I hope you are successful in keeping the airport open as I feel the country needs more local airports not fewer ones! My flying career started in a very small airport in PA in 1964 that later closed to become a housing project. Many successful airline pilots got there wings at that airport! Good luck!