Regional Affairs

AOPA works to protect California airport

AOPA is calling on the FAA to enforce rules that would protect Mefford Field Airport in Tulare, California, from an encroaching safety hazard. Over objections from local pilots, the State of California, the California Pilots Association, and AOPA, the city has approved construction of a truck terminal in the runway protection zone. But the City of Tulare has received more than $1.4 million in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds, obligating the city to use its zoning authority to prevent "the establishment or creation of future airport hazards." While AOPA is working on the federal level, volunteer lawyers for the California Pilots Association have filed court papers asking for the revocation of the construction permit.

January 7, 2005