AOPA opposes closure of vital training airport in Florida

AOPA opposes closure of vital training airport in Florida

AOPA has expressed its opposition to the proposed closure of Florida's Opa Locka West Airport to the FAA and Miami-Dade Aviation Department. The department has proposed the decommissioning of Opa Locka West Airport in order to mine lime rock aggregate.

"Because of the airport's location, it provides an ideal training facility away from more congested general aviation airports in the immediate area," wrote AOPA Vice President of Airports Bill Dunn in a letter to the FAA. "The airport has more than 12,000 operations per year...and it is contained in the agency's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems."

According to an April 2005 Florida Aviation System plan, "In their current role, Opa Locka West Airport serves the general aviation needs of the local community.... The airport serves as a remote area for training flights to practice 'touch-and-goes,' easing the burden of these flights on Opa Locka Airport and other nearby general aviation airports in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties."

AOPA recommended investing federal and state funds in the airport to turn it into the flight training facility of choice in the Miami area.

May 3, 2006