Don't build school within two miles of airport, AOPA says
A request to change zoning in order to build an elementary school within two miles of St. Mary's County Airport in Leonardtown, Maryland, would risk the welfare of those on the ground, AOPA told the city's Department of Land Use and Growth Management. The school would be located under the entry to the downwind leg of Runway 29 and in an area that VFR pilots frequently use to fly around the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone. After being alerted of the proposal by Airport Support Network volunteer Ken Studt, who also wrote a letter opposing the school, AOPA urged the city to follow the spirit of the St. Mary's County comprehensive zoning ordinance, which says that it is best to prevent incompatible land use around the airport than to take corrective action later.
January 12, 2007
