AOPA honors Airport Support Network volunteer Tom Madden

Madden, a 4,000-hour commercial pilot, flight instructor, and airframe and powerplant mechanic, has worked tirelessly to look into complex problems at Linden Airport, the general aviation airport closest to New York City’s five boroughs and to New Jersey’s largest population centers.

The AOPA Airport Support Network gives AOPA members an effective way to work with AOPA’s advocacy staff to preserve and protect airports facing a wide variety of local challenges including curfews, noise restrictions, lack of improvements, funding issues, residential encroachment, and even calls to close airports.

“Tom’s investigation produced sufficient evidence to submit a Part 13 complaint with the FAA,” said Mike Ginter, AOPA vice president of airports and state advocacy. A Part 13 complaint raises questions about an airport’s compliance with its contract for federal grant funds.

“In October 2017, the FAA responded with a Part 13 determination that upheld 11 of the complaints at Linden.Throughout this process, Tom has worked with AOPA and remained in contact with elected city officials, airport management, and the local pilot organization, Friends of Linden,” he said.

In his work, Madden has relied extensively on AOPA’s comprehensive online library of airport resources for ASN volunteers, and he continues to work closely with AOPA’s airport advocacy staff, Ginter added.

A pilot since 1984 and AOPA’s Airport Support Network volunteer in Linden since 2009, Madden currently flies a Piper PA–28–161 single-engine airplane, a twin-engine Cessna Skymaster, and a Cirrus SR22 single.

“Thanks to Tom’s perseverance at Linden Airport, AOPA is well positioned to help the city of Linden set the airport on a path of growth and stability,” Ginter said.