What are they THINKING ! ?

[GAHorn]

I sometimes wonder what our "advocates" are actually thinking...NOT!

In a story released today from AOPA:
"The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has joined other community groups in opposing two possible sites for a new high school in Millville, N.J. Two of the seven proposed high school sites are located near the Millville Municipal Airport and could cause safety issues. AOPA Director of Advocacy Joey Colleran said the sites could "expose students, teachers and other school patrons to considerable noise, dust, fumes, vibrations and other distractions and disturbances."

So... just exactly WHAT message are they trying to get across? Wouldn't it have been better to downplay the environmental issues of aircraft operations ...and focus on all the other distractions of commercial-enterprise proximity? Ya gotta wonder...How will they now defend aviation as a clean, good-neighbor...now that they've admitted it is actually a producer of "considerable noise, dust, fumes, vibrations and other distractions and disturbances."

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I thought the same thing George. Millville NJ is an airport I visit 5 or 6 times a year. It was a WWII training airport and one of the few that is practically the same size it was from back then including several of the original runways. It is a oddity on our area as most of these airfields from WWII, if they survive at all, are a mere shadow of what they once were.

I've never really left the airport except in the air so can't say where municipal lines are drawn but there is a lot of very open property in those parts and there has got to be a better place for a school. BTW in recent years there have been two or three world class car and motorcycle road course raceways built next to and perhaps on the old airport property. The raceways and the airport exist rather well together but I wouldn't be surprised if the raceways wouldn't actually make more noise and dirt than the airport. I know that standing on the airport apron probably 2 miles from the raceways with trees between us you can easily hear the cars or motorcycles tearing around the track.

[voorheesh]

I wish there had been an airport across the street from where I went to high school. I would have liked going there better. You would think this might get some kids interested in aviation.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

That is one way to look at it Voorheesh in a more simple time. But today a school close by can only mean restrictions and loss of function or total loss of the airport I'm afraid.

[N2255D]

Must be a Jersey thing. Wasn't too long ago they built a school less than 2 miles off the departure end of Rwy 26 at South Jersey regional (KVAY). The locals at the time were trying to curtail operations at the airport. The airport wanted to put a 500 ft overrun and the local anti-aviation group had pictures of every large airliner including 747's that would start landing at their 4400ft(w/overrun) airport. Strange how all these things happen at the same time.