Peter Dunihowrote:
Your situation is a great example of why airports should be very
aggressive
about dealing with development happening around them, and especially
development happening on the extended runway centerline.

Other airports have successfully challenged developments, either resulting
in ensuring that a path under the centerline is clear, or restricting the
distance within which the development encroaches on the airport....snip

An example of this is Chino airport here in Southern California. It's in San
Bernardino County, surrounded by dairy farms. Or at least, it is for now.
All the dairy farms are being bought out by developers. Driving through
Chino and Norco, you go through farmland punctuated more and more frequently
by big tracts of lot filling houses (all they seem to be building around
here these days). I've heard that the airport bought up the farmland
immediately off the approach ends of the runways to stave off the inevitable
complaints of the homeowners who would be there maybe 10 years down the
line. The city seems to appreciate the airport, fortunately, since it has
quite a few businesses and organizations on the grounds, including Fighter
Rebuilders and the Planes of Fame air museum to name two. It's definitely a
cool place - I recommend checking it out when in the LA area.

Here's hoping Chino and others stick around for many years to come.


-Tony Goetz