Andover - Aeroflex, NJ For Sale

"Guy Elden Jr" wrote:

A co-worker jokingly asked me if I wanted to buy an airport, so I
jokingly replied, "sure!" It turns out the airport that's for sale is
Andover-Aeroflex airport in Sussex County, NJ, one of the most charming
strips of pavement this side of the Mississippi.

Not 50 miles north of there, two other airports are being
threatened. Monticello, NY has been sold to a developer and
it looks like it will disappear.

After the owner died, Wurtsboro, NY was also sold to a
developer (or an option was sold - it's not really clear).
The developer held a meeting last week and told the pilots
that he was wanted to move the main runway, eliminate the
parallel grass runway and the 3 crossing grass runways, dig
a 400' deep gravel pit, then fill it with water, build
luxury homes, add a ski chalet at the north end and
horseback riding stables at the south end, "move" the
hangars, eliminate the overruns, etc. It isn't even clear
if the promises to keep a runway can be enforced.

The town offered to buy the airport for more than the
developer offered, but that offer was refused. Apparently
there's bad blood between the town and some of the heirs who
control the estate. At least one heir who lives on the
property wants it to stay an airport with open surrounding
space and would have been happy to accept the higher offer
from the town, but doesn't control the estatel.

The town is now considering using eminent domain to preserve
the airport and open space that abuts the canal and
wetlands. There's lots of backing from all the wetland/open
space/green groups, and from several NY politicians to
preserve the airport and open space, but the developer has
the inside track. There is a pilots group formed, but the
developer has control of the airport and is making their
life difficult.

For those who often rail against the FAA - note that they
will be providing 95% of the money to the town, and the only
reason the airport has a chance is that the FAA paid for
runway improvements about 8 years ago and locked it up as an
airport for 20 years (12 more now).