Proposed private airport near our house!?!

[deb]

We live in a rural township in WI that is mostly wetlands and is a major breeding area wetland birds. Someone wants to build a private airport/airstrip next to a small lake and a marsh that is near our house

Our township has only a couple of ordinances, doesn't have its own zoning and it is exempt from county zoning. I've searched for WI and FAA rules for this kind of development, but so far have only found application forms.

Can someone point me toward the WI state and federal FAA requirements for establishing private airstrip/airports?

Thanks in advance
Deb
in WI

[rwinsouthla]

Can't help you with the FAA regs and all of that but can give you an opinion on the airport by our house, two miles away to be exact. I'm about 6 miles outside of a town of 30,000 people, and a golf community went up down the road about two miles away. The airport is actually a good neighbor. I only hear the airplanes between 5-8 at night landing. Most don't use the place for recreation, rather for several cropdusters and a half dozen commuters (yep, they have money). Also, they invite us to their airport board meetings and let us know when anything exciting is going to happen. Sure beats a commercial development with Walmart and strip malls.

[AngieM2]

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text...57_main_02.tpl

Maybe something here will help you out...

And also, you may want to check evironmental angle on the birds, as geese and airplane engines don't ususally work well together for either parties. (crashes are caused by bird intake, dead bird, crashed airplane).

Angie

[myhorsejack]

This is a slight hijack. But be grateful it isnt a huge oil giant putting an oil refinery in your back yard like here. Money is hard to fight.......


myhorsejack

[Pink_Carnation]

FAA will mostly care about the approach/departure path and traffic pattern and obstacle clearances.

Depending on the birds and effect on the wetlands, enviromental groups might want to fight it.

[cfabe]

A private airstrip is probably not going to be very heavily used at all. You're probably looking at a few flights a day maximum, most likely less.

At any rate, if there's no zoning there and the land is suitable as far as the FAA is concerend, it's probably going to get built. If you don't like it... move, and maybe choose someplace with strong zoning laws that agree with your personal values.

[Pink_Carnation]

You didn't say if you wanted to keep it from going in. I would find out what they plan on using it for before worrying to much....Cfabe is right if it is a personal airstrip. Private can mean a housing development around it with lots of people or it can be for spray pilots as well.

[rambler]

A personal strip typically isn't much of a big deal, unless something special is afoot beyond the typical. Frankly it will keep tall buildings away, keep some development away, might be a good thing 15 years from now.....

Do you really care about the birds, or are you looking to use them to get your way? Kinda bugs me when people use such things for crutches, but don't mean to make much out of that.

--->Paul

[Quint]

I've got two private airstrips within a mile or two of here and they're no problem. The occasional light aircraft passes over usually on weekends or nice days. It picks up a bit during crop dusting times but I generally just see a couple of aircraft a week flying over.

[JasoninMN]

I live two miles from an airport. It has two commercial flights a day and the rest are private individuals. There is also a helicopter school. To be honest, I hardly even notice its there.

[stanb999]

My south property line is a "private" airport. But you hardly notice. They use it for themselves only. They got one of those WWI single wing planes. Painted red. It's kinda cool. But they rarely fly so it's not really an issue. Tho, some times I wish they would get a little higher.....Faster. The spruce always look too close. But I'm sure they are higher than they look.

[deb]

There a couple of local real estate agents who are very good at bending the existing state rules when selling and developing property. These real estate agents don't "lie", they just forget to include significant details during their sales transactions.

Among other things, they have developed subdivisions without proper access roads for fire safety and built & sold houses on flood plains and ephemeral stream beds. They have been sued, have "gone out of business" and they have come back with new real estate businesses. With government budgets being what they are, small townships like mine don't get a whole lot of attention and such practices continue.

I want to read and understand the rules regarding the development of private airstrips because we are very rural & remote enough that this application will only get a cursory investigation before being approved. If the real estate agent who sold the land "forgot" to disclose significant details regarding this airstrip site and those details were were not included on the airstrip application, then those details certainly won't be discovered until it is too late.

If this proposed airstrip does meet FAA & WI state requirements, then I won't do anything. If it turns out that the proposed site does NOT meet the requirements, then I will notify the proper authorities of the situation before the site is approved and let them deal with it.

I want to be sure this airstrip doesn't end up killing someone because a local real estate agent was more interested in making a big sale then doing the right thing.

Deb
in wi

---- a little history---
Back when a real estate agent built houses and a road on an ephemeral stream bed, the folks living here saw what was happening, knew he had "bent" WI state and DNR rules and they said nothing about it.

After a couple of light snow years, there came a real winter with a heavy snow pack. When the Spring thaw started, the ephemeral stream reappeared and came roaring down its dry bed; It took out most of the road and then went though the houses as it followed its old bed downstream.

Who was responsible for this destruction of property? The real estate agent was responsible because he built the road and the houses then sold them to the buyers without telling them about the situation, but what about the neighbors? What about the neighbors who knew about the situation and said nothing ? I think they were also responsible because they knew what he was doing was wrong and they said nothing.

[Gil]

My opinion on this subject is to oppose a private airport. The airport will be private for only one person - the owner. I have (I cant use it though) a private airport about a half mile north of me and it truly P.O.'s me when he fly's over my place in his ultra light airplane well below the 500' foot minimum (which is too low - the rule and the airplane) and watches me have my Sunday morning coffee on the deck. Add this to airplanes doing stunts over my house, the gas company making its rounds, the DEA running around in their little black choppers, border patrol chasing drug runners in choppers, air guard rescue operations and last but not least the forestry plane making its practice rounds (I do welcome the forestry plane as it actually adds value to our lives). Is any place on this planet private anymore? Hell no! So why should they have there own private airport. THAT my friend is why we have PUBLIC airports. Sorry I'm so sour on all the air traffic but it has gotten out of hand. The people who fly over private land do not care anymore about your right to peace and privacy than do a telemarketer.

[cfabe]

Gil, as soon as you figure out how to buy the air above your private land, you can start complaining about them using your air.

[Pink_Carnation]

http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/ this might give you some information if you can wade through all the legal talk.

Another thing to do would be contact someone in the FAA and tell them your concerns about people following the rules and that might get them to really look at the project rather than rubber stamp it. Size and air traffic will make a huge difference in how much the FAA cares.

[Chas in Me]

Deb,
Check with your state department of transportation. You should be able to get info there.
Chas

[Gil]

Yea, air ownership would be the ultimate since private ownership of dirt is even a joke. I guess I wont get any air ownership until I do the great gig in the sky, then I shall own all my heart desires - which will probably be nil. Until then, privacy is king.

[Jennifer L.]

My father and uncle were/are private pilots, and both farms have airstrips on them. There weren't any zoning issues here. The people near one end of the strip on my farm were apprehensive about it, but my father always made sure he avoided an approach or take off that went over their places. Plus one of the sons of some of the people used it to fly in to his parent's place for the weekend all summer one year, which they liked. If it's an airport for just one plane, it's a non-issue for the most part, as the traffic will be extremely light. My uncle's strip is on the outskirts of a small town and was used by three or four other pilots at one time. No one ever complained because they were local folks, too. But even with three or four people using a strip it's still not a lot of traffic in and out.

This is a lake/marsh area. Lots of waterfowl. General Aviation planes fly slow enough that it takes a lot to hit a bird. Something like a wild turkey running across the end of the strip is probably more of a problem, just as when they cross in front of cars. If you are concerned about nesting, animals get used to what they see all the time, and the noise is not much different from trucks driving by. Airplanes do make noise on take off, but that's about it. Landings are nearly silent.

If it's not related to a development I wouldn't be concerned at all, and the only reason I'd be concerned if it were a development would be the development itself, not the airstrip.

Jennifer