Doing some internet-based research for Gastonia Municipal Airport, I found an article from the
Gaston Gazette from back in May of this year, describing an idea that
the town has
to lengthen the runway at our school's FBO in
North Carolina.
"Gastonia’s airport was built in 1946 near the intersection of Gaston Day School and Union roads. The facility slogged along for a dozen years under the same operator until last summer, when the city contracted the New York-based Academy of Aviation to assume oversight and operation of the complex. The hope is that the new partnership will help the complex to grow and expand its influence."
You can get a sense of what they want to do by looking at the terrain map above, and the runway
photo
below. It is interesting to note that alternative ideas like relocating the airport or rotating
the runway
were considered and why they were eventually nixed. We also learn a bit about the FAA's
trapezoidal Runway
Protection
Zone characteristics and why they ultimately chose to lengthen the runway towards Union
Road.
"If the ambitious and costly project gets off the ground, drivers on Union Road will find themselves going subterranean to avoid airplanes landing and taking off overhead. A tunnel would be built to ferry vehicles under what also serves as N.C. 274, allowing the airstrip to be extended from 3,370 to a full 5,000 feet."
I don't know how big of a job this will be if it is finally given the green light, but if they
decide to
bring in something like Busy Lizzie (see video below) for it (I know, probably not even close to
that kind
of a job,) I may fly down from New York to check out the groundbreaking!
