Let's see if we can cut through the fog of misconceptions and misinformation that surrounds our airport these days.

On May 28 the Airport Advisory Committe and the Master Plan Working Group voted to forward the draft of the airport master plan prepared by the Dunkleberg Group to the Planning Commission and, subsequently to the Board of commissioners. Finally, this lengthy, contentious process is moving forward.

We are going to have, for the long term, a working, active airport that serves a variety of needs, including powered and glider operations. From my viewpoint the highlight of the draft plan is to move glider operations to the east side of the field by means of a series of improvements, largely funded by the FAA.

What airport opponents aren't telling you is that we are beholden to the FAA for the long term. Once we have accepted FAA funding we are obligated to abide by their rules for the lifespan of any improvements that they have funded. So, if we decide to assert local control over airport operations, we are likely to find ourselves facing a very big bill, in the $20 million neighborhood, that the FAA will hand us to repay them for existing improvements.

We need to remember that our airport generates some $50 million a year in economic activity. In a period of declining tax revenues we should be pursuing every avenue of economic expansion. Returning the Minden airport to its former status of a world-class glider destination is certainly a worthy goal in that pursuit. The sort of visitor attracted to glider competitions has minimal impact on our infrastructure ( they don't send their kids to our schools and they don't often get arrested, for example) and they spend money locally, at our restaurants and hotels.

I haven't mentioned that the contemplated improvements, which are projected to cost the County about $3 million over 20 years, out of a total of $35 million, will dramatically improve airport safety while having litle impact on existing noise levels.

Are we going to turn into a jetport? Available evidence suggests that we won't. The existing jet hangars are largely occupied by small private prop planes. Pinon Aero has modified its first phase development from more jet hangars to T-hangars, scarcely suitable for corporate jets. The economics of fuel costs and flight times offer considerable disincentive to fleets of out-of-town corporate jets being stationed here.

Additionally, we have the option, fully sanctioned by the FAA, to pass a local initiative to ban commercial air carrier operations from our airport. Such a move would go a long way toward getting us out of the treacherous position that our local weight ordinance has put us in.

We have, and will continiue to have, an FAA controlled facility. Let's make the most of its potential.