Robb E. James

It is my opinion that the FAA has been abusing its power as it relates to rTTF. For example, KEIK was a residential airpark when the FAA came in and decided to invest in a new runway in the airpark. The FAA put in the runway, let the residential users use the runway for close to 20 years, then woke up one day and basically said ‘just kidding, you now cannot access the runway that we put in knowing that it was an airpark when the FAA made the investment to put it in. This about face started with Carol Suomi and others when they decided they just didn’t like rTTF and think it is incompatible even though most of the rTTF users are aviation fans than do not complain about noise and they are the 1st responders to accidents and they are built-in security for airports and they make large investments in the airport to make it viable via fuel, rTTF fees, premium property taxes and more. Carol Suomi said about residential TTF “Develop a Corrective Action Plan to end it!” and also said “Buy out easement/option – if necessary!” Congress then stepped in via law and basically told the FAA to stop abusing their power telling the FAA to allow residential TTF and congress said do not threaten airports with limiting grant monies if they don’t make it hard on the residential through the fence users who are investing in their local airport. Now the FAA appears to be usurping congress by figuring out more ways to hurt residential TTF users by burying them in policy and review periods and limiting access easements to 20 years so that people cannot get 30 year mortgages or sell their homes. This type of behaviour is exactly what our legislature was attempting the FAA from doing. Mr. Fiertz and Ms. Lang are intent on restricting residential through the fence access in spite of a Congressional act to prevent the FAA from doing so. This policy needs to be changed to reflect the spirit and intent of the law.