Wednesday, April 26, 2000Lunken commuter line debated
Noise just 1 of issues discussed
By Jim Hannah
The Cincinnati EnquirerThe public had its first chance to comment on a plan to bring a commuter airline to Lunken Airport during a hearing Tuesday evening.
“Any more noise from the airport would be an intrusion,” said Tom Ryther, a council member in nearby Mariemont.
The meeting was called by the Community Development and Intergovernmental Committee, chaired by Councilman Todd Portune, and attended by council members Phil Heimlich, Pat Dewine and James Tarbell.
Crowd of dozens
A crowd of about 130 residents, flying enthusiasts and people in the aviation industry packed Mount Washington Elementary School gym for the two-hour meeting.“I have a problem with the railroad tracks I live next to, not Lunken field,” said John Karch of Hyde Park. “The trains come by at 2 a.m. and wake me up.
“But I live directly under the airport's flight path, and I never have a problem with noise for planes.”
Turboprops are aim
Lunken Airport is searching for an airline to offer discounted commercial flights to Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago's Midway Airport.The airlines would fly 19- to 30-seat turboprops, not large jets.
The owner of Cardinal Air flight training school said he could be the biggest loser under a plan to bring a commercial airline to Lunken.
“The city is trying to evict us, a viable business, for a pie-in-the-sky dream of bringing a commuter airline,” Laury Weilzel said. “I will bet all my money that if a commuter airline comes, they will be out of business within a year.”
Noise response
David J. Tobergte, manager of the airplane operations department of Procter & Gamble, compared airport management to a “heat-seeking missile” for addressing noise complaints quickly.Some residents complained about having difficulties reaching airport representatives when they have noise complaints at night. Mr. Portune said residents could call the city's public works hot line.
Suggestion attacked
But it was Mr. Portune's suggestion to create an airport board to operate the municipal airport, not proposed air service, that drew most of the attention of the 20 speakers at Tuesday's meeting.“Lunken Airport is working; don't screw it up,” said Mr. Tobergte. He called a proposal to revamp the airport's management structure a “recipe for disaster.”
He serves on a committee, made up of airport users, that makes recommendations and passes along concerns to airport manager Dan Dicten.
“No matter how well- intended the forming of a separate airport board composed of nonairport individuals seems, this would be squandering the enormous talent available from the airport tenants,” said Tom Edwards, chairman of aviation administration at Northern Kentucky University.
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