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Midwest Flyer Magazine, December 1998/January 1999

Airport & Neighbors Cooperate For Safety

By Tom Foster,
Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.

It's not uncommon for the local General Aviation Airport to be in conflict with its neighbors over safety issues. However, the Crystal Airport near Minneapolis and its neighbors have found that effective communication helps replace conflict with cooperation, resulting in improved safety and a better airport for the users. For the Crystal Airport (MIC), a reliever for the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP), the safety issue was obstructions that needed to be removed. The problem was that the obstructions were mainly trees located in the neighbor's yard.

Both the Crystal Airport and MSP, as well as five other reliever airports in the Twin City Area, are owned and operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). MAC staff recognized the situation had a potential for conflict and was determined to build a consensus and secure cooperation from the beginning. To fully understand the situation at the Crystal Airport, a little history is in order.

When the Airport began operating in the 1940s, the area was largely rural and the surrounding land use mostly agricultural, a perfect location for a small airport. However, as the Minneapolis metropolitan area grew in the 50s and 60s the area developed into urban, high density residential land uses. Today, properties adjacent to the Airport are fully developed with homes abutting the Airport on all sides. For many of these homes, their back yard fence is literally the Airport boundary. Crystal Airport is only 436 Acres and some residences are very close to the operations areas.

Biography

Tom Foster, PE, is a Principal and Manager of the Aviation Services Group at SEH. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College. His professional registrations include: Professional Engineer in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa; Commercial Pilot, Certified Flight Instructor; Licensed Pilot ; and Multi-engine, Commercial, IFR, CFII 7,000+ hour

Tom is a member of the American Society of: Civil Engineers (ASCE), Minnesota Council of Airports (MCOA) and American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)