More than a decade after AOPA convinced North Carolina officials not to scuttle a valuable airport, and following persistent attempts made since, the fight is back on.
Horace Williams Airport, with a 4,005-foot runway that has long served the needs of medical operations, arriving parents of university students, and other general aviation traffic, would be closed by Aug. 1 if state lawmakers approve draft legislation requiring the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, owner of the facility, to shutter the public-use field.
AOPA Southern Regional Manager Bob Minter caught wind of this latest attempt on the airport’s life and fired off a letter on behalf of AOPA’s 10,000 North Carolina-based members, and the association as a whole, urging that the one-sentence provision be struck.
Minter noted that the university does not plan to commence construction of new facilities on the property for years to come.
AOPA advocacy helped save the airport when the school first proposed shutting it down in 2002, citing operating costs. That battle was won, though the university has made further attempts since. AOPA is committed to preserving airports around the country.
Jim Moore
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