![]() Davis Aerospace Technical High School to the airport grounds, after the school moved off the airport in 2013. The group is also working to help return the Benjamin O. In addition to their regular presence at council meetings, association members are active in community outreach efforts, including an airport clean-up event in August. "That's a very small investment for a potentially very large return." ![]() "Accepting federal funds would mean they'd only need to spend $190,000," he said. DET is 10 miles from the border, and its tower provides low-altitude radar coverage.Īssociation member Keith Newall noted the council wasn't aware that DET could potentially receive $24.3 million in improvements – of which the city would only need to front $1.2 million – and that it could also accept FAA funds to offset the $3.5 million cost to refurbish Runway 15/33. One of the education association's first attempts to change perceptions was at a city council meeting this summer, where group members spoke of the airport's economic importance and its role in securing airspace near the Canadian border. "Every airport is at risk, and we hope ours will ultimately be given the resources necessary to undergo a complete revitalization." "There was a lack of understanding about the airport's value, and that's not a situation unique to DET," said Air Eagle General Manager and Chief Pilot Michael Zabkiewicz. The field, located about 6 miles northeast of downtown Detroit, remains the eighth busiest towered airport in Michigan, however, with more than 42,000 operations in 2016.ĭespite those figures, earlier this year the city contracted a study of alternative uses for the valuable property, including possible closure of DET. Once a busy airport, traffic figures slipped in the aftermath of Detroit's budgetary woes and the 2009 recession. Joining with the flying club were fixed-based operator AvFlight and business aviation flight department Air Eagle, as well as organizations including the Black Pilots of America, Civil Air Patrol, Tuskegee Airmen and Museum and the longstanding Friends of Detroit City Airport group. "We learned about the field's deeply rooted problems and the frustration among others dependent on the airport." "We first approached the airport manager, and eventually attracted the city administration's attention," he explained. Executive Director Dave Tarrant said the organization's roots stem in part from his flying club's attempts to have a hangar door repaired two years ago. Young International Airport Education Association is a broad coalition of airport-based businesses and other concerned stakeholders. Young International Airport (KDET), as city leaders explore options to repurpose the airfield for non-aviation use – a threat that targets a number of general aviation airports across the country.įormed earlier this year, the Coleman A. What began as a simple maintenance request has blossomed into an all-out effort to educate the community and local leaders about the importance of Detroit's Coleman A. City Considering Closure Of KDET And Repurposing Land For Non-Aviation Uses
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