As I consider myself a self-proclaimed expert regarding the closure of County Road 100 East, and totally unbiased, following are my credentials:
1. Medical device business owner in Warsaw.
2. Commercial corporate rated pilot.
3. Owner of both a corporate aircraft and hangar at the Warsaw Airport.
4. Property owner on CR 450 North; traveling past the airport on 100 East an average of 3 times a day, 7 days a week.
5. Attended and spoke at the last Aviation Board meeting.
As I have read most of the comments concerning the closure of County Road 100 East, there are some facts, questions and concerns that Mayor Wiggins and the Aviation Board need to answer publically.
You have proposed a fabricated need to extend the runway over Country Road 100 East, but cannot provide any factual evidence to quantify any of the claims made. For example:
1. Missed flights due to contaminated runways!
2. Insurance will be cheaper! Who made the claim, and what is the cost difference?
3. Inaccurate, biased, and downright untruthful claims made by the airport manager. Why?
4. Not all corporate flight departments were asked to fill out the questionnaire. Why?
5. How many flights, annually, could not depart or land at Warsaw due to weight requirements? Total count of passengers affected? What alternate airport was used?
6. Why would the flight departments in question purchase and operate any aircraft out of our airport that does not meet operations criteria? How have they gotten by this long?
7. If Warsaw is a proactive city, why weren't all the new businesses on Parker Street Extension notified prior to building?
8. Your airport engineer states that HIS proposal is the only way that the FAA will approve and fund a runway extension. If Warsaw is so important to the state's economy, why haven't our governor, senator, representatives, FAA and the Pope been invited HERE to a round-table meeting to view our actual needs?
9. At the Aviation Board meeting, it was stated that annexation of the property on the east side of County Road 100 East needs to be done so that the city will control the road, not the county. (Tacky.)
However, I understand why you are asking for this, and funding is an issue. Why not annex all the Airport Industrial Park at the same time to help fund your proposal? How popular would this be with those businesses?
10. Lastly ... is it possible to do a background check and add a minimum requirement for an I.Q. test for the next airport manager? Hopefully, that test will reflect positive numbers!
I won't get into a few asinine comments made by the Aviation Board members at this time.
Bottom line is this: I (and all others that I have talked to about this) support expanding the airport only without closing County Road 100. Only bumbling idiots would think differently.
