Navy Considering Renting Commercial Runways
Sunday, April 04, 2010

Unable to get the new airfield it needs, the U.S. Navy is considering renting runways at public and private airports in Virginia to accommodate the practice flights of some aircraft. Naval officials have tried unsuccessfully for years to build new landing strips for Fentress Naval Auxiliary Landing Field in Chesapeake, where pilots of E-2C Hawkeyes and C-2 Greyhounds prepare for nighttime aircraft carrier landings. But local residents have opposed the expansion because of concerns about plane noise.
So the Navy is reaching out to airports within a 100-mile radius of Norfolk to rent runways that are 5,000 feet long, 100 feet wide and capable of supporting a 25,000-pound single-gear weight. Eight local airports meet the criteria. Local communities could earn extra money by reaching agreements with the Navy.
The Navy already has deals in place with airports in Florida and Alabama to provide outlying landing fields for congested naval air bases.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Navy Eyes Rental of Airport Runways (by Kate Wiltrout, Virginian-Pilot)
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