NEW HUDSON — On a recent afternoon, Josh Murphy flew through sunny May skies in his Piper Pacer tailwheel plane, taking in views of Lyon Township below, including subdivisions and the Coyote golf course.
Soon, the 24-year-old South Lyon pilot circled around for a landing at the Oakland/Southwest Airport.
As he approached the 3,128-foot long, 40-foot wide runway, he pointed out to his passenger a “displaced threshold” — more than 860 feet of runway on which he can’t land — a restriction created by trees obstructing the runway view.
Soon, hundreds of those trees will be gone, and the runway will be both shortened and widened, vastly improving safety for pilots.
The safety improvements coming to Oakland/Southwest are part of an update to the airport layout plan and include removal and new construction of taxiways and a total of $9 million in investment to keep up on FAA safety standards, as well as allow for growth at the airport. The last update was almost 20 years ago in 2005.
“Every 10 to 15 years, the FAA likes to see an update of the plan and know you are planning for growth in the airport,” Cheryl Bush, manager of aviation for Oakland County, said. “There are many improvements…We are proud to maintain the good safety record we have today and maintain it for the future. This airport is a jewel that not everyone understands is right in their backyard.”
Murphy, who learned to fly when he was 16 and earned his license two years later, welcomes the changes.
“There’s less stuff I can hit — mainly trees,” he said. “Airplanes like to touch two things — air and runway.”
Although Bush anticipates usage of the airport by small four- to six-seat planes to remain the same, an increase in activity is possible.
The airport currently averages about 20 to 30 takeoffs and landings per day, or nearly 11,000 per year, said Micah DeMeyer, airport operations coordinator.
There is no air traffic control tower at the unscheduled or “freedom of aviation” airport as DeMeyer calls it, with uncontrolled airspace.
“Safety is paramount at any airport,” DeMeyer said, “but it’s a different dynamic at an uncontrolled field. We have to think of ways to enhance safety.”
The plan to do that includes:
- Widen Runway 8/26 (meaning it points to 80 and 260 degrees on a compass) to the standard width of 60 feet.
- Remove 220 feet of existing pavement from the Runway 8 end and 608 feet from the Runway 26 end, resulting in both a shifting of runway thresholds and an overall reduction in runway length from 3,128 feet to 2,300 feet.
- Remove the existing full-length parallel taxiway and replace it with a taxiway turnaround at the Runway 8 end and a bypass taxiway at the Runway 26 end.
- Construct a taxiway connector between an executive hangar and Runway 8/26.
- Obtain navigation easem*nts to remove trees that are obstructions to the approach surfaces of Runways 8/26.
- Clear tree obstructions that encroach on approach surfaces of Runways 8/26.
- Clear and grade the area between the Runway Safety Area and the Runway Object Free Area on the south side of the runway to create a surface that the airport can maintain.
Bush did not have an exact number of trees that would need to be removed, but said it would be fewer than 500.
“There is a lot of foliage and trees in the area and that is the enemy to an airport,” Bush said, noting they obstruct views for pilots.
She hopes that in obtaining easem*nts from about neighboring property owners, the airport will gain rights to remove trees rather than trim them, which would necessitate repeated returns. The airport is not pursuing eminent domain, Bush said. Property owners will be compensated for easem*nts, which are expected to take about two years to fully obtain, and after which construction will commence.
She expects no other impacts from the changes to neighbors — with no increase in noise, since the airport won’t accommodate any larger aircraft than six seater planes.
For pilots, however, the changes are significant, and she hopes a flight school may establish itself at the airport once the improvements are done.
The airport, which was founded in 1946, covers 83 acres and has been under the county’s jurisdiction since 2000. It's also home to the Warbirds of Glory Museum, which is currently restoring a World War II-era bomber.
“The museum has brought a lot of life to the airport,” Bush said. “Between that and these improvements, we hope the airport’s future will be bright."
Contact reporter Susan Bromley at sbromley@hometownlife.com or 517-281-2412.
