Why Support Crosstrail

The Leesburg Airport has a few problems - the largest of which is a huge financial drain on the Town of Leesburg. The airport lost $537,000 in 2005 which was an increase from $501,000 in 2004. The Town Council is concerned about this. Some have asked me how this loss could be turned into a profit, or into at least a breakeven situation. Their suggestion was that perhaps increasing the personal property tax on airplanes to the same tax rate for farm and construction equipment, etc., charging landing fees and other user charges might be a solution. I said I disagreed. My solution is Crosstrail.

Crosstrail will make it possible for companies that own business jets to locate in the Class A office space that the Peterson Company is planning to develop. Their executives and employees can live in Crosstrail, shop in Crosstrail, and even walk or bike to work, eat in fine restaurants, and enjoy entertainment. Think Reston Town Center or Peterson’s Fair Lakes development. Neither of these communities is near an airport, which market research shows will be a strong selling point to major corporations. These are the companies that own and operate business jets. The Peterson Company has a Gulfstream.

Two hundred or even 300 small airplanes will never make the Leesburg Airport profitable. A few business jets will. My business has given me the opportunity to work with almost every major general aviation airport in the US and many smaller ones. I understand what works and what does not. I have been following the Crosstrail development for over a year and have studied it carefully. I am convinced it will be the biggest boost to the airport since I negotiated the deal to bring the Flight Service Station to the airport the early 1980s. The Flight Service Station will be gone in February.

The Peterson Companies does not want to see the airport stagnate or close as some have suggested. Bringing major companies to our community will make the Leesburg Airport a center for business aviation. No longer will we have to wait 16 years for life-saving improvements like a glide slope and a control tower.

Noise and safety are two other issues that are being debated. Pilots do not fly inside the Greenway on a downwind to runway 35. The downwind leg is west of the Greenway. An off-airport landing or accident is extremely rare. This has never happened on the Crosstrail property, at least in the last 30 years that I can attest to. Lawn mowers in Crosstrail will make more noise than airplanes. Noise contours compiled by the FAA confirm this.

Finally a personal note - I spent 12 years of my life managing and developing the Leesburg Airport on a full-time basis. I did it 24/7. It was my only job. I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of my own money transforming the airport from a bankrupt recreational airfield into an airport capable of handling business jets. This airport is in my blood. No one wants it to succeed more than I do. I will do everything I can to ensure the airport's success.
Originally posted June 13, 2006