CAA: GA News, "Wisconsin airport restricts majority of flights"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wednesday, October 31, 2001

County airport restricts majority of flights 
By CHARLIE MATHEWS 
The Herald Times Reporter


MANITOWOC - The skies above Manitowoc will be buzzing with a lot fewer
airplanes over the next eight days. 

The Manitowoc County Airport is one of 80 nationwide that will not
permit most private pilots to take off or land at its facility until
Nov. 7. 

It's part of heightened security measures issued Tuesday afternoon by
the Federal Aviation Administration, restricting aircraft flying below
18,000 feet from coming within a radius of 10 nautical miles of nuclear
power plants. 

The Manitowoc County Airport is within 10 nautical miles of Point Beach
Nuclear Power Plant. 

Austin Straubel in Green Bay is open. Airports in Appleton, Oshkosh and
Sheboygan also remain open. 

"This is a killer for us and very frustrating," said an employee of
Magnus Aviation, which operates the Manitowoc airport. The employee
refused to be identified. 

Ed Hynes, supervisor at the FAA's Wisconsin Flight Service in Green Bay,
spelled out the bad news. 

"The Manitowoc airport is closed to general aviation who fly under 'Part
91,' but air taxis can still operate," said Hynes. 

The alert closes the Manitowoc airport to virtually all private flights,
including corporate jets which might want to take off or land at the
northside facility. Manitowoc Company houses its corporate jets at the
Manitowoc airport. 

The only flights permitted will be for medical emergency flights and
those connected with law enforcement or search and rescue a fraction of
the airport's activity. 

The restriction underscores Attorney General John Ashcroft's
announcement Monday of "credible reports" that another major terrorist
attack may be possible within the week. 

"Pilots must make every effort ... to avoid these sensitive areas," said
Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. 

One of the pilots who was told by Green Bay Flight Service at about 3:45
p.m. Tuesday that Manitowoc was off-limits was Brian Senor. He was
flying two ministers, Mark Barclay and James Randolph, to a speaking
engagement at Fresh Fire Ministries in Manitowoc. 

"It's possible that there could have been pilots flying with no radio
contact that could have gone into or out of Manitowoc," said Hynes. 

Wisconsin Flight Service is one of 61 nationwide which is responsible
for providing weather briefs to pilots, assisting with flight plan
filing, search and rescue and disseminating "notams" that are issued
nationally by the FAA. 

"We don't get any advance notice; it automatically drops into our system
with no clue. This one from the FAA in Washington, D.C., about airports
near nuclear plants came in a little after 3 p.m.," said Hynes.

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