CAA: GA News, "Maryland's Tipton Airport looks for financial rebound"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Friday, February 15, 2002

Tipton Airport looks for financial rebound
New attractions may help after Sept. 11 shutdown 
By Rona Kobell
The Baltimore (MD) Sun


Two months after the Federal Aviation Administration lifted all flying
restrictions at Tipton Airport, those operating the former Army airfield
are not looking back. 

They say they're getting past losses incurred during the month when the
federal government closed airports near Washington after the attacks
Sept. 11 and the two subsequent months when flights were severely
restricted. 

"In our case, we kind of made the decision to bite the bullet, if you
will, and move on," said Tipton spokesman David Almy. "We took a hit,
but we're just taking the hit." 

Dennis McCoy, Tipton Airport Authority's chairman, said the airport, at
Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County, would have difficulty proving that it
lost as much as $5,000 a day when it was closed. But Tipton didn't lay
off employees or cut staff. Because it's county-run, McCoy didn't have a
mortgage on the property that he had to pay. 

"We don't have any provable losses," McCoy said. 

Instead of seeking government help, Tipton is focusing on recruiting
customers and keeping those it has. That plan appears to be working. 

This month, Tipton received self-serve fuel tanks, which it asked the
county for more than a year ago. The tanks, which pilots taxi up to and
pay with a credit card just as a driver at a gas station would, were
supposed to arrive early last year. 

Until now, the planes at Tipton had to refuel from a truck, which the
airport leased and which an airport employee operated. If pilots needed
fuel after hours, they were out of luck. 

Because fuel is one of Tipton's largest revenue sources, officials
expect the customer-friendly tanks to be a financial boon. 

"It's one more thing that will make the airport blossom," Almy said. 

Another draw: A new interchange and exit for the airport being built on
Route 32 is expected to be complete by spring. Pilots now must access
Tipton from a dirt road off Route 198. 

Tipton also is quickly renting out all of its tie-downs, for which it
charges $75 a month. Of the 90 tie-downs available for storing planes,
two are vacant. 

Business at Tipton has increased 20 percent since it reopened, a gain
airport officials attribute to the closure and slow reopening of several
other area airports. 

After the attacks of Sept. 11, the FAA closed the airspace within 25
miles of Reagan Washington National Airport to general aviation. The
same restrictions applied to airports in Boston and the New York area. 

On Oct. 6, the FAA reduced the restricted zone from 25 miles to 18 miles
in all three cities. Tipton, at 18.2 miles from National, barely
squeaked in - and it wasn't totally in the clear because the FAA would
allow only pilots with instrument training to fly. That meant about a
fifth of Tipton's pilots couldn't fly. 

But at that time, six Maryland airports - Suburban Airport in Laurel,
Freeway Airport in Bowie, Maryland Airport in Indian Head, Potomac
Airport in Fort Washington, Washington Executive/Hyde Field in Clinton
and College Park Airport - remained closed. Eager fliers with instrument
training began moving their planes to Tipton. 

On Dec. 19, Suburban, Freeway and Indian Head reopened, and Tipton's
restrictions dropped. But some of the planes that had moved to Tipton
during the closures decided to stay. 

Tipton officials expect that will continue when Potomac, Hyde and
College Park reopen, which is expected next week. Almy said some pilots
won't want to return to the three airports, which are within 15 miles of
the Washington Monument, because security will be tight. 

"In the case of Tipton," Almy said, "we're just lucky that we're some
distance from Washington."


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