After a delay of nearly two years, the Norwood Airport Commission has voted to finalize its long-awaited master plan originally drawn up in October 1972, aiming to terminate its participation in the federally funded project and conclude contractual obligations with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and consulting firm Fay, Spofford & Thorndike.
While the board initially weighed simply rejecting or filing the report, member Pauline M. Grasso and FAA representative Vincent A. Scarano successfully urged the commission to review the document with state and federal officials to better align it with the commission’s no-growth orientation. The board voted unanimously to seek an October 16 meeting with officials from the FAA, the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission (MAC), and the engineering consultants. Anticipated improvements include relocating the east-west runway threshold to direct landing aircraft 1,000 feet further up the tarmac—a change requiring Town Meeting approval.
Controversial Instrument Landing System Rejected
During the same meeting, the airport commission firmly rebuffed a proposal from MAC Director Crocker Snow offering to turn over existing state-owned landing equipment currently used at the airport to the town. The commission voted to reject the MAC offer, noting that the state cannot afford the $10,000 annual maintenance cost past November.
Furthermore, the board refused to reconsider its staunch opposition to installing an Instrument Landing System (ILS). Members of the Norwood Airport Association, led by former state aviation official Malcolm Woronoff, argued that the ILS would improve safety by keeping incoming aircraft higher during approaches. However, commission chairman William F. Collins and other opponents contended that the ILS would encourage heavier bad-weather air traffic and shift an unfair financial burden onto local taxpayers. Airport manager Arnold Stymest noted that the FAA may now choose to offer the federally funded $250,000 system to an alternative airport.
In additional actions, the commission voted to ask congressional representatives to resolve local jet-noise restrictions, criticizing the FAA and MAC for overriding local bans on noisy commercial aircraft exceeding federally prescribed noise limits. The board also formally approved raising the airport’s traffic pattern minimum altitude to 1,000 feet and approved a comprehensive noise level study around the airport to be conducted directly by the FAA.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
More…
-
Plane Picking up Tom Brady Slides Off Norwood Runway-June 15, 2005
An aviation mishap at Norwood Memorial Airport leaves a twin-engine charter jet stuck in the mud 400 feet past the runway.
-
HubExpress Suspends Norwood-to-Logan Helicopter Shuttle-August 7, 1990
Citing low local ridership, equipment shortages, and parking constraints at Norwood Airport, HubExpress Airlines suspended its popular Norwood-to-Logan helicopter shuttle service.
-
Airport Commission Faces Difficult Choice Between FAA Noise Study Funding and Night Flight Ban-September 4, 1986
Norwood airport commissioners are grappling with an ultimatum delivered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): the town must either accept a multi-year delay on its voter-mandated night flight ban or forfeit a federally funded $127,800 noise study critical to defending the curfew against anticipated airline legal challenges. The FAA offered to finance the comprehensive noise…
-
Norwood Airport Raises Tie-Down Fees for Private Plane Owners Starting in October-August 16, 1986
Citing prime location demand, Norwood Airport commission chairman Edwin Page announced fee increases for premium aircraft tie-down spaces beginning in October.
-
FinCom Explores Landing Fees to Offset Airport Liability Insurance Costs-August 7, 1986
Following a new five-year lease requiring the town to cover $19,356 in airport liability insurance, the Norwood Finance Commission asked town counsel if landing fees can be legally charged to pilots.
-
Norwood Prepares for Airport Takeover-July 28, 1986
Town officials in Norwood weighed the possibility of taking over Norwood Airport from Boston Metropolitan Airport amid growing financial concerns and transparency issues.
-
Norwood Airport Commission Ratifies “Radically Different” Lease Agreement-July 11, 1986
New Lease Agreement for Norwood Airport On July 11, 1986, the Norwood Airport Commission voted 5–0 to approve a “radically different” lease agreement with Boston Metropolitan Airport (BMA), the firm that manages the municipal facility. ⠀ While the commission has spent at least five years negotiating the contract, they have opted to keep the specific…
-
Airport Commission Plans Study of Airplane Noise for 1986-July 17, 1985
The study, planned for the spring of 1986, will assess flight paths and noise levels in response to persistent complaints from residents.
-
Airport Commission Deadlocks on FAA Visual Clearance Proposal as Runway Repairs Loom-September 3, 1981
Tension ran high at the municipal airport commission meeting as members deadlocked in a 3-3 tie vote over a Federal Aviation Administration proposal to reduce minimum visual clearance requirements at Norwood Airport. The FAA suggestion aimed to lower the required pilot visual range from one mile down to three-quarters of a mile once a modernized…
Discover more from Norwood Historical Society
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.