Nestled in Baltimore County in Essex, Maryland is a gem, that the county wants to take away, a gem that needs to be preserved. I'm talking about the Essex County SkyPark.
I've been in Maryland for 20 years, and just myself recently learned of this SkyPark. Its a small airport, where pilots work on their own planes, build their own planes, fly in and out. These people have a passion for what they do, and to close this place would be devastating. These people have built their own hangars, something that they can no longer do because the county says they can't.
Many of the planes that are at the SkyPark are 'antiques', many of them date from the 1960s and EARLIER. Along with those collectible planes are several that have been built by hand. Every year these pilots have to have their planes go through an annual inspection.
What does a non pilot get when they show up at the SkyPark?
A Warm Welcome, history, conversation, and the feeling like you've know the person a lot longer than the time you spent with them. And its also not uncommon that these pilots will take the time to take you or others up in the air for a ride. An Awesome breath taking ride at that. You are made to feel like family. Kids are likely to remember their visit to the SkyPark for the rest of their life. As they will have a memory of what may very well have been their first ride in an airplane.
So what does Baltimore county claim they want to do? They want an 'exit plan' for the airport to be closed in five years. But that goes against the 'royal clause' that was in a will that stated that the SkyPark was to remain an airport as long as there were pilots there. The SkyPark has been there for decades, it has been reported that it was created in 1943.
To take this gem away from these pilots, is the unthinkable mistake. The royalty clause when they sold the air park to the county is something the county wants to ignore. The county says that they want to plant trees to replace those that have died, or to replant trees that have been cut down other places. However, they are ignoring the clause that the Shapiro family stated that it would be an airport as long as there pilots and planes there.
The disastrous results of closing this gem would be that the pilots, many on fixed incomes would have no reasonable place to store their planes, to fly out of, as well as those who rely on the SkyPark for income. There are no other small airports in Baltimore County. There are no alternatives for these people, who are more than pilots, they are mechanics, the planes they work on are collectibles. Until recently they even built their own hangers. They give their time to something that is more than a hobby and because some politician is worried about trees they deem it necessary to take the SkyPark away from them.
But as bad as that seems, they wanted to dig a drainage ditch to save the trees, because of the rain and the weather we have had the ground has not dried out, now we all know that trees can not live if they are sitting in a puddle of water. But the county would not let them dig a ditch not more than a few fit deep maybe by a foot wide to save the trees and help the environment. But yet they county claims they want to take the SkyPark to enhance the environment? Something isn't making sense with this.
Baltimore County if they gave the SkyPark a long lease, and made accommodations to the pilots and their planes, there could be some possibility for expansion of the SkyPark. If they would allow the pilots to 'lease' the land that their hangar is on, as well as the building, as the last hangar that went up belongs to the county, could possibly open the door for insurance. However the county seems intent on taking and not doing much giving in return. For example, the county took a year off the 5 year lease because it took a year to negotiate the lease, so they included the negotiation period in the lease. The mentality of the government.
Essex SkyPark is more than an airport, its a piece of history that needs to preserved. And if the government stopped looking at money and possibly selling their souls out for money they would realize that the wishes of the previous owners needs to be respected, and honor the royal clause that the land will remain an airport as long as there are pilots there.
And as of today Jan 28, 2012 I can vouch that there are both pilots and planes there.
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