Private aviation

South Florida CEO, Nov, 2004 by Joan Gonzalez

Also in progress is the installation of more than 30,000 feet of fencing around the airport's perimeter, reconfiguring vehicle and pedestrian gates and adding a new access card system. "The program provides enhanced, centralized tracking of all vehicles and individuals entering or exiting the airport grounds," Bennett says. Approximately 95 percent of the project is being funded by grants from the FAA and Florida Department of Transportation.

A contentious issue around all land-deprived South Florida airports is noise. Builders keep building, the population keeps growing, the Everglades struggles to hold onto its large chunk of vital wetlands, and as yet, no aircraft manufacturer has come up with a totally silent commercial airplane.

"We have a noise abatement program that relies upon collaboration between the community, airport users and the city staff to minimize aircraft noise over neighboring communities," says Bennett.

Airport noise is a subject Bennett is all too familiar with. She first joined the City of Fort Lauderdale in 1993 as Executive Airport's Noise Abatement Officer and was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Airport Noise and Operations Monitoring System (ANOMS), a program designed to minimize aircraft noise over neighboring communities.

"There are now six permanent noise monitors located throughout the community that collect information on aircraft noise levels, altitudes and flight paths over the community," says Bennett. As a result of information collected, FXE has received approval from the FAA to implement the "I-95 Turn," which requires turbo-jet aircraft departing the Executive Airport to fly along I-95 over commercial and industrial areas rather than residential neighborhoods. North and westbound departures use the I-95 turn 24 hours a day while south and eastbound aircraft use it for nighttime departures.

Opa-Locka Airport

As with most airports, Opa-Locka was there first, but as time went by it was almost swallowed up by housing developments. The town center of Opa-Locka looks like a set for an Arabian Night's musical and streets have names like Ali Baba, Sultan and Sabur Lane. If its original Native American name hadn't been fortunately shortened, the airport would have been the Opa-tisha-woka-locka Airport, translation: A dry place in the swamp with trees.

The airport has a historic past. It was founded in 1927 by Glenn Curtiss, and was part of the US Navy Training command during World War II. There are still two left-over, grass covered camouflaged bunkers on the south side along N.W. 138 St. The US Navy Dirigible "Akron" took off from Opa-Locka on its last flight north in 1933 and crashed in a thunderstorm. Also, the famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart took off from what was then called "Miami Municipal Airport" near OPF's main entrance in an attempt to fly around the world in 1937 and disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. A few years ago an airline pilot mistook it for MIA and landed his passenger-loaded jet on the runway before the runways were lengthened, but all ended well for the passengers.