AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2023 - 32

BRIEFING
A IRPORT NEWS /
Washington Executive
Airport-Hyde Field closes
Airfield struggled since 9/11
BY LILLIAN GEIL
" I'm sad to see it happen, " said Airport
Manager Stan Fetter regarding the announcement.
" In a lot of ways, it's a waste of a public
resource. The place is 15 minutes from MGM
National Harbor, it's 10 minutes from [Joint
Base] Andrews. Unless it's rush hour, you can
be on Capitol Hill in 25 minutes. "
Fetter also highlighted the loss of the airfield
as an emergency response base. " You're
losing a resource. I mean, there's a lot of stuff
that goes away and people don't realize it, "
he said.
However, a reluctant relief seems to accompany
the sorrow. " We've been going through
this a long time, " Fetter said. " The good news
is, if you want to call it that, is we have an actual
wind-up and end date. "
Despite the yearslong buildup of a potential
WASHINGTON EXECUTIVE AIRPORT, known as Hyde Field, never really recovered
from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The final day for aircraft owners
and businesses to leave the field was November 30, 2022, under a bankruptcy
court ruling.
The exodus followed two decades of uncertainty about the future of the airport,
one of the Maryland Three where special security procedures have been in
place since 2002. In early 2020, airport owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy,
after which it was clear to the Hyde Field community that a sale or closure of the
airport was imminent.
The closure of Hyde Field leaves two general aviation airports in the
Washington, D.C., flight restricted zone (FRZ): Potomac Airfield and College Park
Airport. The proximity of these airports to the capital requires pilots to complete
the Washington D.C. Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) course, apply for a personal
identification number, obtain a background check, and provide fingerprints to a
Maryland Three airport security representative.
The complicated arrival procedures at these airports deter many pilots from
attempting to enter the FRZ for fear of violating the SFRA/FRZ boundaries, resulting
in financial challenges brought on by lack of traffic.
The toll this has taken on Hyde Field is evident. Empty hangars are covered
with overgrown foliage, and the airport's only Runway, 5/23, is a discouraging sight
with grass poking through the pavement.
Final word from the bankruptcy lawyer arrived in October that all tenants must
vacate the premises within 30 days. The property was expected to sell for around $7.5
million as of mid-November, with plans to use the land for mixed-use redevelopment.
32
AOPA PILOT / February 2023
closure, tenants were caught off-guard by the
news they had a month to clear out.
Clinton Aero Maintenance, Hyde Field's
maintenance shop and the only maintenance
facility within the FRZ, has been owned by
Dan Fragassi since 1978. After 40-plus years
as the go-to shop on Hyde Field, Clinton Aero
Maintenance has accumulated a significant
volume of tools, machinery, and aircraft parts,
all of which would need to be relocated-a
near-impossible task to complete in 30 days,
said Fragassi.
Perhaps the biggest concern surrounding
the closure, especially with such short notice,
was the fate of the aircraft based at the field. At
the time of the announcement, around 30 aircraft
were stored on the field, and owners were
left with a short timeline to evacuate-some
with decades of accumulated property-and
find tiedowns or join a waiting list for a hangar
amid an ongoing, nationwide shortage of space.
Currently, tiedowns are available at neighboring
Virginia and Maryland airports, but
aircraft owners interested in hangar space
will need to seek out options farther away, join
DAVID TULIS
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2023

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