The policies are a work in progress and those most directly affected – the pilots who use the airport – are not totally enamored with them.

When Council President Vance Phillips, R-Laurel, asked if proposed policies would restrict expansion of the airport, Garrett Dernoga – pilot, flight instructor and operator of Delmarva Aviation and Georgetown Air Services – responded with one word: “yes.”

“We are self-policing,” Dernoga said during the Tuesday, Nov. 17 county council public hearing. “We’ve operated without a formal set of rules and regulations without any incidences.”

Dernoga said a year has been spent developing the policies, but limited time has been spent on what is really important – promoting the airport.

“We need to plant seeds for development,” he said. “What I haven’t heard is reaching out to the business community. This is a unique asset. Nothing has been done to further the economic development of the airport.”

Council deferred on a decision to adopt the new policies.

Jeff Reed, president of the Sussex County Pilots Association, said it’s very easy for pilots to move to another airport. “One negative comment can cause the loss of revenue and a move away for a pilot,” he said.

He hinted that strict regulations would generate negative comments. He said the aviation community is small, and negative experiences are related very quickly.

“Pilots want fuel, food and to be treated with hospitality. If one of those links is missing, they will not come,” Reed said. “I don’t think you realize how easy it is to go away from Georgetown.”

Several pilots, including Reed, said an advisory commission should be reestablished.

Dernoga said all stakeholders should be represented on the commission, and the commission should meet monthly and advocate for the airport.

The county currently has an airport committee that meets quarterly.

Required by FAA

Airport Manager Jim Hickin defended the need for a formal set of polices because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has oversight of airport operations.

Since being named director of the airport in April 2007, Hickin told county council a formal set of rules and regulations was needed.

“We had some policies in place, and some were written down and some were not written down,” Hickin said.

He said the airport must have written regulations in place to comply with FAA regulations, all 700 pages of them.

In December 2008, Hickin published the first draft of the proposed policies for public comment. After more than 10 months of review and a meeting with the Sussex County Pilots Association, Hickin rewrote the draft, 35 pages in two volumes, for presentation to council.

Hickin said the rewritten draft reflects comments from the public and the meeting, but there were still some differences among staff and those who use the airport. It was up to council to resolve those differences, Hickin said.

Concerns about T-hangars

One of the major stumbling blocks revolves around what can be stored in rented T-hangars on airport grounds. Used for storage of a small airplane, Hickin said hangar users want to store other nonaeronautical items, such as charcoal grills and motorcycles, in the hangars.

Hickin said that is in direct violation of FAA regulations, and staff could not support the practice.

“The public is in favor of this, but the FAA is not,” Hickin said. “It’s not acceptable to the FAA because the hangars are for aeronautical purposes only. They don’t allow even parking cars there.”

Hickin said if a violation like this were reported to the FAA, there is chance critical FAA funding could be in jeopardy. The FAA provides more than 90 percent of the funding to operate and upgrade Sussex County Airport. There is a waiting list of 17 pilots, dating back to 2007, for one of the 16 T-hangars.

Pilots say rules are restrictive

The pilots who spoke said the policies were too strict.

Pilot Larry Kelley of Mardela Springs, Md., said it’s common practice at every small airport he has been to over the past 40 years to allow storage in T-hangars. He said putting stringent regulations would hurt the county’s airport.

“This is lower slower Delaware and we don’t want to run people off; we want to attract people,” he said. “It’s not an Air Force base.”

Kelly said T-hangars would not become areas for junk to collect. He said pilots would use the space for tools, lawnmowers and spare parts. “And a grill, why not?” he asked.

Councilman George Cole, R-Ocean View, asked why anyone would knowingly violate an FAA regulation.

Kelley answered he had never heard of FAA enforcement pertaining to storage in T-hangars. “You are making too much of FAA enforcement,” he told council.

Cole said he was concerned about liability. “This is not Green Acres. We’ve come a long way, baby,” he said.

Pilot Everett Bennett said the current draft was an improvement from the original, but he said more work needed to be done to avoid chasing people away, he said.

“Abnormal rules are not present at other airports,” he said.