Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Airport Rules topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Leesburg Airport Commission advances nearly-final rules, posts draft for 30-day public comment
Summary
Commissioners reviewed a rewritten set of airport rules and regulations that, if adopted by the Town Council, would clarify hangar maintenance, self-fueling limits, abandoned-aircraft procedures and driver-training requirements; the commission will post the draft for a 30-day public comment period before forwarding to council.
The Leesburg Airport Commission on Aug. 27 reviewed a nearly final draft of rewritten airport rules and regulations and agreed to post the document for a 30-day public-comment period before sending the rules and accompanying minimum standards to the Town Council for adoption.
The draft separates rules and regulations from minimum standards, clarifies what activities are allowed inside T-hangars, and adds new sections covering abandoned aircraft, self-fueling, driver training, access-card responsibilities and storage of hazardous materials. Airport Director Scott Kaufman briefed the commission on recent enforcement work and staff follow-up related to a tenant complaint.
Commission members said the rewrite removes provisions the Federal Aviation Administration told the town to avoid, such as specifying aircraft maneuvers in the air, and instead focuses on ground operations and tenant responsibilities. The draft explicitly mirrors a recently enacted state law on abandoned aircraft for removal and disposal and adopts NFPA-based fire-safety rules for larger-volume fuel storage and tanker fueling operations.
Key changes in the draft include: a self-fueling threshold tied to annual gallons (the draft uses a 1,200-gallon-per-year benchmark for owner/operator fueling before more stringent requirements apply); clarification that routine, owner-performed maintenance is allowed in T-hangars but not operations that convert a hangar into a full maintenance shop; limits on heaters and prohibitions on spark-producing work in hangars; updated driver-training expectations tied to new software-based modules; and more detailed provisions for access-card use and based-aircraft registration so staff can track newly arrived aircraft.
Commissioners noted the draft was developed by a subcommittee, reviewed by the town attorney and an external aviation law firm, and refined after an FAA compliance audit recommended eliminating any language that directs in-flight procedures. The draft also draws on a base document from Manassas and has been reviewed internally by staff.
Commission members asked staff to provide a short terminal-facing summary (a “cheat sheet”) for visiting pilots and students explaining the most important operational points posted on the terminal bulletin board and the airport website. The commission agreed to accept public comments for 30 days and to consider pairing the rules with the revised minimum-standards document before forwarding both to council for adoption.
The commission did not adopt the rules at the meeting; the next steps are public posting, consideration of comments, and referral to the Town Council for final action.
