NY1.com

  55º

You are not signed in  |  Sign in here  |  Help

You're viewing a lite version of NY1.com

Time Warner Cable customers: Sign in with your TWC ID for video access.

Get my TWC ID. | Get TWC service. | Read the FAQ.

03/28/2011 10:15 AM

Aviation Buffs Suggest Reopening Floyd Bennet Field To Ease Airport Congestion

By: NY1 News

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

Some aviation buffs are suggesting the reopening Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn to ease congestion at area airports.

The former Navy base built in the late 1920s and early 1930s used to serve aviation pioneers like Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart.

Now, it's controlled by the National Park Service, and its four runways are only used for special flights a few times a year.

It's possible a new Federal Aviation Administration air traffic system being installed would allow Floyd Bennett Field to operate as an additional airport to ease congestion throughout the region.

But some question whether the airport would cause airspace conflicts with John F. Kennedy International Airport. It also may cost too much to lengthen and realign the runways.

A November report from the U.S. Department of Transportation found almost one-third of flights in New York were delayed or canceled in 2009.