College Park Airport: the "cradle of aviation" still hurt by 9/11

By Katelin Wangberg

“It just feels like a sense of escapism from the rest of the world. It is just me, and a machine and the sky.”

Lee Schiek smiles as he tries to describe what it feels like to fly a small airplane, and he knows airplanes.  He has been flying since before he was allowed to drive a car.

He is the manager of the College Park Airport the world’s oldest continually operating airport.

The airport opened in 1909 when the Wright brothers came to Maryland to sell the first aircraft to the federal government and to train the first military pilots. Since then the airport has been known as the “cradle of aviation.”

Ten years have passed since September 11th, but for one of the closest airports to the nation’s capital, times have been tough. Once open to all of the 600,000 pilots in the U.S., the airport has lost the majority of its traffic because of new regulations.

Since the airport is a general aviation utility airport it doesn’t have commercial airline services, but instead relies on smaller planes flying in and out for business.

Now for pilots to be given clearance to fly into College Park Airport they have to jump through hoops. One is an in-person background check conducted in Baltimore. They must pass the FBI, FAA, TSA, and Secret Service background check.

They must also undergo fingerprinting, and even though fingerprinting can be done at many offices around the country, the new regulations say it must be done at Washington’s National Airport.

Given the airport’s location, Schiek says most pilots understand the need to regulate the airspace, but he says they don't understand why it is necessary for pilots to come to Washington. Especially since these checks could be done at a variety of nationwide locations.

Now only 2,000 pilots regularly use the College Park Airport.

The airport has been able to stay afloat mainly because of its historic significance.  The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission own it. This allows it to be maintained by a government-taxing agency.

“If this had been a private airport, we would be probably talking today about either hotels or tennis courts or something here on this spot,” said Schiek.

The loss of business was not the only consequence of 9/11 for the airport.

After 9/11, the College Park Airport was closed for five months because the Washington airspace was closed for civilians. This put the airport in jeopardy of losing its status as the world’s oldest airport in continuous operation. Schiek said the airport staff feared the title would have to be relinquished and given to the second-longest continually operating airport, in France.

However the world’s first military airport had its title saved by an effort by local military and law enforcement.  Though civilians were not allowed to fly above Washington, military and law enforcement continued to patrol the air.  The military helicopters, state police helicopters, U.S. park police helicopters, and the Prince George’s County helicopters voluntarily elected that while they were on routine patrols and flights throughout the day, they would stop by the airport, touch the skids to the ground, then take off. This allowed the airport to remain open and operational, just not to civilians, so the title was no longer at risk.

The airport staff has now branched out to offer more educational programs for local youth to help instill an interest in flying. They invite school groups and other clubs to spend the day with them. The students get to walk around the airport and inspect the planes, take a class in aerodynamics, and tour the hanger.

Though the lack of flying in and out of the airport has been substituted with education and recreation opportunities, for Schiek nothing can replace the feeling of being airborne.