Pilots May Help Braden Airpark Soar Again

The clock is ticking on Braden Airpark, which received a reprieve in mid-June from possibly being sold by the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority.

But now a group of pilots has entered the picture, hoping to get the Sullivan Trail site in Forks Township soaring again.

Forks Supervisors Chairman Erik Chuss confirmed that the pilots have contacted the airport authority about saving the airport.

Bob Kutzler, of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 70 based at Braden, and attorney Robert Brown are in talks with the group of pilots, some of whom belong to the association, to buy the 80-acre airport, the Easton Express Times reports.

Braden is expected to remain open through mid-September as the airport authority decides whether to close it and sell it to reduce mounting debt.

LVAA Executive Director Charles Everett said he has been "exchanging financial and operational information" with the group interested in the Forks Township airport, the story states.

The airport has been a hot topic in Forks Township as officials worry about its future and what potential development could replace it.

Forks Township officials have specifically requested that LNAA representatives appear before the Board of Supervisors to explain their stance on Braden Airpark before a decision is rendered.

The authority owes $16 million by 2015 due to court-ordered payments, and the airport lacks the funding to pay off the expenses. The airport is across the street from Merchants Bank and near Weis Markets on Sullivan Trail.