Support Strong to Save Braden Airpark

The planes were flying all over Forks Township Sunday.

From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., every so often you could look into the sky and see a small plane flying overhead.

The high amount of activity at Braden Airpark, which lost Moyer Aviation in May, came from a Young Eagles program hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 70.

Some were billing it as the last possible public event at the Sullivan Trail site, which is on the sale block by the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority to reduce mounting debt.

The authority has called a special meeting at noon Thursday with a discussion planned about Braden Airpark. While a decision could come sometime this month, a vote is not expected at that meeting.

Free plane rides were offered to those between the ages of 8 to 17.

And Mike Rosenfeld, president of Lehigh Valley General Aviation, said the event turned out to be one of the biggest draws he's witnessed at Braden Airpark, he told the Easton Express-Times.

By noon, an estimated 360 people had signed a petition asking the airport authority to remove Braden Airpark from the chopping block, the newspaper reported.

Forks Township Supervisors Chairman Erik Chuss told officials and residents at Thursday night's work session that he attended a meeting of Northampton County Council at which officials voiced their displeasure regarding the airport sale.

Moyer Aviation took flight last month for the Poconos while the LNAA contemplated the sale of the property to alleviate mounting debt.

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.