City airport possibly to start with new commercial airlines company?

[boater4life]

A little bit of an old article, but still interesting nonetheless.

"Officials are talking to two unidentified start-up regional carriers about scheduled passenger service, airport manager Jason Watt told the Free Press."

http://archive.freep.com/article/201...t-city-airport

[Zacha341]

It would take alot for me to get into a small commuter sized plane at this point, though I did fly out of there to Chicago a few times in the early 90's on 'creaky' old-planes flying Southwest. Not a very small plane, not too big either. I cannot recall what... DC10? Eh, of course not...

[DetroitBoy]

They have always flown 737s which is a workhorse for may airlines. City could very well become a hub serving domestic routes. If high speed ground transportation on Gratiot ever becomes a reality, it could serve downtown and the northeast suburbs. They'd have to change the name though first before I would fly out of there. I will never patronize a place named to immortalize Charlie the coalman.

[stasu1213]

There is a lot of land north of the airport on Gratiot that the airport could gobble up. Most of that area is desolate

[boater4life]

I think City Airport could be a huge part of revitalization for the city. I don't understand why they couldn't buy up all the land between McNichols and Gratiot in that whole triangle area and extend the runway, maybe add a couple longer runways. Update the terminal and I think for certain they could attract some airline companies. Especially with how close the airport is to downtown many people would rather fly in and out of City than Metro, especially eastside residents.

[Zacha341]

^^^ I think the expansion in that direction is not possible due to flight patterns. Anyone know for sure??

[Zacha341]

US Airways flies alot of the Airbus 319, 320 jobbies with the engines close to the body config. Ummm those too big to fly out of city....

They have always flown 737s which is a workhorse for may airlines. ...

[Detroit500]

I really don't see this happening. But it could be fun if it did.

[DetroitBoy]

Runway 33/15 is the longest at the airport at around 5000 ft. A modern 737-800 would require in the neighborhood of about 7000 ft for maximum takeoff weight. Not sure how you could lengthen the runway because it is bound on both ends by the cemeteries. Lengthening 25/7 assuming you took the triangle of land to McNichols which was suggested by one post, still wouldnt provide enough room in the current location unless it crossed Gratiot. The later models of the 737 must have required less runaway or the flew with less weight [[not likely these days) and were less fuel efficient. Even smaller aircraft like Embraer and Bombardier and Boeing 717 require in the 6000 ft range for take off.

[Ltdave]

the 318 [["smallest" of the family) needs 6,000 foot of runway for a Max take off weight flight and 15/33 the longest runway at City is only 5,090'...

neither 15/33 or 7/25 are wide enough at 100' either...

[CrashDummy]

Porter Airlines operates a fleet of Bombardier Q400's out of Toronto city airport. 5000 feet are enough for them. 78 passengers and a 1500 mile range. I've taken them a few times flying from Windsor to Montreal and the flight was quite comfortable.

[Zacha341]

Awesome to hear the distinct sound of prop planes over jets and for sure they are heard longer over head as they fly lower.

[MSUguy]

I think City Airport could be a huge part of revitalization for the city. I don't understand why they couldn't buy up all the land between McNichols and Gratiot in that whole triangle area and extend the runway, maybe add a couple longer runways. Update the terminal and I think for certain they could attract some airline companies. Especially with how close the airport is to downtown many people would rather fly in and out of City than Metro, especially eastside residents.

They tried that in the 80's and there was huge opposition from families with relatives buried at Gethsemane cemetery. In addition, to residents in the city and burbs in the path of the runway. I can't imagine it'll be any easier this time.

City officials want to remove headstones there to expand Detroit City Airport on the north. Outraged relatives of people buried there have appeared at City Council meetings by the hundreds to protest the move, some shouting obscenities and waving placards, warning, ''Not over my dead body.''
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/30/us/detroit-journal-must-cemetery-yield-to-airport.html

[ABetterDetroit]

Moving cemeteries is expensive. Bad luck to have the main runway stopped up by them at both ends. My guess is that it's commercial viability as a airport will always be hindered by the short runway and the maintenace cost for the whole will be higher than it's usefulness for puddle jumpers.

[Gistok]

Back in the 1980s yes, many people were against the thought of moving their loved ones from the cemeteries. That's partly because so many folks still lived nearby.

I recently asked my brother-in-law... he said he would be thrilled if they paid to have his grandparents dug up from Gethsemane and re-interred near his parents at Holy Sepulchre in Troy.

So many folks have left Detroit... that I don't think they would mind as much any more if their loved ones were moved out as well... a sad scenario, but true...

[Jimaz]

Back in the 1980s yes, many people were against the thought of moving their loved ones from the cemeteries. That's partly because so many folks still lived nearby.

I recently asked my brother-in-law... he said he would be thrilled if they paid to have his grandparents dug up from Gethsemane and re-interred near his parents at Holy Sepulchre in Troy.

So many folks have left Detroit... that I don't think they would mind as much any more if their loved ones were moved out as well... a sad scenario, but true...

I remembered a story about that from a few years ago, searched, and found this from Aug 12, 2008: The dead leave Detroit for suburbs.

... City Health Department records show that from 2002-07 about 1,000 bodies were exhumed in the city for reburial elsewhere, The Detroit News reported. The newspaper said that is about one corpse for every 30 people who have moved out of the city....

Seemed kind of macabre at the time. Maybe they should be put on rollers? Oh well, each to their own.

There were also stories about scrappers looting gravesites. Maybe that had something to do with it.

[Honky Tonk]

I remembered a story about that from a few years ago, searched, and found this from Aug 12, 2008: The dead leave Detroit for suburbs.Seemed kind of macabre at the time. Maybe they should be put on rollers? Oh well, each to their own.

There were also stories about scrappers looting gravesites. Maybe that had something to do with it.

That, and the fact people who came back to visit the graves of their loved ones ended up being crime victims.

[Ben]

Back in the 1980s yes, many people were against the thought of moving their loved ones from the cemeteries. That's partly because so many folks still lived nearby.

I recently asked my brother-in-law... he said he would be thrilled if they paid to have his grandparents dug up from Gethsemane and re-interred near his parents at Holy Sepulchre in Troy.

So many folks have left Detroit... that I don't think they would mind as much any more if their loved ones were moved out as well... a sad scenario, but true...

My grandparents are buried in Gethsemane in the portion that would have been removed. I wouldn't want them moved because they chose to be buried there and I feel that so many of these people exaggerate the danger. Realistically you're not going to get shot visiting a loved one. When my wife and parents died in the late 80's and early 90's I did have them buried at Elmwood but that had more to do with me being uncertain about the future of Gethsemane due to the airport. The city would have to deal with a situation they don't want to get into. City Airport serves a purpose but commercial service isn't realistically a part of it.

[DetroitBoy]

I remembered a story about that from a few years ago, searched, and found this from Aug 12, 2008: The dead leave Detroit for suburbs.Seemed kind of macabre at the time. Maybe they should be put on rollers? Oh well, each to their own.

There were also stories about scrappers looting gravesites. Maybe that had something to do with it.

1 corpse for every 30 people who left the city? Its pretty bad when even the dead are stampeding to get out of Detroit!

[IrishSpartan]

There is a lot of land north of the airport on Gratiot that the airport could gobble up. Most of that area is desolate

North of the airport is Mt. Olivet. Gratiot is south [[at Conner) and of the airport. It depends on what street you speak of in terms of empty land. It's not so clear cut like west of City Airport. The blocks east of Conner that contained a large number of wooden frame houses like Whithorn have many empty lots. Other blocks such as Nashville, Minden, College, etc. still have many houses [[brick) remaining.

[Hypestyles]

if enough industrial and residential blight were to be cleared away, a clearer picture on the theoretically available landspace for an eastside airport can be genuinely considered.

[Gpwrangler]

^^^ I think the expansion in that direction is not possible due to flight patterns. Anyone know for sure??

The runway extension would take out the cemetery.

[Islandman]

It was always a good time staring at tombstones before taking off from City Airport. Used to take Southwest back and forth from Chicago. It was really convenient.

[1953]

My great grand parents are in Mt. Olivet just a stone's throw from the airport fence. I'm hate to see them moved, if only because that cemetery is so beautiful! That said, for the right $$$, I could be persuaded to change my mind! It probably helps that they died well before I was born.

1953

[3WC]

I probably flew to and from that airport at least 50 times on Southwest and that little commuter airline that served Cleveland and Chicago [[Midway Airlines?)

SW used to fly from DTW and the DTW flts were always full. They terminated service out of Detroit ostensibly because they needed the planes on other routes.