Fresh on Fridays: Parallel Approaches
Airports
Name the Airport Game #16: Where am I?
Name the Airport Game #14: Where am I?
Highest commercial airport in North America with scheduled passenger service
Answer: Telluride Regional Airport (KTEX), Telluride, CO.
The world’s first solar airport no longer pays for electricity
March 14, 2016: 9:52 PM ET
Fed up with their hefty electricity bill, managers at Cochin International Airport in southern India took matters into their own hands.
Three years ago, they began adding solar panels — first on the roof of the arrivals terminal, then on and around an aircraft hangar. The success of those initial efforts led to a much bigger endeavor.
“We wanted to be independent of the electricity utility grid,” Jose Thomas, the airport’s general manager, told CNNMoney.
Last year, the airport commissioned the German company Bosch to build a vast 45-acre solar plant on unused land near the international cargo terminal.
The plant came online in August, making Cochin the world’s first fully solar-powered airport.
Alexandria Airport
When I made the important decision to move east, I started my research of the closest airport I could find, near where I had decided to live. It was a trade-off between commute to work and commute to airport. I came across several references to a Beacon hill airport on the internet, although, I couldn’t find any references to it on a sectional chart.
Image courtesy of Abandoned Airports
Once I relocated, the hard truth was out: the nearest airport with a flight school was going to be an hour away. A lot has changed in the DC area since 9/11 when many airports have closed. The airspace is highly restrictive especially for one who has relocated from California, where an airport is a mere hands throw away, and blue, unrestricted skies beckon with open arms all year round!
I recently came across this website, dedicated to abandoned airports, and with a little time at hand, I curiously perused the site for abandoned airports in Virginia. And lo and behold, under the Southeastern Fairfax County section, I noted the elusive, Beacon Field. In use between 1920s and 1959, it is now replaced by the Beach Hill Mall.
It is fascinating to note that there were four airports in Southeastern Fairfax County, that coexisted together for some period! It is even more interesting to note that one of these four airports is Alexandria Airport. Established in 1925-26 with a single runway, by the 1940s it had four runways and was listed as Naval Air Facility, Hybla Valley.
The airport closed around 1957, after almost 32 years in service. It is now replaced by the Hybla Valley School, Apartments and Condominiums.
Image courtesy of Abandoned Airports
I had subconsciously wondered at the street names in my neighborhood: Lockheed Boulevard, Piper Lane, Grumman Place, Stinson Road, Convair Road, Fairchild Road, Lindberg Drive, and Northrup Place.
Now I know: once upon a time, there was a busy airport here. Ashburn Flying Service was one of the best in the mid atlantic. There was flight instruction, scenic rides, aerial photography and more. And maybe, once upon a time, a runway graced the space that is my home.
Although the airport long ceased to exist, its memory remains today.
Links:
Fly 'n Things 
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