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Home Journal Analysis
Former Base Commander
Urges Airport Changes
(This is the final part of a
lour part series exploring the
situation confronting airports
in the Middle Georgia area
and possible plans lor the
immediate, and long term
future A majority of the facts
presented were from a study
made by Avialion ('on
sullants’ R. Dixon Speas of
Atlanta for the Georgia
Department of Tran
sportation.)
Former Robins Air Force
Base Commander Colonel
Frederick F Shriner, on June
11. said that air traffic Irom
Lewis B. Wilson Airport in
Macon already interferes with
RAFB traffic! Shriner’s
comment came at a combined
meeting of the Airport Ad
visory Commission, the
Middle Georgia Area Flan
nmg and Development
Commission, a representative
from the State Department of
Transportation, and an of
ficial of It Dixon Speas
r*
t> •
Sen. Sam Nunn
V
- - V
To Fill Leadership Vacuum
TIME Selects Nunn
As National Leader
Flag Presentation
Ga. 66th AFJROTC Squadron Commander. Cadet Lt. Col. Joe Nadeau (L), is
shown being presented a U.S. flag by Mr. Earl Cheek, assisted by Cadet Sgt.
Selicia Jones. Mr. Cheek is the field representative for Senator Sam Nunn.
Senator Nunn was instrumental in the purchase and display of this flag over
the nation's capital building.
aviation consulting firm.
Shriner also said that in
terested citizens should begin
immediately to look for a site
lor a new passenger airport,
He also offered a motion at the
June 11 meeting to ask the
MGAPDC Board of Directors
that the Airport Advisory
Committee be kept active to
continue to listen, review and
update the airport plan, and to
seek out an authority who can
make the determination about
airspace conflict. Shriner’s
motion was seconded by
Ferryan H.H Hackworth and
unanimously passed by the
Committee
Airport Advisory committee
members present were: Dr.
Leo A Erbele, Murvale O.
Belson, Albert If Sanders,
Carmen Trevitt, Lamar
Brown (assistant County
Commission Clerk for Houston
County), and Hackworth, who
is chairman of the Ferry-Fort
Valley Airport Authority.
A few days later, on July 18,
United Slates Senator from
Georgia, Sam Nunn from
Terry, has been selected by
the prestigious TIME
magazine as one of the 200
men and women TIME
believes will emerge as an
American national leader.
TIME sought to "identify 200
potential leaders, aged 45, or
under, capable of filling" an
alleged leadership vacuum.
The magazine focused on
t lit* “seeming lack of
leadership in the world today.
The problem in the U.S. is
reflected by the low public
esteem in which many elected
officials are held This is the
result," TIME says, “of
disillusionment over the
Vietnam War, Watergate, the
energy crisis, and double
digit inflation."
TIME said it believes "there
is new talent on the way up."
The 200 were chosen "because
their achievements suggest
they are likely to have a
significant social or political
impact "
Comments from TIME
about Senator Nunn include:
"Sam Nunn, 35, was already a
political veteran when he
became the second youngest
Senator in the current
Congress. The Georgia
Democrat, a one time all-state
high school basketball player
iat Terry High under Coach
Eric Staples), became legal
counsel to Granduncle Carl
Colonel Shriner dispatched a
letter to the MGAPDC that
says “we feel strongly that
now is the time for immediate
action to be taken to begin
land acquisition for a new
airport to replace Lewis B
Wilson!” Shriner also urged
the "reconsideration of any
planned developments at the
present facility (L.B.
Wilson).”
Shriner also said, “Time
and again we have tried to
bring to the attention of the
responsible civilian officials
concerned that the major
constraining factor in Middle
Georgia is the interaction of
the critical airspace of the two
airports involved!"
The former RAFB com
mander also said that “En
croachment on RAFB by
expansion of Lewis B Wilson
Airport cannot be in the long
term interest of Middle
Georgians and could con
ceivably endanger the very
existence of the largest em
Vinson’s Housed Armed
Services Committee shortly
after earning his law degree
from Emory University, then
served two terms in the
Georgia legislature before
winning his Senate seat.”
TIME continued, “Though
he is rated a conservative, he
enjoys widespread support
from blacks as well as whites.
As a hard-working member of
the Senate Armed Services
Committee, Nunn favors
trimming substantial flab
from U.S. forces in Europe,
not as a step toward total
withdrawal but toward
greater combat ef
lectiveness.”
Georgia lead the selections
in the South with six people,
all but one (Nunn) from
Atlanta. The list includes:
U.S. Congressman Andrew
Young, the black represen
tative from Atlanta; Mayor
Maynard Jackson of Atlanta;
Richard Kaltel, 36, chairman
ol the board of Citizens and
Southern Bank of Georgia;
John Lewis. 34, head of the
All an (abased Voter
Education Project; and State
Senator Julian Bond.
Other Southerners named
included Florida Governor
Heubin Askew; Florida
Senator Lawton Chiles; Moon
Landrieu, Mayor of New
Orleans; and William E.
Brock, Republican U.S.
Senator from Tennessee
ployer in the area and the
State of Georgia,” By this,
Shriner clearly referred to the
Warner Robins Air Logistics
Center.
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Shriner firmly asserted in
the letter, “inherent dangers
of large, heavily loaded and
high performance aircraft
taking off into the Wilson
traffic pattern with the
possibility of uncontrolled
light airplanes can not be
overemphasized.”
The K. Dixon Speas report
recommended in summary,
that (Da new general utility
airport be constructed, in
stead of retaining long-term
use of Lewis B. Wilson Air
port; (2) and that all
possibilities of using RAFB
with the military be in
vestigated before a new port is
constructed.
Evaluations of the three
major proposed locations
were made, and a fourth area
was suggested by Speas
Associates-in Twiggs County,
about three miles west of 1-16.
All three areas, and the
Twiggs site were thought to
represent total costs of over
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS., SEPT. 24, 1974,
sixteen million dollars for a
new airport.
Area One - near the Peach-
Houston County lines had two
major drawbacks, the fact
that a runway would have to
be constructed parallel with
KAFB, or else conflict; and
fears of harm to streams and
creeks.
Area Two- near Byron - still
had conflict possibilities with
KAFB, and was further from
major demand areas than
Area One, namely, Warner
Robins.
Area Three - near Forsyth -
was thought by the Speas
study not to have “serious”
conflict possibilities with 1
RAFB, but was miles and
miles away from over forty
percent of its potential
customers,
PAGE 6-A
The study made no specific
recommendation that any of
the four particular areas be
selected as the most feasible
site lor the proposed new
airport However, at the June
11 meeting of the Airport
Advisory Committee, the
motion by Shriner was passed
unanimously to keep the
A.A C. active and functional.
Since that time, however, no
concrete decisions have
surfaced.
(This was the fourth and
finaf part of a series
examining the airport
situation in Middle Georgia,
and long-term needs and
possibilities. Much of the
information, but not all, came
from an Airport Study per
formed by R. Dixon Speas
aviation consultants.)