Some activists who regularly represent residents' interests at Republic Airport board meetings on Monday appealed to civic association members in the Massapequas to join them in opposing proposed changes to the East Farmingdale Airport.

Speaking at a public informational meeting co-sponsored by the Great South Bay Chapter of the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC) and the Joint Council of Civic Associations of the Massapequas, the activists told a group of about 25 residents that proposed changes to runway 119 would turn Republic into a jetport. The speakers were Helen Norjen of the Woodland Civic Association in East Farmingdale, Emil Coppola, president of the Joint Council of Civic Associations of the Massapequas, Gary Slavin, past president of that group, and Jerry Craddock, a resident of Huntington and member of the House Beautiful Civic Association in Dix Hills.

The changes of particular concern to the activists, which are described in the partial draft of the airport's master plan update, released to the airport's Technical Advisory Committee in October, 1998, involve shifting runway 119 to the north to increase landing threshold by 789 feet and widening its taxi-lane separations to accommodate larger aircraft, particularly larger business jets which have become more prevalent in recent years due to industry trends. The airport's other runway, 1432, already accommodates the larger business jets, but the activists fear that the accessibility of runway 119 will increase overall usage by the larger jets at the airport.

"We don't want the 727s, the 737s, the 747s to be coming over our houses at all hours of the night...We're hoping that we can get many more people out to help us fight this airport," said Coppola, noting that the increase in jets will bring added noise and bring down property values.

Regarding airport officials' repeated claims that Republic will not become a jetport, Slavin said, "They say it's never going to be a jetport. There are jets landing there." He added, "When they have to make an emergency landing at Republic Airport, where do they dump the fuel - over your homes, in your neighborhoods."

"There seems to be so few people getting involved," Craddock commented. "A lot of people just need to wake up, I think."

Airport officials maintain that the larger business jets currently comprise a minute percentage of Republic's takeoffs and landings, and that the availability of another runway for them to do so will not drastically change that.

The activists are also concerned that if the airport is changed to better accommodate the larger business jets, which fall into aircraft category three (those with a wingspan of more than 79 feet and an elevated approach speed), and federal money is used to do so, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will require Republic to allow other types of category three jets to land there.

"The proposal is to move [Runway 119's] taxiway over, so that the big planes can use both runways," said Norjen. "If we build the airport for the big planes, we cannot keep them out."

Airport officials say they have accepted over $20 million in federal funds over the past 15 years, and it has not changed the type of aircraft they must accept.

Republic Airport is a general aviation/reliever airport with a limited operating certificate which prohibits it from serving large passenger airlines. However, since 1994, a court injunction obtained by its fixed base flight operator, Millionaire, has stayed its original 60,000 pound aircraft weight limit. So, it does occasionally serve cargo jets, such as UPS' Boeing 727s during the Christmas shipping season, as well as charter jets, such as ones to transport the Islanders to and from Long Island for hockey games.

Many attendees at Monday's informational meeting left with form letters addressed to Governor George Pataki regarding the concerns addressed by the speakers.

A public meeting at the airport regarding the draft of the master plan update is pending.