New London Airport

New London Airport in Bedford County started as a dragstrip in 1958
New London Airport in Bedford County started as a dragstrip in 1958
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online

New London Airport in Bedford County started as a dragstrip in 1958. General aviation planes began landing there in 1961, and today it has a 770-foot long asphalt runway. The runway continued to serve as New London Dragstrip on weekends in March-October.

In 2015, Liberty University purchased the 133-acre New London Airport, so students in the School of Aeronautics could practice approaches, takeoffs and landings away from Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH). The sale guaranteed that drag racing could continue in 2016, and the university decided that it was a compatible use with a flight school and airport operations. The family-owned motorsports business finally stopped organizing the drag races after the 2017 season.

The decision to end drag racing was financial; insurance costs became too high. The motorsports company and the university had no problems sharing that facility. A Liberty University spokesperson commented on how the end of the races would increase the university's flexibility for training new pilots:1

We were happy to continue to support them, but once they decided to leave on their own volition, it allowed us to focus on the airport as an airport and provide greater access to the flying community... By them no longer racing, it allows the New London Airport to be dedicated to aircraft operations and for LU's aviation students to have more access.

The university purchased more land, and in 2019 requested Bedford County to rezone 468 acres from AP (Agricultural Rural Preserve district) to A (Airport district). The proposal to authorize and expand the non-conforming use was controversial in Bedford County.

Residents opposed creating a zoning district with few restrictions on uses, and highlighted the failure of Liberty University to adopt a long-term master plan for the airport which the public could review. A pattern of non-public communications between county officials and Liberty University officials created distrust about the proposal and a sense that the school was asking for a special deal to expand beyond the 133 acres of New London Airport. The former chair of the Lynchburg Regional Airport Commission commented:2

This to me looks like a bureaucratic answer that is looking for a problem. LU bought the airport, which had uses grandfathered in. The additional property they bought did not... There is no problem if you just leave everything alone... Do not give LU anything else.

The Bedford County Planning Commission rejected the proposal to create an Airport district in late 2019. County officials declared in 2020 that the university could not request both enlargement of the runway ("usage expansion") and construction of new buildings ("structure expansion"). The airport was a non-conforming use in the Agricultural Rural Preserve district, and could only expand in one form by 50%.

Later in 2020, the school asked the Board of Zoning Appeals to overrule the Zoning Administrator's rejection of its request to authorize expansion of aviation facilities. After that board supported the Zoning Administrator, the university asked a circuit court judge to determine its ruling was inadequately justified. The judge denied that request in 2021.3

Liberty University bought New London Airport at Forest in Bedford County, 10 miles away from the Lynchburg campus
Liberty University bought New London Airport at Forest in Bedford County, 10 miles away from the Lynchburg campus
Source: GoogleMaps

General Aviation in Virginia

Lynchburg

Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH)

New London Airport served only general aviation, while the Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH) also had scheduled passenger service
New London Airport served only general aviation, while the Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH) also had scheduled passenger service
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online

Links

References

1. "W90 New London Airport," AirNav, http://www.airnav.com/airport/W90; "Update: Track operator says New London Dragstrip closing due to 'insurance requirements'," News & Advance, March 22, 2017, https://newsadvance.com/news/local/update-track-operator-says-new-london-dragstrip-closing-due-to-insurance-requirements/article_92632098-0f36-11e7-9f8f-53438383e73d.html; "Liberty University buys New London airport to add to school of aeronautics," Liberty Champion, January 26, 2016, https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2016/01/soaring-to-new-heights/ (last checked February 5, 2021)
2. "Bedford County Planning Commission recommends denial of creation of Airport district," News & Advance, December 17, 2019, https://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/bedford-county-planning-commission-recommends-denial-of-creation-of-airport/article_55c169a4-3d97-5f96-b84a-fe57ccd62539.html (last checked February 5, 2021)
3. "Liberty University receives preliminary guidance from Bedford County to pursue New London Airport expansion," "LU's airport expansion plans hit obstacle with Bedford court's ruling," News & Advance, February 5, 2021, https://newsadvance.com/news/local/lus-airport-expansion-plans-hit-obstacle-with-bedford-courts-ruling/article_65e756b3-5c2a-55a6-a8ec-60075199bea8.html (last checked February 5, 2021)

Air Transportation in Virginia
Virginia Places