It's not just the land within the airport boundaries, stupid. As ever more airports are saddled with noise and operational restrictions due to encroachment by homes and commercial properties, the importance of compatible land-use planning has never been more obvious.

B&CA asked the FAA's Airport Safety and Standards Division director, David Bennett, what the aviation authority's position was regarding the use of congressional legislation to override federal grant obligations so airports could either be restricted or shut down. Here's his response:

Mission impossible? Nope, mission accomplished, thanks to business aircraft. That's because the same qualities of flexibility, autonomy and performance that have traditionally endeared turbine-powered corporate aircraft to the business community are making them increasingly popular among governments, their agencies, research organizations and the military for "special missions."