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Fix the airpark before a worse tragedy occurs

I would first like to say that our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two men involved in the tragic plane crash Feb. 15 in the Grovewood subdivision in Clearwater.

I think it is time the mayor and the leaders of Clearwater step up and do something with Clearwater Airpark.

Yes, we understand that the airpark was built way back in the 1930s and homes, businesses and schools have been built around it.

But what is it going to take - a plane crashing into a school, or a shopping center, or a mobile home park - for someone to step up?

I live in Grovewood. I saw the plane that day. I heard the motor stop running, the plane coming down and the big boom when it crashed. It was horrifying, to be honest, and it's something I never want to see again.

I thank God every day that it did not land in our home and harm any of my family members. Christi Hastings is a very lucky person for not losing her life.

I don't understand how pilots can compare this to a car crashing through their living room when there are a hundred times more cars on the roads than planes in the air.

Why can't these planes fly out of the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, where at least there's water around it if one gets in trouble?

There has got to be an answer to this problem, so please, Mayor Frank Hibbard, it's time you and your staff step up to protect the citizens of our fine city before a major accident with a plane occurs and more people lose their lives.

Accident is no reason to close airpark

The Clearwater Airpark issue is no issue at all. Whether plane accidents are mechanical or pilot error, neither is reason enough to close Clearwater Airpark.

Automobile accidents happen daily, but I've heard no cries about closing U.S. 19 or other accident-prone roads.

It is simpler to avoid certain roads when you can.

If someone is afraid of airplanes falling from the sky, I suggest he/she live someplace else.

Airpark's only solution is closure

Re: Two die in crash of small airplane, Feb. 16.

Consider the following:

The plane was having fuel pump problems. Were they corrected?

A Clearwater Airpark spokesman was not aware of the park's safety statistics, and compared road safety with aviator safety.

A pro-airpark person claimed the public does not know enough about aviation to adequately comment on this matter (or words to that effect).

These attitudes smack of "the public be damned." Shut it down!

Flag on field symbolizes freedom

Re: Flag on grass puts city on defensive, story, Feb. 23.

If the symbol of the American flag represents only the deaths of the brave men and women who fought to defend it, what, then, symbolizes their lives? Children playing, families picnicking, man's best friend catching Frisbees among the stars and stripes also represent the pursuit of our inalienable rights of life, liberty and happiness - the basic tenets of our true freedom.

Thank you, Largo, for creating this living expression of an American flag that families can relate to in a loving and positive way, evident in the joy-filled faces and hearts of our country's youngest, most innocent (and privileged) citizens. It is a blessing!

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[Last modified March 4, 2005, 00:31:15]