Bruce Willis proposes Idaho airfield for jets

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Story Published: Jun 26, 2009 at 8:32 AM MST

Story Updated: Jun 26, 2009 at 12:32 PM MST

By Associated Press

FAIRFIELD, Idaho (AP) — Movie actor Bruce Willis is proposing a private airfield in rural south-central Idaho that could see 150 jet landings per month within five years.

Laurence Bauman, a Philadelphia consultant with AECOM Transportation, recently filed paperwork for Willis with the Federal Aviation Administration to build the 8,500-foot jet-friendly airstrip.

Willis, a sometime resident of the region, already owns the nearby Soldier Mountain ski area, and the proposed airport would allow quicker access for visitors to the Sun Valley area.

The airstrip in Camas County would be about 12 miles east of Fairfield, about 50 miles by road from Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey.

The Hailey airport serves visitors to the region that includes Sun Valley Resort. Airport officials are trying to find a new location farther south due so safety considerations.

Some Sun Valley officials have opposed moving the airport out of Hailey, due to concerns it would make traveling to the resort inconvenient.

Soldier Mountain, if expanded, could compete with Sun Valley's ski area on Bald Mountain.

Bauman didn't rule out the possibility that the airport in Hailey could be relocated to the Fairfield site.

"That is something beyond our answer," he told the Idaho Mountain Express.

Construction of the airfield would begin in April 2010, its FAA application reads, with completion in June 2011.

The paperwork filed with the FAA estimates monthly landings in five years at 150 jets, 150 turboprop and 200 propeller aircraft.

As part of the process, the FAA must conduct an airspace study to determine if the site of the proposed airport interferes with nearby airports or planned airports.

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Information from: Idaho Mountain Express

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