Fairfax County OKs Model Airplane Park at Lorton Landfill

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved a zoning proposal to create a model airplane park at the Lorton Landfill, 9850 Furnace Road, according to a county news release.

Supervisors OK’d the proposal from the club that will fly radio-controlled airplanes and helicopters on the I-95 landfill grounds. The hobbyist’s group got clearance on their zoning proposal from the board at their Jan. 27 meeting.

The Northern Virginia Radio Control Club will establish an airfield on a portion of the 290-acre county landfill that closed in 1995, and the club will have a:

• 400-foot, grass runway
• a 9,312-square foot pit area for pilots to assemble their aircraft, and this area includes a garden shed for storage, pavilion for shelter, and a port-a-potty.

No more than five planes will be allowed in the air at a time, flying at a maximum altitude of 400 foot, according to the county news release. They also will stay within a designated airspace, “far away from homes and a park in the area,” the county noted.

A no-fly zone is established outside the 2,000 by 500-foot airspace.The airpark may only operate on weekends from 9 a.m. to sunset. Flights will end sooner if the I-95 Recycling and Disposal Facility closes earlier. The airfield will be restricted to use by the 75-member club or their supervised guests, and the club must have a trained safety officer on hand at all times.

Under a proposed five-year legal agreement that will be approved seperately, the club will be required to carry liability insurance that covers both its members and Fairfax County.The club also will pay the county $5,000 per year for using the landfill grounds.

This airpark will be the second for the group. It also operates an airfield at Poplar Ford Park in Chantilly under an agreement with the Fairfax County Park Authority.

The county’s land use plan calls the old landfill to be used for recreational uses.