Skydiving business sues county over rules at Jean

Brian Seals

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1998 | 11:31 a.m.

A.J. Moler says he was hopeful Clark County aviation officials would reverse previous policy and allow skydiving landings at the Jean Sports Aviation Facility when his business relocated there about two years ago.

That didn't happen.

"I've got a lease to run a skydiving center and I can't skydive there," Moler said.

He said his inability to land there has forced the more costly move of landing divers elsewhere. That has left him with no money to build a permanent facility at the Jean airport.

In turn, aviation officials are trying to evict the business, Las Vegas Skydiving Center, based on a clause in the lease that allows the department to evict the center for not building a permanent building.

Moler has sued the department, seeking an injunction to prevent the eviction. An Oct. 26 hearing has been set.

"Their refusal to let us land at the airport has increased our costs, so we can't afford to build a permanent facility," Moler said.

The center makes skydiving landings several miles away on unkept Bureau of Land Management property. He estimated that BLM land-use fees and the extra labor and transportation it takes to make landings there have increased his cost by about $30,000 per year.

But a Clark County Aviation Department spokesman said the skydiving center moved to the airport knowing of the conditions.

"He knew that from day one," said spokesman Adam Mayberry.

Mayberry said the airport has a long-standing policy against allowing skydiving landings on the facility's property, though some landings have been made on special occasions. The airport caters to light and recreational aircraft such as gliders.

"It's not a safe practice to mix skydivers with that type of airport," Mayberry said.

He said the policy is unlikely to change because air traffic there is increasing.

The Jean facility was revamped as a sports aviation facility in 1996. The lone gravel runway was replaced by two parallel runways and separate ramps were provided for powered craft and gliders.

Along with Jean, other Clark County-owned air facilities -- North Las Vegas, Henderson and Searchlight -- disallow skydiving landings. The Boulder City airport allows them.