Lancaster Airport growth debate is bringing FAA officials to town

"I don't know where else an airport can go," Miller said.

Next, he flew a few minutes away to Akron, where that town's small airport seems to end as the main street begins. Miller pointed to a high school building along another edge. "See how close that is?" he said.

He said he knows that some pilots do fly too low in Lancaster. But a public airport is like a public road, he said, and pilots are like drivers: Some are responsible; some are not.

Miller said he is careful to teach proper flying protocol to his students -- ages 16 to 80 -- who pay $5,000 for instruction needed to earn a basic license.

"This is a business that I've put my heart and soul and sacred fortune into," Miller said. "We need to get along."

mkearns@buffnews.com