Deerfield Valley Regional 4V8

[jkgoblue]

So was looking at different airports to fly to and ran across Deerfield Regional. Trying to figure out the status of this airport since it still shows on the sectional, still has a published approach, and still shows up on the Vermont transportation agency and FAA as "operational". Further digging I see that it is closed permanently by NOTAM, back in 2019.

So how come it's still shown on the sectional and still has a published approach? Are they just late getting around to it or are they leaving this way to someday reopen it?

Just curious...

 

[fasteddie]

Would be interested to hear more about this as well.

I went on a trip to ski Mt Snow in March 2020, and noticed 4V8 on the map. Had some time to kill one day, and wandered over there. Have to go through a housing subdivision to get to the field. There was a small FBO building that was locked, with a sign on the door giving a phone number to call. Everything looked to be in decent shape (tarmac, buildings, etc).

I got curious, and poked around online. Found the same thing you did, conflicting info on if it was actually closed or not. I recall coming across some reviews online from pilots who'd flown in there recently.

At one point, I spent a couple hours going down the internet rabbit hole on 4V8. Sounded like it was a nice field, and I think it had some kind of charter service at one point to serve the local ski resorts. Then, someone came in with a bunch of money and bought nearby Haystack Mountain to turn it into a private ski resort. They bought up a bunch of other local assets, including 4V8. All of a sudden, the bottom fell out of the whole effort, Mr. Moneybags left town, and it sounded like the local municipalities were left holding the bag. Haystack Mountain eventually became a private resort (The Hermitage Club) under some different owners. 4V8 seemed like it was left in limbo, and I didn't see any kind of strong local opinion either for or against it.

Interested to hear any additional info, especially from locals. Seemed like the immediate area would be a nice place to live, and seemed like 4V8 was a nice little field, albeit on the shorter side (2,650 ft).