LEXINGTON, Kentucky USA — Air traffic at Blue Grass Airport had to be rerouted for several hours Saturday because large model rockets were being launched from a city park directly into the flight path of approaching and departing airplanes.

The manager of the air traffic control tower at Blue Grass Airport sent a letter to Mayor Jim Newberry on Tuesday expressing concern about the incident, which he said posed "an unacceptable level of risk to these aircraft."

In the letter, Duff Ortman, air traffic manager at the Lexington tower, said the model rockets — up to 6 feet long and able to reach an altitude of 4,000 feet — "create a collision hazard with aircraft arriving and departing Blue Grass Airport."

The letter is addressed to Newberry because the rockets were launched from Lexington's Masterson Station Park off Leestown Road by the Bluegrass Rocketry Society.

According to the letter, the model rocket issue came up once before, in 2005. The model rocketry club was advised then that the rockets could pose a hazard to aircraft, and the rocket launches were canceled.

However, the club has since resumed launches from the park, Ortman says in the letter.

In the letter, Ortman says the club might have obtained a required FAA permit or waiver for the launches, but "the local air traffic control facility retains the right to review the intended operation and determine if it poses a hazard to local aviation."

Ortman's letter says that because of the rocket launches, air traffic controllers "vectored aircraft away from Masterson Station Park for several hours" on Saturday to ensure "the safety of the flights." The planes still landed and took off from the airport, but they used a different flight path.

However, an incident report filed by an air traffic controller with the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System states that controllers were told "NOT TO ALTER THE JET AIRCRAFTS HEADINGS."

That incident report says the air traffic control manager told controllers that the rocket club "had their waiver and that we were going to have normal departures."

In his letter to the mayor, Ortman also states that he spoke with Chuck Ellis, the city's director of parks and recreation, who indicated that the rocketry club did not have city permission for the launch.

In an interview, Ellis said the city has had problems for the last couple of years with a group shooting off rockets at Masterson Station. He said the city objects to the rockets because the noise bothers horses that are kept at the park.

Ellis said he plans to write a letter to the group reiterating that it needs permission from the city before any rocket launches take place. He said that since 2006, rockets were launched from the park at least two times without permission.

"My goal is to officially notify them that this will not be permitted," Ellis said. "And all the employees are on guard that if they see them, to call the police."

Ellis said if the group asked for permission to conduct such a launch, the city would review whether houses are nearby and whether other park programming is scheduled.

"And now I would add: Is it in the flight path of the airport?" Ellis said.

A representative from the rocketry club could not be reached for comment.

According to the Bluegrass Rocketry Society's Web site, the group launched from Masterson Station on March 18 and May 12, and has launches scheduled there July 14, Sept. 8 and Nov. 10.

A "model rocket safety code" on the site states: "I will not launch my rocket at targets, into clouds, or near airplanes ..."

Michael Gobb, the airport's executive director, said he was not aware of the incident until he learned about it Tuesday.

He said the airport does not control airspace or approaches; those are under the control of the FAA.

Copyright © 2007, Lexington Herald-Leader.