Plane at Oconee Regional termed “nuisance”

A judge today gave a North Carolina man seven days to have an airplane moved from where it sits at the Oconee Regional Airport. Common Pleas Judge Lawton McIntosh acted at the request of an attorney for Oconee County. That attorney, Douglas Gray, called the Helio Stallion airplane a nuisance and said its presence on the airport grounds constitutes trespassing. The order applies to Cashiers resident Tim Greene, a member of the limited liability company that owns the plane. Greene said, at present, the plane is unsafe to fly and his only options are to have the plane repaired or disassembled and removed. Greene called McIntosh’s ruling fair and said he believes a mechanic, who leases a hangar at the airport, would be willing to start repairs soon. Attorney Gray said Greene never signed a lease to park the plane and, since January 2012, owes the county a $25 dollar a month parking fee. Gray said Oconee County is not interested in financial damages, rather it wants the plane removed. At one time, the plane was kept inside an airport hangar, but was later dragged outside. The judge clarified his ruling by saying that in one week’s time the plane is to be removed from airport grounds or placed inside a hangar.