Local airport advocacy, airport preservation and security, airspace access and ATC modernization were among the concerns of attendees at the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) general aviation issues conference held at Van Nuys Airport last month.

Bill Dunn, AOPA v-p of local airport advocacy, and Heidi Williams, senior director of airports, spoke with airport and FAA officials during the conference about airport advocacy and the importance of local pilot involvement, which Dunn called “the key in the success of an airport.”

Because airport managers play an important role in protecting the general aviation industry, said Randy Kenagy, AOPA government affairs chief of staff, “Having an open dialog with airport operators is critical for general aviation pilots. Without a nationwide network for managers of the more than 5,000 public-use airports, general aviation would be severely hampered.” John Upton, Lockheed Martin operations manager for the Oakland Automated FSS (AFSS), reported on FSS consolidation progress. Despite a recent bad report card for the private contractor, he noted that rankings of customer user satisfaction have risen from “2” to “8” on a 1-10 scale as updated equipment has entered service. Upton promised that AFSS customer satisfaction would reach “10” by the end of this summer.

The FAA’s Gary Bobik reported on programs to improve the quality of notams during the transition to the ICAO format. A key feature of the revised network will be central distribution of standardized digital notams and airport information allowing airport operators and managers quicker entry of notices with improved traceability.

Good Neighbor Programs

During a discussion centered on “The Green Movement,” panelists discussed strategies to minimize the environmental impact of general aviation. Several described how airports have made the benefits of the local airport apparent
to the community, to balance the influence of anti-aviation elements.

Tim O’Donnell, supervisor of the Smith Field Airport in Indiana, related a success story at the small airport. He said that after reversing a plan to close Indiana’s oldest airport, management decided to sell fuel as a public service. “We have the lowest-priced fuel in the region, and we’re still making money.” The increased traffic is bringing visible financial benefit to the surrounding area, he said.

Other panelists presented examples of revenue-generating non-aviation land use, such as the Hayward, Calif. airport’s lease and sale of property to Home Depot and Target, whose stores provide a non-polluting noise-free buffer between airport operations and the adjacent neighborhood.

David Gotschall, g-m of the Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK) in the California Sierras, described steps his airport has taken to make the community aware of its value. Starting with the annual “Santa Fly-In” that delights children at Christmas, Gotschall related how airport snow plows go off airport to open a nearby hiking and bike trail.

TRK is the first general aviation airport with solar-powered taxiway lights, 560 of them, installed at a cost of $135,000 but saving $18,000 per year in energy costs. Finally, he related, the airport authority purchased a four-blade propeller for the Piper Pawnee tow plane that serves a busy glider operation. “Now, the engine noise is more than the propeller noise.”