HomeMy Public PortalAboutAAC Minutes 1988 09/07Airport Committee Meeting
September 7, 1988
Attending: Rick Fereday Dale Points
Lynn Clark Bud Schmidt
Chuck (for Bill Williams, USFS) Dave Powell
Bill Dorris
Snow Loads for Private Hangers
Dave Powell of Toothman-Orton/Hosac reported on the 1976 study by Dave
Sacht at U of I and on the updated report. The original report
indicated a 120 lb. ground snow load for McCall. The updated study
suggests a 151 lb. snow load should be implemented. Toothman-Orton
does not recommend reduction of the snow load requirement for any
structure less than the existing standard.
This question was brought to the committee at Council direction
following a request to reduce the snow loads to stimulate development
of private hangers. The 120 lb. requirement adds a substantial cost
to these buildings. The committee recommended no action to adjust the
snow loads at this time and to further consider the matter during the
master plan update to be undertaken this fall and winter.
CRASH -RESCUE PLAN
Dale Points outlined the major concerns such as access and private
vehicle operations on the airport. All access will be via the
dog -pound area. The haul road constructed for this AIP project may be
left in place for access via the south end of the runway. Bill Dorris
inquired about the availability of airbags to lift wrecked aircraft.
NDB Status
Donnelly Fire District has given approval to locate the monitoring
equipment at their station. Rick Fereday suggested an auto dialer as
an alternative telephone connector.
Fence: Given Fire conditions, it is unlikely the Forest service will
be able to complete erecting the fence. Staff is evaluating and may
make other arrangements.
thur J. Schmidt, Airport Manager
Build hangars as you grow
A hangar manufacturer provides a design and building service for GA facilities
T
ruckee -Tahoe Airport, owned by
a bi-county California Special
Airport District, and located
high in the Sierra Nevada mountains,
has a fifteen year airportce
plan of staggering dimensions. Today,
the District owns a small General
Aviation terminal, a fixed base oper-
ator hangar with office space, three tee
hangars that house 56 general avia-
tion aircraft, and a sniall airport
maintenance building. The construc-
tion plan includes: (1) expansion of
the terminal building to include space
for two air commuters, a restaurant,
and commercial usage as we11; (2) a
new three unit corporate hangar -office
building; (3) seven additional tee
hangar buildings to house another 168
general aviation aircraft; and (4) a
six -gate commercial air terminal com-
plex.
Ambitious as the airport plan is,
the Board of Directors and Airport
Manager, George H. Edmondson, see
it as realistic. They cite two major
reasons for the need to expand. First,
the airport now serves one of the
world's largest and fastest growing
year-round recreation -resort areas.
Included in the area are beautiful
Lake Tahoe and well known Squaw
Valley, home of the 1960 Winter
Olympics. Second, the recreation
boom is drawing new residents desir-
ing to live in the dean air and beauty
of the mountains. Many business men
commute to destinations as far from
the high Sierras as Boston, New York,
Norfolk, Miami, and Hawaii.
Buiid+s•you grow plan
The Truckee -Tahoe Airport plan is
being programmed by the Board of
Directors on a build as you grow con-
cept. According to Airport Manage'
George Edmondson, there will soon be
a profit from improvements such as
the two recently constructed 24-unit
general aviation aircraft tee hangars
designed by Erect -A -Tube, Inc.
Because of winter snow conditions,
the Board recognized that a
hangar storage at this mountain
recreation airport would be desirable
and necessary. Winters can be extreme
with annual snowfall at the airport
often exceeding 150 inches.
Hairport has lost
revenue
through
ghethe winter because
revenue through to seek shelter
aircraft were forced
down the mountain. Therefore, the
Board felt that investment in General
Aviation aircraft tee hangars would
be a necessary and sound investment,
according to Edmondson, providing
that certain problems in the 'design.
and cost areas could be overcome.
The service cited is a new venture
by Erect -A -Tube, Inc., Harvard, Illi-
nois. The company manufactures
multiple tee hangars, single unit ranch
hangars, electric bi-fold doors, large
bottom rolling hangar doors, and
aircraft winches. According to Erect-
A-Tube
President, Kenn Shelton, the
Design/Build Service is in response to
demands by fixed base operators, mu-
nicipalities, counties, districts and air-
port managers for experienced profes-
sional help in the design and construc-
tion of General Aviation facilities.
Such help has not been readily
available for the planning, designing,
and building of General Aviation
facilities, Shelton says. He points out
that large engineering and d architec-
tural m j
firms equipped handle
nor
r
airport projects are not geared
experienced in meeting the specialised
needs of General Aviation. In addi-
tion, small engineering and architec-
tural firms seldom have any signifi-
cant airport design experience.
In contrast, Erect -A -Tube's
engineering department, field repre-
sentatives, and executives have ac-
tually been providing a viable
abl deorms-
build service for years,
on
AIRPoRrSERVIcES MANAGEMENT June 1978
basis. A wide variety of General Avia-
tion projects across the United States
illustrate the depth and scope of
service.
flow Ityolked
at Truckee -Tahoe'
The Truckee -Tahoe Airport Dis-
trict is a political sub -division of
California. Like a school district, it is
funded by taxes, presently at a rate of
20 cents per $100.00 of assessed valua-
tion. The current assessed value is
$210 million. Airport policies and
supervision are provided by a five
member Board of Directors locally
elected from the district for a term of
four years.
The present Board consists of fly-
ing businessmen, all aircraft owners,
several with flying backgrounds that
date back to the European and Pacific
theaters of World War II. The Airport
Manager, who is Secretary of the
Board, is a retired Navy Commander
with a flight background also dating
back to World War II. Needless to say,
the Directors and Manager are avia-
tion oriented. According to District
Board President Donald Beck, areald-
tor whose hobby is racing planes
who holds several class records,
"We're all flyers, all residents of a
booming recreational area, and inten-
sely interested in what is good for the
airport. Being customers of the airport
ourselves, we believe we understand
other customer's wants and needs "
The Truckee -Tahoe District owns
597 acres of land and plans to acquire
an additional 250 acres. The objective
of the District plan is to insure that
the airport development is in harmony
with the area; that is, wide open
spaces with facilities oriented to
recreational activities. The North.
'Truckee -Tahoe -Donner area has one
major industry —recreation —and the
residents prefer to keep it that way. To D
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ASMIHANGARS 19
this end, the airport plan also includes
the development of an aero recreation
park to be utilized by fly -in campers,
and glider and hot air balloon
enthusiasts. Against tbia background,
the Board determined that certain
obstacles had to be resolved.
Prior to taking the first step in ex-
panding its General Aviation oper-
ation —construction of rental hangar
units —the District had to tackle four
major problems. These problems.
were:
1. High Constriction Costs in Snow
Country —Due to extreme winter
conditions, a county building require-
ment specified roof construction be
able to withstand a snow load of 160
pounds per square foot. If met, this re-
quirement would have driven con-
struction costs to a point where rental
fees would have been prohibitive. A
variance to this building requirement
would have to be obtained for t1.
hangar project to proceed.
2. PoUtical Considerations —Since
General Aviation at the Truckee -
Tahoe Airport serves a relatively
small group of aircraft owners in rela-
tion to the District taxpayers, the
Board felt the hangars would have to
be financed by monies from sources
other than tax revenues.
3. Need for Maximum Quality —Ac-
cording to Edmondson, the Board and
public at large wanted a hangar not
only with functional design and
quality, but also designed to harmon-
ize with the surrounding area.
4. Need for Design/Build Contractor
—The lack of designers capable of
handling an airport's special needs
and problems was highlighted at
Truckee -Tahoe. A number of hangar
building manufacturers were con-
tacted. Erect -A -Tube was more
cooperative than the others when
asked to modify their standard build-
ing to the District's specifications,
without substantial cost increases.
one point the District commisaio
an architect to design a wood frame or,,
concrete hangar building with a 120
pound or a 40 pound roof load. Even
bids on a hangar designed with a less
costly 40 pound roof load proved to be
too expensive to permit a reasonable
rental fee.
Solving hangar problems
In 1968, just prior to the county's
establishing the higher snow load re-
, quirement, the District built its first
hangar with a 40 pound roof load. The
building had a gabled roof that con-
tributed to sheet ice problems on the
north side of the building. But, ac-
Tee hangars harmonise with .surroundings: .Noie how the color scheme
and the low roof profile of the buildings are in keepingwith the *de open
cording to Manager Edmondson, "the
structure had one outstanding feature,
trouble -free, electrically operated bi-
fold doors. Aside from the ice build-up
at the base of the building, Ed-
mondson recalls only one door main-
tenance incident during the ten years
of operation. The District contacted
Erect -A -Tube, manufacturer of the bi-
fold doors, mainly because of the trou-
ble -free success we had with their
doors. After diacusaing our problems
with them, we felt confident that our
special requirements would be met
through their Design/Build Services.
Kenn Shelton personally supervised
the design and construction of the first
two 24-unit& The four basic problems
were solved as follows:
1. High Construction Costs in Snow
Country —Extensive detail drawings
and calculations, worked out by Erect -
A -Tube engineers and backed up by
the airport board, convinced county
authorities to reduce the snow load re-
quirement from 160 pounds to 45
pounds. Additionally, a single.aloped
roof was designed with dark roof
sheets to absorb the sun's heat, and
hasten the melting of the snow. The
roof slope was also oriented to the
greatest sun and wind exposure,
thereby utilizing nature to help keep
the roof clear of snow and ice. These
features, together with historical
weather data, were presented to the
county officials prior to obtaining ap-
proval to design the hangars with a 45
pound snow load.
2. Political Considerations —Accord-
ing to Manager Edmondson, the key
to overcoming the fear among tax-
payers that private plane owners were
benefiting from tax levies has been the
demonstrated financial self-sufficien-
cy of the rental hangar unite The Dis-
trict's tax -supported financial
stability was a factor, but only in
backing up loans. To finance the first
hangar, an unsecured $300,000 note
was obtained from a commercial
bank. The financing of the second
hangar was achieved by borrowing
$225,000 from the State Division of
Aeronautics at a low interest rate,
with a 15 year maturity.
High -quality construction and
trouble -free operation of the hangars
permitted long term amortization,
and resulted in a very attractive
monthly rental rate. The units were
designed for various single and twin
engine aircraft as based at the
Truckee -Tahoe Airport. They vary in
door widths from 37'6" to 49'6". The
door heights vary from 11' 6" to 14' 6".
Rental rates range from $75.00 to
$125.00 per month.
A detailed accounting of the
hangar rentals and expenditures
clearly shows the profitability of this
enterprise. Here, briefly, is the finan-
cial profile of each hangar building.
Rental of 24 unite $24,000 per year
Insurance Costa ( 3,600)
Utilities/Maintenance ( 1,200)
Net Income Toward
Payoff $19,200 Annually
It's a very sound investment, Ed-
mondson points out. "As the list of
prospective hangar tenants builds up,
we'll erect additional hangars and op-
erating profits will pay off each pre-
vious . hangar. Nine 24-unit hangars
Airport Manager George Edmondson: Works with the District Board to
solve the ever-increasing demand for additional General Aviation facilities.
are planned. They will generate a ren-
tal income of more than $200,000—
all with no direct cost to the tax -
Payer'!„
3. Nod for Madman Quality) —The
same low -profile roof design that over-
came snowload problems also made
the new hangars aesthetically pleas-
ing. Stone facing and mansards with
shake shingles enhance the ap-
pearance of the hangars. "Visually,
these units are something new and
pleasing in hangars," Edmondson
points out.
Weather tightness is assured by the
design and rugged all -steel construc-
tion of the bi-fold doors. Doors have
strong locking mechanisms on each
side to pull the door tight against the
jambs. And the bi-fold door design
makes it easy to insulate the doors if
desired. 'There's no drifted snow in
the winter, and no dust entry when the
doors are kept dosed during the sum-
mer. These are the only doors to use in
snow country like this," says Ed-
mondson.
4. Nsed for Design/Build Contractor
—According to Edmondson, this need
has been satisfied through the
Design/Build Services provided by
Erect -A -Tube. "What we have done,"
the jury's President Kenn Shelton
explains, "is to identify, organize, and
formalize this service for General
Aviation. We can expand it to include
financing procurement or leasing
when desirable. In short, we are offer-
ing on a formal basis a custom service
to solve the problems of General Avia-
tion Airports, such as Truckee -Tahoe,
throughout the states." L•�1
2
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Round hangars:
A turnaround in
aircraft storage?
Aerodome Industries received a
green light this week to deliver
their "new" aircraft storage hangar to
Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The 80 ft circular fiberglass structure
was temporarily erected at Reading,
PA for the Air Show. Collins will util-
ize the building to house their flying
dub aircraft.
The Reading Air Show Aerodome
did not have the standard rotating
floor installed; however, Collins will
receive the full package.
Being labeled as `The Great Turn -
Around in Aircraft Storage", the
Aerodome has all the ingredients to
truly revolutionize the aircraft storage
market
Designed primarily for single -
engine and light twins, the circular 80
ft unit will house up to six aircraft on
two -tenths of an acre of land. Ex-
panded land conservation analysis in-
dicates the Aerodome concept is capa-
ble of "doubling" the storage poten-
tial over conventional T-hangars,
using the same amount of real estate.
"We've solved two pressing prob-
lems with the Aerodome design", says
James Garufo, Aerodome's presi-
dent, ... "better use of airport proper-
. ty and the reduction of manpower
overhead."
The mechanical features of the
Aerodome make operation a one-man
affair. An electrically -operated
turntable rotates in either direction to
allow entry or exit of one aircraft
without disturbing the others. A winch
permanently installed inside the
building facilitates aircraft move-
ment. The single bi-fold door, also
electrically operated, offers a bonus:
reduction of potential door problems
experienced by conventional storage
Reprinted {remAIRF Rr$ERVEES MANAGEMENT. November 1978
units and a drastic reduction in taxi -
ramp requirements.
"When the Aerodome units are
grouped together, they can reduce
taxi -ramp requirements by 75% ",
says Garufo. Accordingly, two ten -unit
T-hangars require over 55,000 sq. ft. of
ramp space while four Aerodome
units, housing the same number of
aircraft on one-half the real estate, re-
quire less than 12,000 sq. ft. of ramps.
Construction costs are reduced and
snow removal is less of a task.
The first major exposure of the
Aerodome was last May at the Ameri-
can Association of Airport Executives
Convention in Cincinnati. Sales
forecast from the AAAE Show num-
ber at least twelve units with another
dozen by year's end.
The Reading Air Show provided an
opportunity for east coast prospects to
see a full-scale model of the Aero-
dome. Erected as a temporary struc-
ture, the unit brought considerable
ASMHANGARS 21