HomeMy Public PortalAboutAAC Minutes 1988 04/06Attending:
Bill Dorris
Mike Dorris
Kirk Braun
AIRPORT COMMITTEE MEETING
APRIL 6, 1988
Lorri Vierra
Lyn Clark
Jim Sproat
Bill Williams
Bud Schmidt
Staff gave status reports on the following projects:
1. N.D.B.: Final installation is scheduled for April 20 & 21.
Discussion of FAA certification, altimeter and weather
information. Services to make this fully useful were also
discussed.
2. Fencing: This work must be undertaken this month. USFS
personnel could assist with repairs if they could be delayed
until June 1, however, Mr. DeBoer plans to have stock in here
by May 1.
3. Ron Delp`s letter to the Bureau of Aeronautics (attached).
4. Lewiston Air Show: Flyers were distributed.
5. Smokejumper Base: Bill Williams advised the committee of
the dedication plans for the new base. An airshow will re-
quire a brief airport closure.
Major discussion focused on plowing the taxiways. The parallel taxi-
way is required for use by ski planes which deliver mail to the back -
country. Determining a date or other arbitrary criteria for plowing
is not workable due to the variety of spring weather conditions.
This matter will be considered year to year with the decision related
to snow conditions both locally and in Warren, Idaho.
/714- //7.
Arthur J.Schmidt
Airport M nager
INTERMOUNTAIN AIR SERVICES
P.O. onx 1621 'mucALL, mx*00000
- contract Flight Services - Professional Flight instruction - Aerial Photography
March 23, 1988
John J. Allen, Jr., Mayor
City of McCall
P.O. Box 1065
McCall, ID 83638
Dear Mr. Mayor:
Thank you very mucrt for your letter of March 14th and the
kind comments regarding my service on the Airport Advisory
Committee. While I had not even thought about leaving the
Committee, a recent. problem area, subsequently resolved,
caused me to suddenly consider the value to the City of
introducing new or different viewpoints through a change in
membership. Five years had passed more quickly than I had
realized!
Much has been accomplished in those years, and in no small
way is a credit to the City Administrator's capable
leadership and willingness to resolve airport issues. Also to
the City Council who, properly, I believe, relies on the
recommendations of the Committee and the Administrator to
accomplish needed items.
Still, much still needs to be done. To assist in this I will
be providing a brief list of items to Bud that I feel should
be reviewed with the other Committee members. Other than
that, the attached copy of a letter to the State should be
enlightening as well as to re-emphasize the NDB issue.
Like the State, however, the City also needs to embark on a
concerted program of out -of -area promotion to aviation
interests. The development of the airport industrial park
should be high in any such effort. Incentives, even if
limited to our unique "quality of life", should be offered
and made known to industry leaders who would have a need for
a quality, instrument capable, airport in such a beautiful
area as ours.
Thank you, and my. associates, for sharirfg in our mutuzil
enthusiasm of aviation in Idaho.
Sincerely,
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RO 0^ELP, CH
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March 23, 1988
William C. Miller, Chief
Idaho Bureau of Aeronautics
3483 Rickenbacker St.,
Boise, ID 83705
Dear Mr. Miller:
Welcome to gu.- world of aviation!
Thank you for the invitation for opinions as expressed in.
your recent letter to Idaho pilots. In just completing my
five year term as an active member of the Airport Advisory
Committee for the City of McCall, I wanted to be among the
first to respond. Unfortunately however, you were out when I
personally visited your office the day following receipt of
your letter. So, until another time, this letter must
suffice.
Perhaps the best way to appreciate the value of a serious
State Aeronautics effort is to describe what brought me here
in the first place.
My wife and I, like so many other working urban dwellers,
were fortunate enough to have a steady income, with enough
extra spendable, to share our lives with a personal airplane.
This is [o[L wealth; only a dedicated area of interest (Others
put it into golf, boating, new cars, trips to Europe, beer
orinking, or what ever). Our scheduled vacation trips were
flying ones. But since we were fond of mountain regions, our
trips were somewhat limited since the Southwest has very few
"mountain" airports (we were based in San Diego at the time).
Speculating on more flying possibilities in northern regions,
principally Idaho (expecting it to have similar aviation
needs and interests as in Alaska), I wrote to the Bureau of
Aeronautics. In return I received a personal letter of
invitation from the then Chief, Chet Moulton, along with a
beautiful State aeronautical chart, a spiral bound set of
airport diagrams with local information, and advice on
mountain flying. So, although knowing little about the region
and never having been to Idaho before, we took off in our
plane (a Cherokee 180C at the time) and landed in Johnson
Creek just prior to dusk. The almost overwhelming aroma of
the pines and the green turf airstrip, as well as the shear
beauty of the area, are impressions we will never forget`
And the facilities were unbelievable with fire wood
the availability of a courtesy car, ' ' axe and
That was in 1969. We have been coming back every year since
sometimes on multiple visits. Then after relocating to north
'
of San Francisco a few years later, to be closer to Idaho e
finally decided to chance leaving the big city life and moved
here permanently in 19829 having previously purchased
property and started home construction. My wife quit her job
and is now the Business Office Manager at theMcCall Memorial
Hospital. I took a welcome early retirement from my Position
as a Radio Systems Engineering Manager for a large
corporation, and am now 100% (but at my own choosing)
znvolved in aviation. (This includes being a charter pilot
for McCall Air Taxi and an aviation author for several
publications). Despite the fact that we undertook such a
drastic change without even knowing if we could handle it
financially, we have never regretted it.
The point in this personal story is that we first arrived in
Idaho by personal aircraft, would never have sought out this
area without having been involved in aviation, and probably
would never have flown here without the courtesy and
facilities extended to us by the State and all that Mr
Moulton had so wisely accomplished. Subsequently, our ^
enthusiasm has helped to bring several other permanent
residents to Idaho, and as is typical of aviators, a couple
Of "fly -ins". One, with the International Comanche Society'
brought 55 airplanes and 135 people to McCall. The importance
of such events is demonstrated in their opinion that over
$10,000 was left in the community over that 3-day period
which, through "ripple effect" is effectively several times
that. Consider also the "word" spread by such participants.
The sad part is that little (in comparison) appears to have
been accomplished since the "Moulton" era. Yes, many airports
have been maintained and some have been improved. But I'm not
aware of any new ones having been added. In fact, a
comparison check between older and current State airport
directories would seem to indicate that several airports have
actually been dropped from the active list. Personally, I'm
grateful for State assistance in any airport improvement
projects, such as here at McCall, but more recognition of the
need, in the context as described above, is what is required.
Idaho needs to think bigger. The whole economy suffers
because the State has been relatively unsuccessful in
attracting people and new business from out -of -area In
visiting urban areas in California and other states,
it is
readily apparent that there is a lot of money being
'plowed
into those economies, i.e., there is a lot of money available
or there is a lot of people with a lot of money! There is no
reason why Idaho cannot or should not share in it. But
t know about Idaho and what it has to offer,
outsiders, have o
first. The natural resources and outdoor attractions combine d through first class
with all the a�«antages of aviation' Idaho distinctly
State aeronautical system support, makes n
unique i the "quality of life" it can offer.
So'in response to your request, I offer the following
specific items for your aviation consideration:
1,.... Join with "commerce" or "tourist" organizations to
aly promote Idaho aviation to out-of-stateinterests.
t
�tunity in my writings to promoteibut
� ^
I use every oppor in aviation publications^
takes more than occasional articlesnal campaign
' Regular meaningful, advertising and a personal
directedto industry leaders may �e fruitful.
state aeronautical chart, with
2 Publish an up-to-datei t�rest through
^t with major visitor n ,
emphasis on airports available free of charge to anyone
side notations. Make this a»a f LORAN for VFR
t it Recognize the wide spread use o ti in
who wants ^ geographical coordinate information navigation and provide geograp
the format used by such equipment.
3^ Revise' and keep up-to-date, the State furnished airport
Out-of-state pilots don't generally have this b�/`
directory. - detailed publication for
typically do have a much more Flight Guide". Thus, our
general flight Purposes' such as "Flight
the many special
di rectory should concentrate on providingpublications
r rational
details and localoperational advise that other puf this used to be included in
don't normally include. (Some o li i ated as has many
the directory but has now been mostly eliminated,
, mn' From a
of the private or low use "back country fields)ll. used local
safety standpoint alone, recommended or typically
operational procedures would assist most out -of -area pilots, o
well as some of those locals who otherwise maybe prone -
as we ^
think they know it all There is plenty of knowledge
f
available from among the Idaho professionals to create a
really meaningful directory.
4 Continue to emphasize the need for Idaho pilots to totake
^ t training every year. The FAA "Wings' program is a
d
recurren d c'n be especially productive when combine ne
good minimum an � pil t Award Program". But a
with the State's unique "Safe o t and local
better means of acquiring and keeping interest
considered
involvement in such safety programs needs to e,Instructor.s,
The "Rudder Flutter" publication, including myt more direct
column, is a good medium for communication. uui major
co ' t would help Any accident prevented s a
involvement w ^ `
accomplishment and wel.l worth the effort!
or !
5^ Revise the state aircraft registration fee system. Airport
improvement/development projects, even when limited to only
impro»em till involves potentially huge sums of
5% matching funds' s th State,s
It is in my opinion, e obliqation to manage
money. ,
in's resources in a manner that will allow it to participate
in a financially sound way in any federally funded project,
on well as to maintain airports when federal funds are not
available. No one likes to see taxes increased but, in the
very least, the system should be revised to make the fee
based on M2oss, weight, an easily documentable figure and one
more representative of aircraft type, than on useful load as
at present, as this is not documentable and is subject to
frequent change. A small fee increase (through an increase in
rate) may also be acceptable, grgyidgl the funds are
dedicated to specific and timely achievable programs, and not
to bureaucratic overhead. Locals who don`t get out-of-state
much may often not realize the value of Idaho's airport
system, and object to any fee increase. An outside tie -down
fee of $12 per month may seem excessive to the local pilot,
but should not when a similar fee at a suburban California
field may be $45, and in some areas, over $100. Similarly, my
own aircraft, a 1959 Piper Comanche with a gross weight of
2800 lbs., would be charged $250 per year tax based on their
universal 1% of market value limit (assumed $25,000 in this
example), yet is only charged $'r7.38 per year in Idaho based
on it`s useful load. I would strongly resist California
concepts and such high taxes, but l would think that any
reasonable owner would understand the need for a limited
revision. Tnere is little point in having a Bureau of
Aeronautics if it can't accomplish much because of internal
inefficiency or lack of funds at the state level.
6. Work toward separation of the Bureau from the
Transportation Department. Aviation interests must be
governed by a group dedicated to aviation with no political
ties to other, more predominant or forceful, interests.
7. As to my local area, one of the most potentially strong
tourist/recreational growth areas in the entire state, the
State should do what ever is necessary to install and put in '
service the McCall NOB and subsequent Instrument Approach
Procedure ASAP! I cannot imagine any one thing more
productive toward aviation usefulness and potential community
growth than this. Aviation money will simply continue to
limit its use of McCall without it. This obviously includes
any scheduled commuter service, as well as corporate
aircraft. Such effort must` include the following phases:
a) Complete physical site construction (fencing, hut
door locks, electrical service, etc.).
b) Install new radio equipment (available in McCall
since last December).
c) Telt and turn -up station for VFR-only service (FCC
license has been on hand since last October).
d) Notify all major chart and flight guide publishers
of NDB particulars for VFR-only service.
e) Arrange for FAA development, flight certification
and publishing of an approved NDB Instrument Approach
Procedure for the McCall airport. Keep pressure on
�
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ron Delp
City of McCall.
/-
to accomplish this ASAP. In the meantime, if an
Ins�rument Procedure can be separately
developed and authorized, then such should also be
accomplished ASAP. The mere inclusion of a written
procedure as "McCall" in the Jeppesen or federal
instrument procedures manual will get this valuable
Idaho airport known to many out -of -area operators/
f) Arrange for automatic altimeter setting information
to be remotely sent to the USNWS or FAA FSS, as
appropriate, so as to enable any instrument procedure
for MYL to be continuously in service and to
eliminate the need for the City's UNICOM station to
transmit such information. (Until such remote service
is available, an instrument approach via the NDB,
even gftgn FAA certification, could only be FAA
authorized when a local altimeter setting was
available through the UNICOM operator, normally only
during typical business hours. In addition, such a
locally provided service must be based on a
calibrated pair of altimeters, which the City does
not currently nave). Local altimeter setting
capability is a pre -requisite to FAA authorization of
@ny instrument procedure, even part time. Longer term
effort in this regard should include replacement of
the existing, and limited, AWOS installation with one
that will include other data in addition to altimeter
setting.
As you can see, there is more involved in this NDB project
and more potentially riding on it, than may be casually '
appreciated. To the pilot members of our Committee, it was
We priority project when I first became involved five years
ago. And it was the most priority project during that time
It is still the most priority project (in terms of need), ^ and
will continue to be so until totally IFR approved for 24 hour
service. The long delays in fully accomplishing this project
delays without much apparent rationale, have also been the '
most fru"rating to all of us whose advise and expertise
should have meant something. The City has some shared
responsibilities toward implementation, of course, but we
have been repeatedly told from the beginning that the NOS was
a "State" project. It needs to be concluded, pronto!
Although it has taken several hours, my word processor has
simplified the task. I hope the above comments will be of use
to you. Comments on specific airport items, in addition to
those involving McCall, may be obtained from any of us.
Please feel free to ask at any time, or to vist us.
As a last Committee member item however, I would appreciate a
written response from you indicating your plans for
completion of the MYL NDB project, considering each of the
Phase items I have described above. A copy to the City .
Administrator, P.O. Box 1065, would be appropriate also.