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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2009.10.24 Airport Advisory Committee Taxiway Relocation Recommendation" "3"-",. From: Airport Advisory Committee (AAC) Subject Taxiway Relocation To: McCall City Council The Airport Advisory Committee respectfully recommends: October 24, 2009 t�1llV OCT 2 7 2009 1. Your finding that a 50' taxiway is an absolute necessity ?7 /!aP for McCal% s airport! With the larger Forest Service aircraft requiring a 50' taxiway, the currently planned taxi -width of 35' coming off Runway 16 would severely restrict their operations, when that runway is required. Funds accordingly need to be identified, and/or sought, for the additional construction cost, in order that the Forest Service's vital and irreplaceable contributions to the City are not lost! 2. Selecting the 300' (C -II) relocation option. USES firefighting aircraft constitute a significant part of our airport's annual operations, and C-11 provides superior wingtip-to-wingtip separation for those aircraft. Statements received from the FAA reflect that they support and may insist upon the 300' separation for both financial and safety reasons, acknowledging their observance of the Forest Service Targe -aircraft operations at McCall. Although C-11 is initially more expensive than 13-11, selecting C-11 now would indeed be a more -responsible use of funds, in the event that the City were required to transition from 240' to 300', as a result of near-term traffic growth to C-11. Our recommendations were furthermore based on the following specifics, as presented by the Environmental Assessment (EA) engineers and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials at the June 2009 EA presentation, and through subsequent observation by and comments received from the Airport Manager, the AAC Forest Service representative, and local aviators: " All of the taxiway -relocation options provide funds only for the FAA standard -taxiway -width of 35 feet. " The larger Forest Service aircraft have a gear width of 33 feet. On days when landings to the south (Runway 16) are necessary, because of winds, those aircraft would not be able to land on that runway, due to having no safety margin during the taxi -back after landing. " Based on local observations, Forest Service landings to the south, during the fire season, occur approximately 50% of the time. " An inability to land to the south, once a 35' taxiway is the only clearance from the runway, could result in a Forest Service decision to move its base to another regional airport. " The FAA has stated that the 50' taxiway construction is possible, if funds from other sources cover the cost difference. " The FAA has also confirmed that the recently completed EA data are valid for a 50' taxiway for a// options. Respectfully submitted, Walter G. Lee, Chairman