Preventive Maintenance at General Aviation Airports Volume 1: Primer (2015)

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4C H A P T E R 2 2.1 Introduction Airport governing officials and policy makers understand the value of their airport and, thus, appreciate the need to maintain and preserve the life of its infrastructure. The value of an airport can be significant to a community because it provides access to the national airspace system and serves the needs of businesses, the flying public, emergency and medical personnel, aerial firefighters, agricultural concerns, search and rescue organizations, law enforcement personnel, and other users. An airport provides considerable direct and indirect value to a community by generating jobs, services, and tax revenue. 2.2 Airport Users All airports provide value by serving a wide range of users. The FAA’s report General Aviation Airports: A National Asset (2012) summarizes the types of aeronautical functions serving the public’s interest (see Figure 2.1). Airport uses include: • Emergency Preparedness and Response. Many general aviation airports are used for aero­ medical flights for quick transporting of patients that need specialized medical care. Airports often serve as a base for local, state, or national law enforcement and national security during times of emergencies. Some airports provide an alternative to an intended destination when there are unexpected emergencies or bad weather. The nation’s system of general aviation airports serve as staging areas to support relief efforts whenever needed (e.g., tornado recovery efforts). • Critical Community Access. When scheduled air service is not available or convenient, busi­ nesses and individuals can charter air­taxi aircraft that operate from general aviation airports. Also, general aviation airports may be the only means of transport in remote areas. • General Aviation with Specific Functions. There are several types of general aviation users with specific functions that benefit from airports. The FAA indicates that about 23% of pri­ vate flying in the United States is done by business persons flying in piston, turboprop, or jet aircraft. Most of the private flight instruction takes place at general aviation airports. These airports also serve private flying in the areas of practicing flying skills, personal or family travel, enjoyment, and personal business. • Commercial, Individual, and Economic Activities. General aviation airports serve many important commercial, industrial, and economic activities. These include agricultural support, aerial surveying and observation, delivery and air cargo services, utility inspection, and oil and mineral exploration and surveys. • Destination and Special Functions. General aviation airports are needed for use by charters and private pilots during special occasions such as major sporting events, concerts, and races. The Value of an Airport

The Value of an Airport 5 Airports also enable access to areas not easily accessible for recreation, including remote and mountainous areas and islands. The national airspace system includes approximately 2,800 public­use airports that are des­ ignated by the FAA as in the nation’s interest to be included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The FAA further identifies several principles of the NPIAS based on law and reflected in FAA programs, regulations, and policies. The NPIAS holds that airports should be: • Safe and efficient, located at optimum sites, and developed and maintained to appropriate standards; • Flexible and expandable, able to meet increased demand, and able to accommodate new air­ craft types; • Permanent, with assurance that they will remain open for aeronautical use over the long term; and • Compatible with surrounding communities, maintaining a balance between the needs of avia­ tion and the requirements of residents in neighboring areas (FAA, National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, 2015–2019). 2.3 Airport Economic Impact Local general aviation airports provide economic benefits that exceed the funding spent on operating and maintaining the facilities. Organizations such as the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) publicly convey this Figure 2.1. Types of aeronautical functions serving public interest. Source: FAA, General Aviation Airports: A National Asset

6 Preventive Maintenance at General Aviation Airports message. The NBAA reported in 2010 that business aviation contributed $150 billion to U.S. economic output and employed more than 1.2 million people. AOPA publicizes the types of economic impact created by general aviation airports. These are direct impacts associated with the providers of aviation services at the airport, indirect impacts associated with users of the airport services, and indirect impacts because of the airport’s existence (e.g., jobs, payroll, and employer expenditures). Many local and state governments have undertaken economic impact studies for their air­ ports. These studies help with strategic economic investment decisions, evaluation of airport expansion alternatives, and informed decisions about land use and commercial projects in the vicinity of the airport. They also support public relations programs for educating policy makers, airport users, and the general public about the economic value of the airport. As one state example, Georgia indicated in its 2011 Georgia Statewide Economic Impact Study that the total economic contribution of Georgia’s 95 public­use general aviation airports is the sum of the on­airport businesses, the spending of visitors, and the additional activity of the recirculation of spending of on­airport businesses and visitors. These general aviation airports contribute significantly to the state’s economy, supporting over 10,000 jobs, $354 million in payroll, and $1.2 billion in state economic impact (Georgia Department of Transportation and CDM Smith, 2011). 2.4 Cost of an Airport The infrastructure of an airport, like other public works, can be very expensive. An airport’s cost includes the cost of land, infrastructure (pavement, buildings, and other facilities), and the cost for ensuring that navigable airspace around the airport is clear. Each airport is unique, and the cost to construct it depends on its location, terrain, and size of the infrastructure. A typical one­runway general aviation airport could cost from $20 million to $100 million to build. It simply does not make good business sense to have to replace expensive airport facilities because of a lack of preventive maintenance. Airport owners can maximize the useful life of existing infrastructure through a proper PM program. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the types of airport infrastructure and the general maintenance considerations for each.