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ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................... v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................... 1 Current Knowledge..................................................................................................................... 2 Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 2 Project Scope .............................................................................................................................. 2 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH APPROACH ....................................................................................... 3 Overview..................................................................................................................................... 3 Task 1 Literature Review............................................................................................................ 3 Task 2 Glossary of Airport Terms .............................................................................................. 3 Task 3 Data Collection Plan ....................................................................................................... 4 Task 4 Interim Report ................................................................................................................. 5 Task 5 Data Collection................................................................................................................ 6 Task 6 Recommended Management Principles.......................................................................... 6 Task 7 Guidebook Outline and Format....................................................................................... 6 Task 8 Prepare Draft Guidebook ................................................................................................ 7 Task 9 Industry Review .............................................................................................................. 8 Task 10 Prepare and Submit Draft Guidebook ........................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS AND APPLICATIONS......................................................................... 9 Literature Review........................................................................................................................ 9 Airport Manager Survey Results ................................................................................................ 9 Industry Review Panel Feedback.............................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. 13 Conclusions............................................................................................................................... 13 Recommendations..................................................................................................................... 14 APPENDIX A: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................... 18 Airport Cooperative Research Program Publications ............................................................... 18 Books ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Federal Aviation Administration Publications.......................................................................... 21 State Department of Transportation Publications ..................................................................... 26 Trade Publications .................................................................................................................... 28 Transportation Security Administration Publications............................................................... 28 APPENDIX B: SURVEY............................................................................................................ 29 APPENDIX C: SURVEY RESULTS.......................................................................................... 41 APPENDIX D: FINAL GUIDEBOOK OUTLINE..................................................................... 85 APPENDIX E: INDUSTRY REVIEW COVER MEMORANDUM.......................................... 89 APPENDIX F: INDUSTRY REVIEW COMMENT FORM...................................................... 90 APPENDIX G: INDUSTRY REVIEW PANEL MEMBERS..................................................... 99 APPENDIX H: INDUSTRY REVIEW COMMENTS AND ADJUDICATION ..................... 100 iii
ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research reported herein was performed under ACRP Project 01-01 by the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota. The Center for Transportation Studies was the contractor for this study. The Center for Transportation Studies utilized the expertise of AirportAdmin, LLC, Mead & Hunt, Inc., and Professional Engineering Services, Ltd., in completing this study. James H. Grothaus, director of technology transfer and training, was the principal investigator. The other authors this report include Thomas Helms, Jr., program coordinator, of the Center for Transportation Studies; Shaun Germolus, president, and Dave Beaver, vice president, of AirportAdmin, LLC.; Kevin Carlson, senior airport designer, Tim Callister, senior project manager, and Bob Kunkel, senior aviation consultant, of Mead & Hunt, Inc.; and Ann Johnson, president, of Professional Engineering Services, Ltd. The work was completed under the general supervision of Mr. Grothaus. iv
ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports v ABSTRACT Managers of small airports are responsible for a wide range of activities from facility maintenance, to financial management, to security, to community relations, to regulatory compliance. Although some management guidance is available, much of it is dated, narrowly focused, intended for larger airports, or presented as a textbook rather than a handbook for practitioners. The object of this project is to address this need for a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports that is targeted to practitioners. This report describes the development of that guidebook. The study included a literature review to determine available and relevant information sources and a survey of small airport managers to identify challenges and current practices in managing small airports. From this information, a prioritized list of recommended management principles for small airports was developed, as well as the outline and format of the guidebook.
ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Background The managers of small airports have a wide range of responsibilities covering everything from operations and maintenance to regulatory compliance to stakeholder outreach all of which must often be accomplished within fiscal constraints. Small airport managers are as diverse as the airports that they oversee. Some are professional airport managers, others are fixed-base operators (FBO) who provide management services, and others are elected officials or municipal employees whose portfolio of duties happens to include managing the local airport. Aviation management is a relatively new academic discipline and training programs sponsored by industry associations tend to be geared towards the professional airport manager. Thus, many people who become airport managers or have responsibility for managing an airport as part of another position, have received little in the way of formal airport management training. Although a large amount of information is available through both print and online resources, without prior knowledge and training it can be extremely time consuming to find answers to specific airport management questions. In short, the job of managing a small airport is a challenging endeavor that is often undertaken by individuals who must overcome a lack of knowledge and formal training with energy and ingenuity. This study was formulated by the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) to address the problem of a lack of training and readily available airport management information by developing a product that will help individuals throughout the United States to better manage the small airports for which they are responsible. Objectives of Study The primary objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive guidebook for managing small airports that addresses the topics of greatest importance to small airport managers and identifies the best sources of additional information about those topics. The secondary objective of the study is to identify and describe low-cost and easily implementable practices that are in use at some airports but are transferable to others around the country. vi
ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports Scope of Study The Guidebook is intended to be a resource for managers of small airports throughout the United States. To ensure that the Guidebook is as comprehensive as possible, the research team chose not to develop an explicit definition of a small airport. Thus, intended audience will find many, but not all, sections of the Guidebook to be relevant and useful. The intent of the study is not to develop a single authoritative source on the management of small airports. The goal of the research team in producing the Guidebook is to address subjects and topics of near universal applicability at a high level and provide small airport managers with additional resources for more in depth information. Findings To better define the issues facing managers of small airports, determine the topics of greatest importance to small airports, and identify the best sources of information about those topics the research team completed an extensive literature review and conducted a survey of small airport managers. Literature Review A tremendous amount of literature on airport management and related topics is available in a variety of formats through multiple sources. However, sifting through the voluminous amounts of available information to answer a specific question can be a difficult task. Many books about airport management or facets of airport management have been written over the years. Some of the published books are as relevant today as when first published but many books are quickly outdated in a field as dynamic as airport management. Federal and state government agencies produce an enormous number of publications containing valuable information. Unfortunately, hard copies of these publications often carry a few. Although many of the publications are available online, finding specific publications or information on a specific topic on agency web sites can be difficult. A variety of trade publications are available to small airport managers but most of them require a subscription or membership fee and the contents are frequently geared towards larger airports. Airport Manager Survey Results The airport manager survey results are discussed in greater detail in the body of this report and the results are included in Appendix C. A few of the most interesting results from the survey are detailed below. Of the airports responding to the survey, almost 90 percent were publicly owned and only 4 percent identified themselves as privately owned. Nearly 75 percent of respondents indicated that their airport had an airport manager and 13 percent of airports were managed by an FBO. vii
ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports Airports responding to the survey reported a variety of safety practices currently in use including: daily safety and self inspection programs, regular field condition reporting (NOTAMs), regular self-inspection of airfield systems and navigational aids, and employee safety programs. The biggest safety concerns for the responding airports included wildlife hazards, theft, vandalism, accidental airfield incursions. Despite ubiquitous media coverage of the subject, terrorism was of very low concern to responding airports. A very strong majority of airports reported that their airport master plans were produced by consulting firms and over three-quarters of responding airports indicated that they currently have zoning standards that meet local, state, and FAA Part 77 requirements. More than half of responding airports have annual budgets less than $500,000 and over 25 percent of airports have annual budgets less than $250,000. The primary sources of revenue for the airports surveyed include: commercial land leases, fuel flowage, and t-hangar lease agreements. The survey of airport managers included a number of questions in which the respondents were asked to describe practices currently in use at their airports that might be applicable at other airports across the country. As the research team expected, small airport managers across the country are employing many innovative practices. Highlights of the recommended practices submitted by airport managers include: ⢠An airport in Nevada acquired a chip sealer from the state DOT. ⢠To encourage new business development, one airport uses lease agreements in which the initial lease rate is low but the rate is indexed to the businessâs revenue growth. ⢠To improve the image of the airport within its community, the airport manager gives tours to school groups and started a summer aviation camp for students. ⢠To raise the profile of the airport, an airport manager provides county and city commission members with monthly updates, including âairport success storiesâ that describe how the airport helps local businesses and attracts tourists. ⢠To ensure that the airport is prepared to respond to emergency situations, one airport manager conducts annual tabletop exercises with all of the local emergency responders and a simulated emergency exercise every 3 years with the same emergency responders. Conclusions Based on the results of the literature review and the survey of airport managers, the research team reached a number of conclusions regarding the state of practice for managing small airports and the topics and information to be included in the guidebook. Small airport managers often have questions related to specific topics but do not have the time necessary to search through for the information online or in general airport management publications. A useful tool for small airport managers would be a list of relevant publications, viii
ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports descriptions of each publication, and Internet links to those publications that are available on line (e.g., FAA Advisory Circulars). The primary audience the Guidebook is airport managers at small, public use airports. Airport advisory board and commission members with oversight responsibility for airports represent a potential secondary audience. Small airport managers possess years of practical experience which makes them the best source of information and innovative practices for other small airport managers. Managers at small airports can realize immediate improvements in safety by utilizing and recording self-inspections, distributing appropriate safety information to contractors prior to construction projects, and conducting pre-construction meetings. Financial management is another area of opportunity for improvement. The guidebook should encourage the development of better financial systems for small airport managers and provide sources of information to do so. Marketing is an enormous area of potential improvement for small airports. Marketing plans should include certain basic elements regardless of the enterprise and need not be overly complicated to develop, particularly for small airports. A small airport managerâs primary responsibility is ensuring the safety of the airport for all its stakeholders. This requires adequate training of airport staff and personnel. Given the limited time and resources available for training, information about easily customizable training templates and classes would be of great benefit to small airport managers. Recommendations The Guidebook The content of the Guidebook for Managing Small Airports represents the research teamâs recommendations. The research team recommends the management principles and techniques listed below for small airport managers as topics and subjects discussed in the Guidebook pertain to each of these principles and techniques. Recommended Management Principles include the following: ⢠Public safety ⢠Fiscal responsibility ⢠Legal responsibility ⢠Environment stewardship ⢠Public Goodwill ix
ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports x Recommended Management Techniques include the following: ⢠Quality management ⢠Team-based management ⢠Strategic planning ⢠Communication ⢠Coordination ⢠Consistency and standardization of operations Use of the Guidebook The research team makes several recommendations regarding the use of the guidebook. The electronic format, either CD-ROM or downloaded from the Internet, will be the more useful to small airport managers than hard copies. Although comprehensive in nature, the Guidebook should not be considered the single authoritative source on the management of small airports. Finally, readers of the Guidebook need to remember that many of the topics that it addresses will evolve in the years ahead possibly making the information inaccurate. Additional Recommendations The research team encourages small airport managers to take advantage of the free advice and assistance that is available to them by contacting the appropriate federal and state government staff whose jobs are to help airports. As previously noted, small airport managers are the best source of information about managing small airports. The research team exhorts managers of small airports to exchange information with each other often as possible. Topics for Future Research The research team believes that any of the subjects or topics included in the Guidebook is a candidate for future research and, in many cases the Airport Cooperative Research Program is establishing research projects related to these areas. Based on the results of the survey conducted during the study and its own knowledge and experience, the research team strongly recommends the following six topics as areas of future research: ⢠Develop a guidebook for airport operations ⢠Create better tools to determine the local and regional economic impact of airports ⢠Conduct periodic surveys of airport rates and charges ⢠Develop guidebooks for different airport maintenance topics ⢠Conduct research about the unique human resources challenges associated with managing small airports, including differences in generational attitudes and succession planning ⢠Develop a guidebook of general marketing principles and techniques pertinent to small airports Each of these research topics is discussed in greater detail in the body of this report.
