Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports (2009)

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ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS AND APPLICATIONS Literature Review There is a tremendous amount of literature on airport management or topics related to airport management available in a variety of formats through multiple sources. However, finding relevant information about a specific topic can be a difficult task as there are voluminous amounts of irrelevant information that must navigated. The trend towards making information available via the Internet has actually proved to be a double-edged sword. Large amounts of information are now available in places as remote as northern Alaska with a few key strokes. However, Internet searches tend to produce a large number of options for information many of which are unrelated or tangential to the specific topic being researched. A great number of books about airport management or facets of airport management have been written over the years. While some of the published books have a certain timeless quality; that is, they are as relevant today as when first published. Many books do not age well and in a field as dynamic as airport management are quickly obsolete without continuous revision. Federal and state government entities, particular the FAA and state aeronautics offices, produce an enormous amount of valuable information on a wide range of subjects. However, hard copies of their publications frequently carry a charge. Although many federal and state publications are available in electronic format via the Internet, it is not always easy to find information on a specific topic, such as general aviation airport security, and large documents can require an extended period of time for downloading without a high-speed internet connection. There are a number of trade publications for airport managers but they require a subscription, not all of the information in them is available online without a subscription, and the contents are frequently geared towards larger airports. Airport Manager Survey Results The results of the survey of small airport managers yielded a wealth of information that the research team utilized in developing the Guidebook. The key findings from the survey are described below. Ownership, Management, and Governance Of the airports responding to the survey, almost 90 percent were owned by a county, municipality, or airport authority. Only 4 percent of responding airports identified themselves as privately owned. Given that almost one-third of the landing facilities in the United States are government owned, the results of the survey are strongly skewed towards publicly owned airports. This is most likely the result of a decision by the research team to work through the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), state aeronautics offices, and state airport management associations to distribute the survey. 9

ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports Almost 75 percent of respondents indicated that their airport had an airport manager. Thirteen percent of airports were managed by an FBO. Sixty-seven percent of responding airports have an airport advisory board or commission that reports to a higher governmental authority. Airport Safety and Security 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 most sought after safety and security measures were card reader systems and closed circuit television surveillance systems. The biggest safety concerns for the responding airports included wildlife hazards, theft, vandalism, accidental airfield incursions. Despite all the media coverage on the subject, terrorism was of very low concern to responding airports. Only 40 percent of airports utilize and issue airfield safety/security procedures manuals to contractors for airport construction projects and 39 percent always involved tenants and emergency service providers at pre-construction meetings. Airport Zoning and Land Use Planning A very strong majority of airports reported that their airport master plans were produced by consulting firms. Over three-quarters of responding airports indicated that they currently have zoning standards that meet local, state, and FAA Part 77 requirements. Almost three-quarters of airports coordinate their zoning efforts with local zoning ordinances and regulations and two-thirds reported that airport zones are described in local community land use planning documents to prevent non-compatible land use. Airport Budget, Revenue, and Marketing 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 airports responding to the survey use a variety of marketing techniques, including: web sites, airport events (e.g., fly-ins, etc.), and airport tours. However, only 35 percent of airports 10

ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports utilize a marketing plan and less than half of the airports are satisfied with the airport’s image within the community. Airport Training The preferred sources of airport training and management resources are the FAA and state aeronautics offices. A large majority of airports utilize on-the-job training as initial training for new airport employees. Recommended Practices 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. Highlights of the recommended practices submitted by airport managers include: • An airport that requires a large amount of mowing uses a bat-wing type mower that saves both time and money. • Another airport with a large of amount of land to be mowed allows a local farmer to mow the airport property and remove the hay. • 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 business’s revenue growth. • To generate revenue, one airport harvests an orange grove and a pine timber farm that are on the airport premises. • An airport in Massachusetts rents billboards on airport property adjacent to the highway to augment airport revenues. • 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 “airport success stories” 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. Some additional innovative practices recommended by the survey respondents include: • Utilizing college students in aviation management programs through either internships or cooperative programs. • Meeting with local civic organizations to share the airport manager’s vision for the airport and build support within the community for that vision. 11

ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports Coordinate budget and acquisition activities with local government departments to maximize the opportunities to acquire used equipment from the community. Industry Review Panel Feedback The research team received comments from 10 out of 38 industry review panel members. The response rate of 26 percent is below the research team’s expectation given that the industry review panel members were specifically identified by state aviation officials and contacted in advance of receiving the draft guidebook. The research team also followed up with members of the industry review panel during the comment period. There are several possible reasons for the lower than expected response rate. First and foremost, airport managers, especially those at smaller airports, tend to have multiple roles and are extremely busy. Although the research team stressed in the cover memorandum that it was perfectly acceptable to review only parts of the draft guidebook rather than the entire document, the sheer size of the guidebook may have deterred some of the review panel members from providing any comments. Also, it is possible that more members than those who submitted comments did review the draft guidebook but did not see a need for substantial changes to the document. However, the research team is very pleased with the quality of the comments that were received. Although all of the suggested changes will not be made for a variety of reasons, from the suggestions it was evident that those providing comments had thoroughly read the guidebook and put significant time and thought into their remarks. In general, the comments received from the industry review panel members were positive. All of the reviewers indicated that the guidebook will be of value to its intended audience. A number of the reviewers noted that although the guidebook seemed too long at first the length was necessary to adequately cover all of the topics. The comments and/or recommended changes fall into three broad categories: 1. Content – Comments that requested additional information or removal of information. 2. Clarification – Comments that identified portions of the text that were unclear to the reader. 3. Technical – Comments pertaining to document format, web links, spelling, etc. (Note: The guidebook will be edited a second time for spelling, grammar, etc., as well as hotlinks within the text, web links, etc.) The research team reviewed all of the comments received from the industry review panel. Those comments by industry review panel members suggesting substantial or material changes, additions, or deletions to the Guidebook were recorded in a table and adjudicated by the research team. The comments that the research team found to be either non-material or technical in nature are not included in the adjudication table. The adjudication of the industry review panel comments is included in Appendix H. 12