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4.1 Introduction As described in Chapter 2, new generation aircraft range from single-engine pistons to light jets. Within this group, VLJs are most likely to represent a new market niche for airport operators. The physical characteristics and requirements of VLJs may have different implications for different air- ports. Depending on the existing operations at an airport, VLJs may constitute a new class of users for an airport or they may readily fit within the existing traffic at an airport. Moreover, in addi- tion to traditional GA flying, VLJs and other new generation GA aircraft (including turboprops and pistons) may be flown for air taxi on-demand operations. To help an airport in evaluating its existing capability to accommodate these new aircraft, this chapter presents three evaluation tools. The first tool, a quick comparison of existing aircraft to new generation aircraft, will help an airport operator assess whether current activity may be an indi- cator of the airportâs ability to accommodate VLJs and other new generation aircraft. To provide a more detailed evaluation, a second tool examining typical airport facilities is provided to identify the airportâs ability to accommodate new generation aircraft. This tool will help assess in more detail an airportâs readiness to accommodate new generation aircraft with its current airfield and services/amenities; it essentially assumes that new generation aircraft will be used in traditional GA flying for business, corporate, and personal purposes. The third tool will help identify an airportâs readiness to accommodate commercial operations such as air taxi or on-demand operations with new generation aircraft. 4.2 Quick Comparison with Existing GA Fleet As part of the research, roundtable discussions and interviews were held with industry rep- resentatives and participants. During these meetings, the response from airport operators and others when considering new generation aircraft ranged from âWhy should we careâour air- port already serves all GA from the Boeing Business Jet to Piper Cubsâ to âCan and will these aircraft use my airport?â Such responses represent concerns from accommodating additional aircraft at an already busy airport to the potential for new business. Given that many of the new generation aircraft have operating capabilities similar to the existing fleet, the aircraft cur- rently accommodated at an airport can serve as a quick guide to the types of new generation aircraft that might be accommodated by the airport. This is shown in Table 4-1, which is a sim- ple baseline for assessing an airportâs readiness to accommodate new generation aircraft; the rest of this guidebook contains tools that an airport operator can use to determine readiness in greater detail. 22 C H A P T E R 4 Airport Evaluation Tool
4.3 Airport Evaluation Tool and Readiness Level While the Quick Guide (Table 4-1) compares aircraft, the Airport Evaluation Tool considers what facilities are desirable to accommodate new generation aircraft. By identifying an airportâs level of readiness, the airport operator can readily determine what tools in Chapter 5 are most relevant to increase the level of readiness. The Airport Evaluation Tool identifies readiness levels based on five key physical facility and service elements relevant for new generation aircraft being used for traditional GA purposes. These elements are 1. Airfield Infrastructureâhow long is the runway, is it lighted, what taxiway system is present? 2. Instrument Approachâdoes the airport have an instrument approach or precision instru- ment approach to make it accessible in poor weather? 3. Ground Accessâhow do pilots and passenger travel between the airport and the community? 4. Ground Handling Servicesâdoes the airport provide core ground handling services such as fueling, line service, maintenance, and aircraft storage? 5. Landside Developmentâwhat aircraft parking, terminal facility, and other support buildings are on the airport? (Special considerations related to accommodating commercial air taxi use of new generation aircraft are discussed in Section 4.4.) The rest of section 4.3 helps an airport operator to perform a self-assessment of the five key elements to identify how ready an airport is to serve the new generation aircraft. This tool can help the airport operator understand what the airport has and what the airport may need in order to better serve these aircraft. To use the Airport Evaluation Tool in Figure 4-1, all boxes that apply to the airport in question should be checked. The New Generation GA Aircraft Readiness level is determined by the highest level that has all or most of the boxes checked. Where in the Airport Evaluation Tool an airport identifies opportunities for improvements depends in large part on the existing level of facilities and personal, corporate, and/or business operations at the airport. To better assess the facilities needed to accommodate new generation aircraft, airports have been divided into four levels: ⢠Level 1âReady to Serve Smaller New Generation AircraftâLevel 1 airports generally have facilities in place only to serve single-engine and some of the smaller turboprop new genera- tion aircraft. With limited ground handling service, these aircraft probably are being used for personal flights. Level 1 airports typically are not supporting regular use by business aircraft; therefore, a typical first step would be to focus on determining runway infrastructure needs Airport Evaluation Tool 23 New Generation GA Aircraft Current Largest Aircraft Accommodated at Airport Light Jet <12,500 pounds Very Light Jet <10,000 pounds Turboprop Single Engine Business Jets Yes Yes Yes Yes Turboprop Not likely Maybe Yes Yes Multi-engine piston Not likely Maybe Maybe Yes Single-engine piston No No Maybe Yes Table 4-1. Quick guide to airportâs ability to accommodate new generation GA aircraft.
24 Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft Is the airport ready? Readiness to serve new generation GA aircraft is identified by the highest level that has all or the most items checked. Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Runway <3,000â or turf 100LL Avgas only No instrument approach Ground transportation by prearranged rides only Hard surface runway 3,000â â 3,900â* Runway lights At least non- precision approach (500â â 1 mile minimums) At least partial parallel taxiway 100LL Avgas and JetA available, business hours Terminal building with restrooms, seating and phone ARFF less than 10 minutes response time Ground transportation by courtesy car or prearranged rides Free auto parking Hard surface runway 4,000â â 4,900â* Runway lights and other visual aids (PAPI, REIL, Approach lights) Instrument approach with vertical guidance (300â â ¾ mile minimums) 100LL Avgas and JetA available 24 hours by request Terminal building with restrooms, seating, phone, vending and flight planning ARFF less than 10 minutes response time Ground transportation by courtesy car, taxi or public transit Ample free auto parking Minor repair services available Hard surface runway 5,000â+* Runway lights and approach lights Precision Approach (200â â ½ mile minimum) 100LL Avgas and JetA available 24 hours by request Terminal building with restrooms, counter space, seating, phone, vending, pilots room, flight planning and conference room ARFF on field Ground transportation by courtesy car, rental car, taxi, or public transportation Ample free auto parking Major aircraft maintenance repairs and avionics services available Deicing provisions/ overnight hangar space *Longer runway lengths may be needed at higher altitudes and temperatures; see Chapter 5. Level 1 Figure 4-1. Airport evaluation tool. based on potential users identified through demographic and economic analysis, as discussed in Chapter 3. ⢠Level 2âReady to Serve Up to VLJsâLevel 2 airports generally have minimum physical facil- ities in place to accommodate new generation aircraft as large as VLJs and provide limited ser- vices and amenities. Level 2 airports may be accommodating occasional business aircraft. Operators of these airports probably will need to consider potential physical upgrades as well as services and amenities to attract operations by larger new generation aircraft. ⢠Level 3âReady to Serve All New Generation GA AircraftâLevel 3 airports generally have the physical facilities to accommodate all small aircraft (12,500 pounds maximum takeoff weight) and may have fairly sophisticated services and amenities. Level 3 airports probably are
already supporting business aircraft that range up to larger turboprops such as the King Air or small jets such as the Citation I. Operators of these airports may want to consider additional service/amenity improvements or enhancements to attract additional new generation aircraft for business and corporate purposes, particularly if there is a further desire to accommodate commercial operations (charter, on-demand air taxi, and per seat on-demand.) ⢠Level 4âAlready Serving Most GA AircraftâLevel 4 airports generally have all the physical attributes (or infrastructure) and services/amenities to accommodate most new generation aircraft. These airports probably are supporting a wide range of aircraft, including larger busi- ness jets with operations for personal, business, and corporate purposes. The challenges for Level 4 airports may be to have the capacity to serve additional aircraft and to ensure that the aircraft owners/operators receive first-class service. Operators of Level 4 airports may also need to consider the current capabilities and willingness to readily accommodate commercial operations by new generation aircraft and what improvements, if any, are needed. 4.4 Air Taxi Evaluation Tool and Readiness Level In addition to establishing the physical infrastructure and services/amenities needed to serve new generation aircraft in traditional GA operations, airport operators may be interested in the poten- tial for supporting commercial operations with these aircraft at their facilities. As described in Chapter 2, new generation aircraft are being used in and proposed for commercial operations such as charter, on-demand air taxi, and per-seat on-demand operations. From an airport operatorâs perspective, an important factor in handling commercial operations is recognizing that commer- cial passengers may be less familiar with general aviation in general and how GA airports function relative to larger commercial airports. The following Air Taxi Evaluation Tool examines additional key features of airport readiness for commercial air taxi operations, above and beyond basic airport readiness: ⢠Ground Accessâadditional public or private commercial ground transportation options; airport signage ⢠Ground Handling Services â Meet and Greet Servicesâpersonnel available to help passengers unfamiliar with the airport or community â Passenger Accommodationsâindoor waiting area, restrooms, short walk to aircraft â Crew Accommodationsâspace to meet passengers, prepare for flight, and wait between flights The rest of Section 4.4 guides an airport operator through a self-assessment of key elements to identify how ready an airport is to serve commercial operations by new generation aircraft. This tool can help the airport operator understand what is in place and what may be needed to support commercial operations. To use the Air Taxi Evaluation Tool in Figure 4-2, all boxes that apply to the airport in question should be checked. The Air Taxi Readiness level is determined by the high- est level that has all or most of the boxes checked. Where in the Air Taxi Evaluation Tool an airport identifies opportunities for improvements depends in large part on the existing level of facility infrastructure, personnel and air taxi opera- tions at the airport. To better assess the facilities needed to accommodate new air taxi operations, airports have been divided into four levels. ⢠Level 1âNot ReadyâLevel 1 airports generally do not have the personnel available to pro- vide the services required to accommodate regular commercial operations. ⢠Level 2âLimited Service for Occasional OperationsâLevel 2 airports generally have the basic services available to accommodate commercial operations, but probably would need to improve or enhance the services available to serve commercial operations regularly. Airport Evaluation Tool 25
26 Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft Is the airport air taxi ready? Readiness to serve commercial operations is identified by the highest level that has all or the most items checked. Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Airport not attended Airport attended Self fueling Passenger seating Restrooms Phone Transportation arrangements First aid kit FBO service Full service fueling Counter space Passenger and package check-in provisions Crew lounge with Internet ADA accessible restrooms Phone Courtesy car or taxi First aid station Apron close to terminal Conference room Hotel and food within 10 miles Automated weight balance calculation Overnight hangar space FBO with air taxi support services Full service fueling Counter space Dedicated space for check-in and equipment storage Automated weight and baggage check Passenger waiting lounge Crew lounge Flight planning / weather briefing ADA accessible restrooms Phone Rental car/hotel shuttle Courtesy car, taxi or public transit First aid station Covered apron access Secured lighted parking Conference room and business center Wireless Internet Catering ATM machine access TV/newspaper available Hotel and food within 2 miles; shuttle service Overnight hangar space Figure 4-2. Air taxi evaluation tool.
⢠Level 3âReady But May Need to ExpandâLevel 3 airports generally have the services avail- able to accommodate at least some commercial operations. If the level of commercial operations becomes significant, dedicated facilities or personnel may be needed. ⢠Level 4âReady to ServeâLevel 4 airports are generally ready to serve commercial operations and probably are serving frequent air taxi or charter operations. A bigger challenge at Level 4 airports may be having the physical space to accommodate additional operations. 4.5 Summary The Quick Review and Airport and Air Taxi Readiness Evaluation Tools have been designed to help airport operators understand their existing facilities. This information is used to help the air- port operator efficiently use the Airport Toolbox (Chapter 5) to identify areas for improvements and enhancements to better serve new generation GA aircraft. Airport Evaluation Tool 27