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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft, Volume 2: Guidebook. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14300.
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Page 1
Page 2
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft, Volume 2: Guidebook. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14300.
×
Page 2
Page 3
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft, Volume 2: Guidebook. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14300.
×
Page 3
Page 4
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft, Volume 2: Guidebook. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14300.
×
Page 4
Page 5
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft, Volume 2: Guidebook. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14300.
×
Page 5
Page 6
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft, Volume 2: Guidebook. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14300.
×
Page 6
Page 7
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Introduction." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft, Volume 2: Guidebook. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14300.
×
Page 7

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

1.1 Background The newest generation of general aviation (GA) aircraft ranges from piston aircraft with glass cockpits and/or made with composite materials to light jets. Within this range of new aircraft, Very Light Jets (VLJs) have generally garnered the most media attention. The advent of VLJs, generally defined as advanced technology jet airplanes weighing less than 10,000 pounds that seat three to six passengers, has been accompanied by very optimistic forecasts and interest in using these aircraft in business models that offer new transportation options to travelers. The new generation of GA aircraft generally refers to advanced technologies in three areas— avionics, airframes, and engines. Virtually all include advanced avionics highlighted by glass cock- pits with primary electronic instrument displays rather than mechanical gauges. VLJs are a subset of these aircraft that also make use of newly designed very small jet engines. Some incorporate con- ventional aluminum airframes, while others use carbon fiber and advanced composite materials. This guidebook brackets the VLJ segment by including guidance and information that will be relevant for new generation piston aircraft such as the Cirrus SR-22 and the Cessna/Columbia 400, turboprop models such as the Pilatus PC-12 NG and Eads Socata TBM 850, and light jets that weigh up to 12,500 pounds such as the Cessna CJ2+ and the Hawker Beechcraft Premier 1A. VLJs are noted for the ability to take off and land on runways of 2,500 feet to 3,500 feet, varying with the model. The short runway capability could expand opportunities for additional GA air- ports to accommodate small jet aircraft, but could also result in specific jet-related issues such as noise and jet fuel availability. This guidebook is designed to help airport operators in serving this new generation of GA aircraft. The overall guidebook is designed to be especially useful to airport operators having limited GA jet operations. The guidance addressing service amenities is designed to help those operators looking to expand existing business aviation opportunities. 1 C H A P T E R 1 Introduction Source: www.FlightGlobal.com Robert.Hancock@FlightGlobal.com Eclipse 500 VLJ cockpit Cirrus Vision VLJ composite airframe Source: www.wikipedia.com Williams FJ44 engine Source: www.sijet.com (Trey Thomas) Notes on Terminology Airport operator is used throughout this publication because this guidebook focuses primarily on assisting those responsible for the actual operation of airports. Operators may or may not be the same entities as airport sponsors and/or the actual owners, who may have actual decisionmaking authority when it comes to addressing issues related to airport improvements, investments, or other actions identified in this guidebook. New generation aircraft and new generation GA aircraft are used throughout this guidebook to refer to the small GA aircraft that are the main focus of the report.

2 Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft Personal 31.2% Business 11.1% Corporate 11.5% Instructional 13.7% Aerial Application 5.1% Aerial Observation 4.9% Aerial Other 1.3% External Load 0.5% Other Work 0.5% Sightseeing 0.6% Air Medical 0.4% Other 4.7% Air Taxi 11.2% Air Tours 1.8% Part 135 Air Medical 1.5% Source: FAA, 2007 General Aviation and Part 135 Activity (GA) Survey. Figure 1-1. Categories of GA flying. 1.2 General Aviation Overview Although specific airplanes are typically described as general aviation (GA) aircraft, general avi- ation actually refers to how an airplane is used and who operates it. In broad terms, there are three basic user categories—air carriers (as defined by the FAA), the military, and general aviation. GA essentially refers to all types of aviation not covered by air carriers or the military. General aviation operations in the United States are conducted under two basic sets of regulations: • Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 91—General Operating and Flight Rules • FAR Part 135—Operating Requirements: Commuter and On-Demand Operations FAR Part 91 are the regulations used to govern private (not-for-hire) operations, although some of the private operators voluntarily apply FAR Part 135 standards to increase the margin of safety. Fractional ownership operations are conducted under either a special subsection of FAR Part 91 (Subpart K) or FAR Part 135. Charter and air taxi operations are conducted under Part 135. Anyone involved in general aviation in the United States is aware of the many reasons that the industry has been successful. First and foremost, GA provides various benefits and advantages for its users. GA aircraft are used for many different purposes, as indicated in Figure 1-1. Although new generation aircraft can and certainly will be used in all of these categories, the pri- mary focus for most of the major VLJ aircraft programs—including the three that have reached certification status (i.e., Eclipse 500, Cessna Citation Mustang, and Embraer Phenom 100)—has been on business, corporate, and commercial air taxi use. Business use is distinguished from cor- porate use in that the latter refers to flying with a paid flight crew, whereas the former does not. Fractional ownership use therefore falls under the corporate category. But at least two development programs—the Cirrus Vision SF50 and Diamond D-Jet—are single-engine designs focused pri- marily on the personal flying market. Existing new generation piston and turboprop aircraft are

Introduction 3 already large components in personal use flying. Where appropriate, the guidebook will also address how personal use of new generation small aircraft may affect airports. The FAA refers to FAR Part 135 on-demand (i.e., non-scheduled) passenger oper- ations as air taxi, which traditionally describes air charter services where companies essentially rent exclusive use of an entire aircraft. But the development of new gener- ation aircraft has led to new business models that redefine air taxi to mean something less expensive (and less exclusive) than traditional charter; this will be discussed later. Business, corporate, and commercial air taxi make up about 34% of total GA fly- ing. Although the GA Survey referenced in Figure 1-1 provides only limited data on types of use by aircraft type, business, corporate, and commercial air taxi flying will represent a major share of the new generation of aircraft, particularly VLJs. All three of these categories reflect a business purpose for GA, and companies of all types make productive use of GA aircraft. The sources of the time-related benefits of GA versus other available modes of travel are clear when the components are broken down as shown in Figure 1-2. Surface travel, in particular, may be a viable alternative only up to about 200 to 300 miles for a typical business trip. Much beyond that, the time becomes excessive, typically requiring extra overnight stays, and the personal wear-and-tear associated with taking a very long- distance business trip via automobile easily outweighs any out-of-pocket cost savings. The commercial air mode is a viable alternative to GA over longer distances, but trends in commercial airline service over the past decade have diminished its viabil- ity for many business users. Industry consolidation, major changes in security procedures since 9/11, and more rational fleet and schedule planning centered on major hub airports have all con- tributed to both a real and perceived decline in the quality of service, especially for businesses (and their customers) not located within short driving distances of a major airport. Businesses Use GA to Save time versus the use of commercial air or surface transportation Provide efficient access to and from small communities Avoid congestion and security lines at large hub airports Reach multiple locations in a single day Avoid dead time in-transit Improve employee productivity Enhance security and convenience Increase comfort and ease of travel 1 1 1 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 Fly GA Fly Commercial (assumes nonstop flight available) Drive Hours 1 Drive Time to Interstate or Airport 2 Interstate Drive Time 3 Terminal Access/Wait Time 4 Flight Time 5 Terminal Egress Time 6 Drive Time to Final Dest Source: GRA, Inc. estimates. Figure 1-2. Typical 250-mile trip between outlying regional markets.

4 Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft Small US Commercial Service Airports (< 0.05% of Total Boardings) 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Dec 2000 Dec 2008 D ep ar tu re s (th o u sa n ds ) Small Airports - Prop Small Airports - RJ Small Airports - Std Jet Note: “Std Jet” refers to narrowbody or widebody jets that are larger than RJs. Sources: http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_ allcargo_stats/passenger/ and GRA, Inc. analysis of Official Airline Guide data, Dec 2000 and Dec 2008. 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 Dec 2000 Dec 2008 D e pa rtu re s (th ou sa nd s) Large Airports - Prop Large Airports - RJ Large Airports - Std Jet Note: “Std Jet” refers to narrowbody or widebody jets that are larger than RJs. Sources: http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/airports/planning_capacity/passenger _allcargo_stats/passenger/ and GRA, Inc. analysis of Official Airline Guide data, Dec 2000 and Dec 2008. Figure 1-3. Changes in scheduled service at small airports. Figure 1-4. Changes in scheduled service at large airports. The overall number of scheduled flights in the United States has declined by 17% since 2000. The pattern of service has also changed, with commercial carriers dramatically cutting flights to and from smaller airports. Among all airports identified by the FAA as commercial service facil- ities, service to the two smallest categories (about 400 airports designated as primary non-hub and non-primary) has declined by 38%. Nearly 130 of these airports actually had no scheduled service by December 2008. The decline in service to small airports has been part of the commer- cial airlines’ decisions to reduce or eliminate service by pistons or turboprops and replace that service with regional jet (RJ) service (small narrowbody jets with less than 90 seats). The shift to RJ service has been much more dramatic at larger airports. The shifts in service can be seen in Figures 1-3 and 1-4.

Of course business users must weigh the time-related benefits of GA against the costs. Traditionally, the actual out-of-pocket costs of traveling via GA versus other available alternatives have been significant. For private business or corporate flying, the decision often is determined internally based on the business’ requirements or the company’s flight department assessments and availability. For Part 135 commercial non-scheduled flying, the combina- tion of the decline in scheduled service to small airports along with the development of new generation small GA aircraft has been a primary impetus in the development of new business models that may provide less-expensive GA flying options than traditional charter operations. These business models have taken various forms. Recently several air taxi operators have attempted to institute some variation of air taxi on-demand or per-seat on-demand services. The most noted of these was DayJet, based in Delray Beach, FL. DayJet offered per-seat on-demand pricing in the southeastern United States for service on its fleet of Eclipse 500 VLJ aircraft. The company began operations in September 2007, but ceased all operations and filed for bankruptcy a year later. A more successful story is SATSair, which offers service through- out the Southeastern United States and operates a fleet of new generation Cirrus SR22 piston aircraft; they have operated as an air taxi on-demand service that charges a flat hourly rate with no repositioning or waiting fees. Other current air taxi operators include ImagineAir (based in Georgia, flying Cirrus SR-22s), LinearAir (based in Massachusetts, flying both Eclipse 500 VLJs and Cessna Grand Caravan turbo- props), and North American Jet Charter (based in Chicago, flying Eclipse 500 VLJs). Other planned startups include Miwok Airways and JetSuite, both based in southern California. Each of these com- panies use (or plan to use) different business strategies that prom- ise lower prices than can be offered by traditional charter, and all intend to rely on lower cost, more fuel-efficient new generation aircraft. Although the recent severe downturn in the economy signifi- cantly affected GA flying in general, and on-demand flying in par- ticular, it is still prudent for airport operators to begin thinking about how new generation GA aircraft and new air taxi business models may affect facilities. Existing facilities and the attractiveness of the surrounding community can greatly influence what may be required to accommodate and/or attract these aircraft. In the short term the effect of new air taxi business models may be limited; however, the underlying fundamentals have not changed significantly and, once the economy turns around, some of these on-demand ventures probably will expand and become successful. With that perspective, airport operators need to investigate what the specific types of new generation aircraft are and how they might be accommodated and/or attracted. Introduction 5 Different Forms of Non-Scheduled On-Demand Services under Part 135 Traditional Air Charter—Exclusive rental of an entire aircraft for a fixed hourly rate that covers the cost of the aircraft, including pilot salaries and fuel. Additional costs can include taxes, repositioning fees, and overnight/ waiting fees. Even if a return trip is not needed, a charge for the cost of repositioning the air- craft to its home (or other) location is likely. There may also be a daily minimum charge. Air Taxi On-Demand—Rental of an entire air- craft for a fixed hourly rate, but without charges for repositioning or overnight/waiting times; all costs are built into the hourly rate. If there is a return trip, it may be on a different aircraft (or even provided by a different company). This type of service may only be available between certain (specified) airports. Per-Seat On-Demand—Similar to buying a ticket for an individual seat from a commercial airline, but there is no fixed flight schedule. The price may depend on the number of other passengers actually on-board the flight, or it could be pre- determined based on the average number of passengers the operator expects. There may also be other pricing structure variations, such as offering a lower pre-determined price if the pas- senger is willing to travel any time within some pre-defined time window. This type of service would only make sense in markets that have a sufficient volume of traffic. Source: Adapted from Burton, Roger L. “Air Taxi-Air Charter—What’s the Difference in Pricing?” EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/? Air-Taxi-Air-Charter—-Whats-the-Difference-in- Pricing?&id=859210

1.3 Purpose For airports already accommodating a significant level of GA activity by business jets, the introduction of new generation models may not significantly affect the need for improved or upgraded facilities. For facilities in this category, actions are likely to focus more on the level of customer service. But for those airport opera- tors with limited or no actual experience in accommo- dating VLJs and other new generation GA aircraft, more basic issues must be addressed. ACRP Project 10-04, “Airports and the Newest Gene- ration of General Aviation Aircraft,” strives to address these and other related questions through the prepara- tion of 5- and 10-year activity forecasts and publication of this guidebook to help airport operators and com- munity leaders. This is a quickly evolving and ever- changing industry. These new generation aircraft will continue to evolve; some of the VLJs and other aircraft described in Chapter 2 are still in development. The long-term answer to how successful these aircraft will be will depend on many technological, eco- nomic, and business factors that will play out over many years. 1.4 Use of Guidebook This guidebook is a tool to • Enable airport operators and community leaders to better understand the aircraft fleet within the new generation of GA aircraft, • Summarize the ACRP forecast of the VLJ fleet and potential new operations, • Evaluate an airport’s attractiveness for VLJs and other new generation aircraft, and • Identify measures that may increase an airport operator’s ability to accommodate these aircraft. The rest of this guidebook consists of six chapters, a glossary, and an appendix. Each is described below: • Chapter 2 describes the aircraft considered during this study. Some of the aircraft are in pro- duction; many are still in development. There is also a discussion of how these new aircraft compare with other existing aircraft designs. • Chapter 3: provides guidance on questions to ask and where to get information when assessing the potential for new generation aircraft activity at an airport. This chapter also summarizes (1) the fleet forecasts prepared in ACRP 10-04 for new generation aircraft and (2) the opera- tional activity associated with projected growth in the commercial air taxi fleet, with potential new operations distributed to candidate airports. Chapter 3 is designed to help airport opera- tors to undertake their own analysis of market potential for their airports and make use of the ACRP forecast information. A Helpful References and Resources section is included at the end of Chapter 3 to identify additional resources an airport operator may wish to consult. • Chapter 4 discusses the Airport Evaluation Tool. This self-evaluation tool is intended to identify those airport facilities and services that are ready to serve new generation GA air- craft, and those areas in which additional investment may be needed to accommodate or better accommodate these aircraft. 6 Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft Key Questions Can my airport accommodate VLJs and other new generation aircraft? Can my airport provide services needed by air taxi operators? What is involved in obtaining an instru- ment approach procedure? What other airfield and landside factors do I need to consider? How can I encourage VLJ and other new generation aircraft activity at my airport? What can I realistically expect in terms of increased activity? What funding options are available to help develop my airport in order to attract VLJs?

• Chapter 5 provides extensive guidance on airport facilities and services needed to serve new gen- eration GA aircraft and users. This chapter focuses on five topics: airfield, instrument approach, ground access, ground handling services, and landside development. Although readers of this guidebook are encouraged to read all the contents, to increase efficiency of use, the results of the Airport Evaluation Tool in Chapter 4 are used to direct readers to appropriate sections of Chapter 5. A Helpful References and Resources section is included at the end of Chapter 5 to identify additional resources an airport operator may wish to consult. • Chapter 6 provides guidance to help airport operators with community outreach, including information on reaching the target audience, preparing the message, selecting media to use, and the timing of communications. A Helpful References and Resources section is included at the end of Chapter 6 to identify additional resources an airport operator may wish to consult. • Chapter 7 discusses funding options for facility improvements and service improvements. A Helpful References and Resources section is included at the end of Chapter 7 to identify addi- tional resources an airport operator may wish to consult. • The Glossary and List of Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms lists terms used in this doc- ument, many of which are unique to aviation. • Appendix A provides information on projected air taxi operations Introduction 7

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TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 17: Airports and the Newest Generation of General Aviation Aircraft, Volume 2: Guidebook is designed to help airport operators assess the practical requirements and innovative approaches that may be needed to accommodate these new aircraft. ACRP Report 17, Volume 1 explores a forecast of anticipated fleet activity associated with the newest generation of general aviation aircraft for 5- and 10-year outlooks.

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