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66 Seaplane Base (SPB) Operators Survey Questions A. Seaport Identifier: ______________________________________________________ B. Your Name: ___________________________________________________________ C. Telephone Contact: _____________________________________________________ 1. When was your SPB established for public use? It was established in (year) _________________________________________________ 2. What organization has primary regulatory oversight of your SPB landing area? _______________________________________________________________________ 3. What other regulatory entities have an impact on your operation? _______________________________________________________________________ 4. What purposes does your SPB serve? (Check all that apply.)   Scheduled Air Taxi   Unscheduled Charter   Cargo   Mail   Recreational   Sightseeing/Tourism   Instruction/Training   Medevac   Wildlife, mineral exploration, research, or similar   Other (please describe: ___________________ ) 5. For what reason(s) was your SPB located where it is? _______________________________________________________________________ 6. Is your SPB designed as a separate facility or was it designed as a marina?   Separate   Marina   Designed as both 7. For what reasons do seaplane pilots choose to use your facility? _______________________________________________________________________ 8. What environmental issues affect your SPB? _______________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX A Survey Instrument
67 9. Has there been an economic impact study performed in your community or state that includes the SPB?   Yes   No 10. Has your SPB received financial or economic development assistance from external sources (federal aid pro- gram, grant, community, etc.) that helped in the development or continued operation of your seaplane facility?   Yes   No   Donât know 11. To make infrastructure improvements to your SPB facilities, where might you access funding (check all that apply)?   Internal funds   Bank loans   Local economic development grant or assistance   Bond financing   State assistance (please identify: ___________ )   Federal assistance (please identify: _________ )   Other (please describe: ___________________ ) 12. Is a hard and/or soft surface landing area colocated with your SPB that allows for either type of seaplane operation?   Yes   No 13. What facility improvements are needed at your SPB? _______________________________________________________________________ 14. What are the most expensive aspects of operating and maintaining your SPB? _______________________________________________________________________ 15. Is there currently an active seaplane business at the base?   Yes   No 16. What months of the year is your SPB open?   Full year   Only between the months of and 17. Is your SPB used in the winter for aircraft ski operation or other activity?   Yes   No
68 18. Do you have an official (FAA, state, local) SPB layout plan or SPB master plan?   Yes   No   Partial   Donât know 19. How do you determine or collect information about what facilities to provide or other user needs and desires for your SPB? _______________________________________________________________________ 20. What type of shoreline facilities and/or seaplane capability does your SPB offer (enter the number of each for any that apply)? Stationary dock Piers Mooring buoy Ramp Floating dock Slips Beach area Hangar No transition capabilities available 21. Which of the following are available at your SPB (check all that apply) and which would you like to have (check all that apply)? Available Like to have  Municipal or similar piped water   Well water   Municipal or similar piped sewer system   Septic system   Chemical toilet   Hazardous or biowaste disposal   Electricity   Telephoneâlandline   Cell phone capability   Wi-Fi or Internet access   Unicom   Air traffic control tower   Fuel (type: ___)   Major maintenance repair and alteration   Minor maintenance repair and alteration   Wash rack or similar cleaning opportunity   Lift, dolly, railway, or other transition or changeover services   Slips   Hangar or storage facility   Custom or TSA services   Other (describe: ___) Â
69 22. What is the general repair condition of your SPB physical facilities (ramps, docks, parking areas)?   Excellent   Very good   Good   Fair   Poor   Other (please describe: ___________________ ) 23. What activities do you conduct or what data do you collect to improve the acceptance of SPB operations within the community? (Examples: Activities could include attending public meetings, being a member of a local busi- ness organization, public or media outreach, promotional events, educational sessions, youth events, marketing, advertising, festivals, open houses, etc.). Please describe all activities: _______________________________________________________________________ 24. How is the number of the operations that is reported to the state or FAA annually counted or determined at your SPB? _______________________________________________________________________ 25. It is thought that not much information or data exist on SPBs, whether it be operational data, marketing infor- mation, financial information, pilot data, economic impact, etc. What kind of information or data currently are, or would be, beneficial to you in the operation of your SPB, or that youâd like to see available? Please list: A. Data or information currently collected or disseminated: _______________________ B. Data or information that would be beneficial to have: __________________________ 26. Who or what organization conducts any type of compliance and/or safety inspections at the SPB? _______________________________________________________________________ 27. Have there been any accidents/incidents at your seaplane base in the last 3 years involving aircraft operation, fueling, mooring, or general operation?   Yes   No 28. Were a seaplane accident or incident to occur, what capabilities do you or your community have available to (A) respond to injuries and (B) to recover the aircraft? A. _____________________________________________________________________ B. _____________________________________________________________________ 29. Has the local community or state established compatible land use, zoning, building restrictions, or other protec- tive measures for your SPB?   Yes   No 30. What safeguards, methods, or infrastructure are used at your SPB to protect the environment? _______________________________________________________________________ 31. What means or methods might you use to attract new or future users to your facility? _______________________________________________________________________
70 32. What threats, barriers, or pressures currently exist or are on the horizon for the continued operation or preser- vation of an SPB, public-use or private-use? _______________________________________________________________________ 33. What do you believe is the greatest impediment to the further development of SPB operations in general? Please describe: _______________________________________________________________________ 34. To fix any of the threats or barriers mentioned in Question 32, what would you suggest be changed, corrected, or promoted? _______________________________________________________________________ 35. On a scale of 1â5, with 1 being a major concern and 5 being of no concern at all, to what extent are EACH of the below an issue or concern for the future existence or development of your SPB? 1 â Major concern 2 â Some concern 3 â Neutral 4 â Little concern 5 â No concern Enter the number 1â5 for EACH of the following: Availability to pilots of current information about your SPB Availability of fuel (type: ___) Availability of Wi-Fi or Internet services Availability to pilots of an eating or lodging establishment Availability of local ground transportation for seaplane users Public signage or way to find your SPB Public sanitary facilities Water, sewer, or other public utility provisions Adequate docking area Adequate tie-down and/or hangar capability Availability of aircraft maintenance Spillage of fuel, oil, or similar Presence of obstacles in the approach or departure path Boat, recreational, or other waterway use or traffic Impact on fish and/or wildlife Invasive species control Environmental regulation Regulatory oversight Noise complaints from the community Cost of local taxes, fees, or permits Too-low or too-high water levels
71 Silt or dredging issues Available wind and weather information for pilots Unsafe seaplane pilot operation Deteriorating facilities such as ramps and docks Risk and liability exposure Cost of risk and liability insurance Availability of capital development funding Funding of daily operations Public acceptance or support for SPB operation Local law enforcement understanding of SPB operation Anything else? 36. What organizations or groups present a difficult challenge for your SPB? Who: ___________________________________________________________________ Their position: ___________________________________________________________ 37. How do you respond to the concerned groups mentioned in Question 37 to counteract the pressures noted? _______________________________________________________________________ 38. What safety-related challenges do SPB operators face? _______________________________________________________________________ 39. Do you have a knowledgeable SPB contact or source within the FAA, state, or other organizations that you are able to seek expertise, guidance, or information from on SPB operation, design, or funding?   No   Yes If yes, please identify the individual, group, or organization(s): 40. What seaplane, airport, trade, or community organizations are you a member of? Please list all: _______________________________________________________________________ 41. It is suggested that local law enforcement is not aware of the operating rules and requirements of seaplanes. What are ways to better inform them and policy makers about SPB operations? _______________________________________________________________________ 42. What research areas do you think would benefit future SPB operations? _______________________________________________________________________ 43. COMMENTS: Please enter any qualifying information or comments about your SPB operations for any of the questions above. _______________________________________________________________________
72 THANK YOU VERY MUCH for assisting other seaplane bases to learn and benefit from your SPB operation and experiences!!! Sincerely, Stephen M. Quilty, A.A.E. Stephen M. Quilty, A.A.E. 26757 Haverhill Drive 813-388-9132 SMQ Airport Services Lutz, FL 33559-8509 SMQAirportServices@gmail.com The mission of SMQ Airport Services is to support the airport management profession with training and education, safety audits, SMS and SRA facilitation, organizational development and assessment, and special research study.
