Spring 2010 Stead Airport Users Association Newsletter

Spring 2010 Stead Airport Users Association Newsletter

AREA HANGAR RENTAL RATES AND COMPARISONS

STEAD/RENO AIRPORT
4895 Texas Avenue, Reno, Nevada 89508
Mike Dikun, Airport Manager, 328-6573

NOTE: Reno/Tahoe Airport Authority issues 27 year leases.

CARSON CITY AIRPORT
2600 East College Parkway, Carson City, Nevada 89706
Neal Weaver, Airport Manager, 887-1234

NOTE: Carson City Airport Authority issues 50-year leases.

MINDEN AIRPORT
Minden, Nevada
Keith Kallman, Manager, 775-782-9071

Note: The information on hangar rental rates and comparisons is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

VNY Tenants Declare an “Economic State of Emergency”

from the General Aviation News
January 12, 2010

Tenants at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in Southern California – the largest GA airport in the country – have requested relief from increasing rental rates and charges that have contributed to job losses at the airport and left many businesses struggling to survive.

An independent survey conducted by the Valley Industry and Commerce Association of 15 aviation companies at VNY indicates a net loss of 383 jobs since December, 2007, a 41.21% decrease. Since the survey reflects job losses mainly among VNY’s major tenants, the actual percentage of employees lost due to downsizing and relocation at small- and mid-size businesses is projected to be even more alarming, association officials said.

In a letter to Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey and Board of Airport Commission President Alan Rothenberg, the Van Nuys Airport Association asked to suspend negotiations of five-year rental rate adjustments pending an independent financial audit and contract management evaluation study.
Tenants say that while there is data to support a reduction in rental rates due to current economic conditions that have depressed land values and caused vacancies to climb, LAWA’s appraisals show an increase in fair market value. The airport authority has also taken steps to impose a mandatory airport deficit recovery payment at VNY, a rent adjustment requiring tenants to compensate for airport operating losses, tenants claim. The current budget projects a $2.3 million shortfall at VNY this fiscal year.

“Van Nuys Airport is on the verge of an economic state of emergency,” said VNAA member and Aerolease President and CEO Curt Castagna. “We are committed to partnering with LAWA to find solutions that will help save jobs, retain businesses and preserve the economic vitality of the region.”

The airport association’s letter asks for an immediate freeze on all VNY rental rate negotiations while the LAWA conducts an independent financial audit to determine the necessity of expenditures associated with operating and managing VNY, including the level of staffing and overhead costs. It also asks LAWA to consider turning over management of the airport to a private contractor. Castagna noted the Port of Los Angeles recently approved a relief package for its terminal operators that includes rent credits and reductions.
Ranked as one of the world’s busiest general aviation airports, VNY had 28,748 aircraft movements in September 2009 compared to 41,376 in September 2002, a year in which operations were still depressed by the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Fuel sales at VNY are down by 30% compared to a year ago, officials note.
For more information: LAWA.org.

The Potential for Problems With Stead (RTS) ILS

Contributed by Board Member Dan Ross

The Stead (RTS) ILS is now fully operational and has been for a month or so. Training approaches are becoming more numerous by the day. The focus of this article is not intended solely for instrument rated pilots or to explain how to properly fly the ILS approach. The purpose of this article is to identify potential hazards the RTS ILS presents to VFR operations for local pilots.
As a brief review, the Reno-Stead Airport has two crossing runways, an East/West runway and a North/South runway, to be more precise, runways 08/26 (7608 x 150) and 14/32 (9000 x 150). The ILS is located on runway 32 and has a localizer transmitter located on the approach end of runway 14 for horizontal guidance and a glide path transmitter, located on the approach end of runway 32, for vertical guidance. The intersection of the two runways is at the Southeastern quadrant of the airfield where the potential conflicts are created.
These conflicts may occur when the VFR traffic is using the East/West (08/26) runway as the primary and the IFR traffic is using the crossing North/South (14/32) runway for instrument approaches, practice or training. Again just for background information, the ILS traffic will always use runway 32 since there is no published Back Course for runway 14. The ILS traffic will always execute a missed approach at 6425’ (ILS)/6720′ (Localizer) or continue to land on runway 32 with one exception, the circling approach. Even though the ILS approach will be to runway 32, the circling approach permits the ILS traffic to break off the ILS approach at 6720’ (approximately 5.1 NM from approach end of runway 32) and commencing a VFR circling maneuver, left or right, to land on any runway.
The greatest potential for conflict occurs when VFR and IFR traffic are crossing the intersection of 08/26 and 14/32 at the same time. The worst case scenario is when VFR traffic using runway 08 and ILS traffic using runway 32 does not execute a missed approach but continues to descend to a landing or touch and go. The average VFR traffic would normally be crossing the runways intersection at approximately 300’ to 500’ AGL (5300’-5500’ MSL), maybe a little lower if for initial takeoff or a little higher if for a touch and go The ILS traffic, intending to land, would be descending visually out of the 6425’ (1380’ AGL) Decision Height approximately 2.7 NM from the end of runway 32. At a stabilized descent rate of approximately 600’ per minute with approximately 1.5 minutes to touchdown, the ILS traffic should be expected to cross the runways intersection at 480’ AGL/5525’ MSL, more or less.

As you can see, these crossing altitudes are much, much too close and any minor deviations in pilot technique or aircraft performance could result in disastrous consequences. At any rate, at that distance, even with no contact, a Near Miss Report would be required to be filed with the FAA.
With VFR traffic using runway 26, the potential for conflict is much less because the crossing altitude of IFR traffic intending to land would be as much as 100’ as it passes over the takeoff portion runway 26. Using taxiway B for a runway 26 departure would eliminate the conflict completely. The IFR Missed Approach Procedure altitude should not cause any potential conflicts with VFR traffic using either runways 08 or 26. The IFR traffic’s lowest intersection crossing altitude should be 580’ above pattern altitude, although it might present a problem for VFR aircraft in the aerobatic box, 7000’ to 9046’ MSL, if the IFR traffic is a high performance piston aircraft or jet.
Now that we can see the potential for bending metal or exchanging paint, what was done to mitigate the potential midair dangers at Stead? First, the Working Group that was formed when the FAA informed the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority that every known potential hazard associated with the new RTS ILS would be mitigated as much as possible. Vectoring and final approach altitudes were adjusted to minimize conflicts, Missed Approach Procedures were designed to avoid, as much as possible, conflicts with RTS VFR operations and arrivals/departures from Reno International, and switching from approach control frequencies to Stead CTAF 122.71 as far out as operationally feasible. When certifying the RTS ILS, the FAA flight test aircraft was given an additional task to evaluate what, if any, additional flight safety concerns required further study and flight testing. However, the third and most important responsibility falls where it should and where it has always fallen, on the pilots themselves. SEE and AVOID is still the primary safety responsibility for pilots conducting operations at uncontrolled airports.
What can we as VFR pilots do to mitigate the potential danger at Stead? Well, by reading this article, passing it along to other pilots to read and hangar talk sessions, we have already made an important safety first step: Awareness of the danger.
Second, as mentioned above, the air traffic controllers will do their part and switch the ILS traffic to Stead advisories as soon as possible, usually 5 to 7 NM or 3 to 4 minutes out from runway 32. The ILS traffic should announce their positions and intentions on Stead CTAF 122.71 immediately after being switched, and repeat several times while on approach. Stead pilots should monitor not only Stead CTAF prior to take off and while in the pattern but monitor approach for any inbound IFR aircraft that has not switched yet. We know the Stead CTAF but what approach frequency should we monitor? If you are thinking 126.3, you would be wrong more than half the time. Why, because the RTS ILS approach procedures start in the South half of the Reno Class C Airspace and that frequency is 119.2. Most of the time the controllers, due to frequency congestion and coordination concerns, do not switch to the North half frequency of 126.3. Additionally, both the Reno Tower and Reno Approach can run the RTS ILS approaches, although they both use the frequencies above.
Third, even thought the Working Group has done the best they could in designing the approach, the controllers and IFR aircraft are doing their part, the most
important part still falls on us, the pilots at Stead. Yes, we try to clear with our ears by monitoring the right frequency, but we must not forget to clear with our eyes. The Stead runways intersection of 08/26 and 14/32 can be compared with a busy railroad crossing, we must STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN before proceeding if we are to avoid catastrophic consequences.
What you can’t see can hurt you because the Big Sky Theory won’t always work at the intersection of 08/26 and 14/32.

With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine!

In Memorium

William Louis Hussman

1921-2010

A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 6, 2010 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1480 Douglas Ave, Gardnerville, Nevada for William Louis Hussman, 88, who died at his home in Minden on February 4, 2010. Born in Santa Cruz, California, on July 7, 1921, to Otto Louis and Mathilda Jepsen Hussman, he was the grandchild of early Carson Valley settlers. The family moved to Grants Pass, Oregon, then returned to Gardnerville in 1927 where Mr. Hussman spent the rest of his childhood, graduating from Douglas County High School in 1939.

He loved planes and flying from an early age and continued with-flying lessons while attending Sacramento State College and became a flight instructor. He instructed military pilots when the war broke out and then was hired by Pan American Airways in 1943, retiring in 1978 after 35 years. His career began aboard the early Pan Am Clipper flying boats based at Treasure Island and ended with a smooth landing in San Francisco as Captain aboard the Boeing 747. He was highly regarded as a pilot by the company and his fellow employees.

He met Betty Hussman,a stewardess for Pan Am, at the Moana Hotel on Waikiki during a layover in Honolulu in 1946. They were married in 1947. Mr. Hussman had many interests throughout. His life included tennis, gold panning, exploring the back roads of California and Nevada, operating an import business, building a house, working on his cars and exploring the destinations throughout the world wherever his flying took him.

During his lifetime he enjoyed flying his private plane and kept a hanger at the Minden airport and enjoyed gathering with other flying enthusiasts. A lifelong member of the Minden Trinity Lutheran Church, he served as treasurer and volunteered to perform needed repairs on the church grounds for many years.
Mr. Hussman is preceded in death by his parents, sister Margaret A. Hussman McMeekin, and daughter Mary Hussman. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Betty Hussman, son Mark Hussman of Gardnerville and nephew, Jeff McMeekin and family of Palo Alto, California.