Friday, December 29, 2000
Friday, December 29, 2000 |
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PTC Airport Authority working on master plan for future expansion
By JOHN
MUNFORD The Peachtree City Airport Authority is putting the finishing touches on updating the master plan for Falcon Field so it can accommodate local growth in the coming years. The top priority is finishing the third phase of Hanger Area B, which will provide three more sites for hangers at a total cost of $400,000, said Airport Manager Jim Savage. That project should be completed in 2001 to bring the total number of hangar sites there to six, he added. Next on the authority's wish list is a combination of projects which will enhance safety and add more room for the airport to grow in the near future. The good news is that federal funds should be available to hopefully pay for the majority of these projects along with matching funds from state and local sources, Savage said. The authority wants to pave a runway overrun area which will give jets more room during takeoff which is often needed during the summer months, Savage said. The estimated cost of that project is $4 million, but that could come down some if the authority purchases nearby land it wants for a future hangar area so dirt from that site can fill the sloped area where the overrun area will be located. Savage pointed out that although the overrun area will be added to the runway, it is not intended to expand the airport's capabilities to accept larger jets. "The runway overrun will provide a better safety margin for departing planes," Savage said. "Especially in the summer when jets eat up a lot of ground getting airborne." Another safety-oriented project the authority wants to complete is upgrading the existing lighting and signage at the facility. This would cost a more modest $220,000, Savage noted. The authority also wants to extend its transient ramp so it can expand its parking availability for corporate jets, Savage said. This project will cost an estimated $675,000, but more local companies (and their parent companies) are using Falcon Field to fly into and out of Peachtree City, Savage said. The airport also services parts of Coweta County, he added. A little further down the line, the authority wants to acquire more easements or property if necessary, to expand the airport's clear zone. That would allow pilots to use a precision approach to the runway, meaning they could fly at lower altitudes than currently available. The use of precision approach methods would allow planes to land at Falcon Field on some occasions when cloudcover would otherwise prevent such landings, Savage said. Pilots also prefer using precision landings and it enhances safety, he noted. If the authority has to use land acquisition for the entire precision landing project, it could take up to $3.3 million to purchase land at both ends of the runway, Savage said. Installing ground equipment for the project could add another $1.6 million, but the way technology is developing that equipment might not be needed, Savage said. Currently, using non-precision landing approaches, airplanes must level off to gradually lower altitudes as they near the runway. With precision landing approaches, pilots will essentially be able to take a straight path from the air to the ground without having to level off at the lower altitudes when it nears the runway. Another project the authority would like to complete in the next five years is the acquisition of property for the remainder of Hangar Area B, tabbed at $1.3 million, and adding a taxiway for Hangar Area B, estimated at $697,000. Since the airport's inception, close to $10 million in funding has been received through federal and state sources, Savage said. The airport's goal is to serve corporate aircraft for local businesses and industries while also relieving Hartsfield International Airport of some of its light plane and corporate aircraft traffic, Savage said. It also services recreational aviation participants also, he added. The airport is also touted as a recreation area with a playground nearby and a area where local families can picnic and watch the planes fly in and out, Savage noted.
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