Looks like I'm the newest member of the Wickenburg airport commission

[scottcolbath]

And the fun begins............

http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2010/100928arizona.html?WT.mc_id=101001epilot&WT.mc_sect=adv

"AOPA is urging officials in Wickenburg, Ariz., not to establish a waste transfer station adjacent to the runway at the Wickenburg Municipal Airport. Locating the transfer station next to the airport's lone 6,100-foot runway would create a "significant hazard" because uncovered transfer stations such as the one proposed would attract birds to the vicinity.

Facilities that could draw birds, thereby presenting a collision hazard for aircraft, must be located at least 5,000 feet from an active runway serving piston aircraft, and at least 10,000 feet from an active runway on which turbine aircraft operate, according to FAA guidance, said Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of airport advocacy, in a Sept. 23 letter to Wickenburg Town Manager Gary Edwards. Dunn also explained in his letter that federal airport development funding accepted by the town as the airport's legal sponsor obligates it "to protect the airport from incompatible land uses adjacent to the airport." That makes compliance with the FAA guidelines mandatory.   

"AOPA is committed to ensuring the future viability and economic development of general aviation airports. Additionally, the association works diligently to ensure that these airports are maintained in a safe condition without the unnecessary creation of hazards to the safe operation of aircraft. Placing a waste facility this close to an active runway simply doesn't make sense," Dunn said this week, adding that the association has notified the FAA of AOPA's position on the Wickenburg waste station plan."

S.C.

[scottcolbath]

Well, it looks like the town plans on pushing this transfer station in, regardless of the impact. There was a meeting last night that I missed due to other commitments in which I was told the town tossed the airport under the bus, basically saying that they don't care if the airport loses funds as a result of violating the grant assurances they agreed to with the FAA.

Anyone got some suggestions on how I can help with this mess? I have a call into Bill Dunn at the AOPA, who is the person that sent the letter to the town (which is posted above).

Honestly, I just do not understand how some of the things I see in this town are allowed to happen. It's very frustrating.

S.C.

[Jay Beckman]

Contact the FSDO (Flight Standards District Office) which I think is at Scottsdale.  At least it used to be...

Write letters to the editor.

Contact the FAA in Oklahoma City.

[Dave S.]

... and keep raising the awareness flag to all that will listen.  Maybe someone can contact the Arizona Pilots Association and/or other local flying groups.  I'd bet they have some level of previous experience dealing with similar situations.

[jslugman]

If they locate the waste station against FAA mandated regulations does the accepted funding mentioned in the article disappear and/or require repayment of spent funds?

If someone outside the airport authority causes the FAA to put you on the naughty list does the offending party get to pick up the tab for dealing with funding issues? I mean, THEY caused the problem, right?

Let FAA know what the airport commission is doing to try and fight this decision, my guess is at some point they'll start playing their cards and they usually have a whole deck of aces.


My $0.02 and worth at least twice that.

[scottcolbath]

Thanks for the input guys. I left a voice mail today with Bill Dunn, a VP at the AOPA. He is the one who sent the original letter of concern to the town back in September when all this started to surface.

As far as funding goes, it seems that we would be breaking an agreement based on grant money already spent, so I would assume we would have to pay it back, but I'm not completely clear on that yet. And I would assume that future grants would dry up due to not following FAA guidelines on the building of the transfer station. I'm meeting some other members of the airport commission Sunday out at the airport for the coffee and donuts thing they do for pilots on Sundays to talk about the details a little more.

Something else I learned in the last few hours is that the public works head who would be in charge of building this, claims that it will meet FAA standards. The problem is that they think they can build this to those standards for about 235K. That's just not possible. So either the PW head is full of it (well most in town already feel he is for many reasons having nothing to do with the transfer station), or the plans could get the FAA stamp of approval and then not build the transfer station to spec. I understand that the FAA only approves such things, but does not inspect them in the build process, leaving that to the local government. If you saw what the town did when paving my road last year, it would all be clear to you that this place needs some vermin removed from their positions.

I also know that the PW head is very good friends with the construction company in town who will be awarded the project. Conflicts of interest apparently don't matter in this town.

S.C.