Ray Brown, or Fredericksburg, Texas wrote with a few questions, followed by my answers:
Q1. How does an airpark protect it’s airspace? The traffic pattern from intrusions such as towers or power lines.
A1. There are a few ways an airpark can protect – or at least attempt to protect – its airspace. One way is an air avigation easement. Basically, this is an agreement between the airport and the neighboring property owners stating such things as height of protrusions, ie, antennas or buildings. If this is done prior to or during the construction stage it is usually easier to obtain for minimal effort or finances. It might be more difficult after the airport is open and operating, but certainly not impossible. Another way to achieve some level of protection is by public action from the public entity (city, county, port, state) that governs the zoning for the area.
Q2.
A2. A good source for maintenance equipment and ideas is available from Airport Improvement. Paul Bowers operates this website and he has been involved in airport maintenance publishing for years.
Q3. Do you ever visit HOA meeting and give insights into the various issues in running an airpark?
A3. I have visited HOA meetings or airport/airpark management groups to discuss specific projects or problems. Usually I require a fee of $250 per day plus expenses. With today’s internet technology, the same can probably be done using an internet hookup with a Skype connection that allows both visual and audio for both sides. no cost to either side unless we spend an inordinate amount of time on the situation.
3 replies on “Three questions from Texas reader”
A1 You will need to have your airpark become “public use” and spend some money to get one “stand alone” instrument approach procedure for your airpark to really have the best available protected airspace. Otherwise you will always have antennaes, water towers, buildings and other obstructions being built within your “protected” area. You cannot buy all the property or get an easement on all the property around the airpark to protect it unless you are Uncle Sam.
That is the problem with “private use” airports/airparks. Good luck.
Another possible way to protect the airspace near a Private Airport, is to request a Special Instrument Approach for that airport from the FAA. The requestors would have to pay for the approach and flight check, but the FAA would then monitor and protect the protected airspace for that approach.
Live & fly from private airport in Fl. Homeowners in process of deciding to pave a 4000 x 100 turf runway or leave it grass. Operations for the twins are “interesting” when the turf is wet (often here in Fl) as the surface stays soft creating ruts on TO & lndg. There is also the inability of some to get the nose wheel out of the grass on TO no matter what soft field technique the pilot tries (usually associated with T-tailed acft). There are 250 homes @ 90% build out & over 75 acft based on field.
Question: I’ve been searching numerous sites, to include the FAA, NTSB, AOPA, EAA, GOOGLE etc but so far have not found answers or data on the following:
1. Accident/ Incident data related to opns. on grass; along with comparative data for opns on pavement
2.Comparative data for maintenance of grass vs pavement ( current turf is hybrid bermuda & requires a lot of care); community considering concrete.
3. Comparative Real Estate data on preference for grass vs pavement as well as any differential in sales/value based on type of surface.
To some the issue has become quite emotional & facts would help defuse the issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Best Regards, Dave Yoder