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Airport sets rules to protect airspace
Source: The Pratt Tribune
Pratt, KS
October 23, 2008
by Gale Rose
The airspace around the Pratt Industrial Airport will soon be protected from structures that would interfere with airport airspace.
An Airspace Protection Ordinance will protect an area covering 20,000 feet around the perimeter of the entire airport and 50,000 feet for the approaches from both ends of the runway, said Reid Bell, airport manager.
Development of the ordinance was approved at the regular monthly meeting of the Airport Authority Board of Directors.
The ordinance would give the airport the authority to prevent the construction of any structure within the protected area that would interfere with airspace.
People or businesses that set up structures have to file a report with the Federal Aviation Administration to determine if that structure interferes with airspace around an airport. If that report reveals that the structure does interfere, the ordinance gives the airport the authority to stop the construction, Bell said.
Even though the construction report goes to the FAA, they have no jurisdiction to establish airspace protection areas. A state enabling statute gives airports the authority to write their own zoning laws, Bell said.
Pratt is one of 20 airports in the state with the best approaches. Without the ordinance in place, a structure in the airspace is a hazard to navigation and could have serious consequences with those approaches and airport operations. They would face FAA sanctions.
A structure that blocks airspace could force the airport to shorten the usable space on their runway, loose their new approach, loose their regional status, loose federal funding, possibly have to pay back construction funds and they could loose their all weather approach that is vital for air ambulance service.
Obstructions are a serious problem with serious consequences.
“It has closed airports,” Bell said.
Although structures have to be filed with the FAA, sometimes a structure gets through the cracks and is built so it is vital to have the ordinance in place, Bell said.
The ordinance is only to protect the airspace. The airport doesn’t want to prevent development in the county but it has to protect the airport for possible future growth at the airport and in the county.
It will take some time before the ordinance is set in place. The ordinance is being prepared now. An airspace zoning commission will have to be formed, the ordinance will have to go through a series of public hearings and the ordinance will have to be approved by the city commissioners. The airport authority will want the county commissioners to adopt a resolution supporting the ordinance because some of the land involved is in county jurisdiction.
It will probably take a couple of months to get the ordinance enacted, Bell said.
There hasn’t been a need to enact the ordinance before now but with possible development of wind generators in the county the airport had to act.
They have nothing against the development of wind generators and appreciate they will be another source of revenue in the county. But a wind generator in the airport airspace could be a major problem.
“All we’re interested in is protecting the airspace of the airport,” Bell said.
Termination of 121.5/243 MHz satellite alerting service as of Feb. 1, 2009 Recently National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) put out a notice informing the public that the International Cospas-SARSAT Program plans on terminating 121.5/243 MHz satellite alerting service on February 1, 2009. The intended effect of this action is to transition the public from 121.5/243 MHz emergency beacons to beacons operating at 406 MHz. 121.5/243 MHz satellite alerting is being terminated due to the high number of false alerts and the negative impact on 121.5/243 MHz emergency beacon users and search and rescue responders. If you have not seen the notice, please find it below for your reference. |
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We do not believe this to be of major concern to airports with the exception of having the new equipment to pick up the 406 MHz frequency when finding an ELT that may have unintentionally gone off on the field.