Posted Sep 26, 2013, 11:40 PM
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Registered San Diegan
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,055
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Interesting.
Quote:
Options to lengthen McClellan-Palomar Airport runway could have international benefits
By THOR KAMBAN BIBERMAN, The Daily Transcript
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
The Board of Supervisors received a report Wednesday that could one day lead to a nonstop flight from McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad to cities in China.
In September 2011, the county directed its staff -- in conjunction with Kimley Horn & Associates design and engineering firm -- to examine the possibility of lengthening the runway.
The issues with the airport are numerous. The single runway, at 4,897 feet long, is too short to accommodate transoceanic jets, and there is steep, 80-foot slope at its western end that can be a problem for aborted takeoffs and landings, depending on the wind direction.
Vince Hourigan, a consultant with Kimley Horn, presented options for lengthening the runway and discussed shoring up the ground underneath it. Much of the runway is constructed on multiple landfill sites.
One option that could have extended the runway by 1,200 feet was summarily rejected because of engineering difficulties, cost and other factors.
That leaves two major options. One is a modest proposal known as Alternative A, which would lengthen the runway by just 200 feet. Richard Sax, who has worked as a fixed-base operator and pilot at Palomar for the past 30 years, said it would be enough to exceed the psychological threshold of 5,000 feet.
"Pilots screen airports and if they don't have 5,000 feet, a lot of them don't land," Sax said. "The Global Express (business jet) can't reach its maximum range at Palomar."
The 200-foot option has the advantage of being the least expensive. It could be constructed for about $22.5 million, according to the Kimley Horn study. This plan has its drawbacks, however -- mainly that it would not make a major difference to the operational range of the aircraft that would use the airport.
However, if the runway could be extended by 900 feet (Alternative B), that paves the way for aircraft that could fly to Asia.
"Alternative B should enable an aircraft to fly the 5,100 nautical miles to China," Hourigan said.
Within the Alternative B proposal are two options for taxiways. A standard proposal just builds a new taxiway along the northern part of the airport. A more expensive option would include taxiways on the northern and the southern part of the airport.
Alternative B with one taxiway is projected to cost $50 million. That figure climbs to $70 million with both taxiways. Safety improvements increase this cost to about $95.5 million. If such a plan is financed over a decade or more, the cost could easily double.
The good news for Carlsbad is Palomar Airport is already an economic engine. The businesses at the airport and those they foster generate $321.4 million in annual revenue, 2,215 jobs and $81.3 annual income to workers, according to the Kimley Horn study.
With a 900-foot runway extension, Kimley Horn projects upon completion that about $163.2 million in additional revenue could be generated over a 20-year period.
San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond, a former Delta Air Lines captain, said that while he is intrigued by the possibilities, he has concerns about people living in an 1,100-space mobile home park within about two miles of the airport.
"The devil's in the details on this. You have to remember that the people were there first. You have to think about the surrounding areas," Desmond said.
Sax said that lengthening the runway means the aircraft will be higher and, therefore, less noisy than they are today.
"And the new aircraft are much quieter," Sax said.
Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall said he likes the plan and that along with the economic benefits, "it represents a chance to enhance safety at the airport."
Hourigan noted that other things must happen before any major plan could be realized. First is shoring up the former landfill beneath the runway.
The Kimley Horn document says a series of drilled concrete displacement columns could be put in to stabilize the eastern-end extension of the runway. The plan is to reduce the amount of settling by reconsolidating the landfill. A gravel-filled methane collection system also would be reconstructed. These improvements are projected to cost about $72 per square foot.
Given that no pilot wants to wreck an airplane after overshooting the runway, the Kimley Horn report proposes what has been referred to as an “engineered material arresting system.” Typically, these are rough surfaces made of broken-up concrete designed to stop an aircraft with minimal damage. Hourigan noted that such a system has been employed in Key West, Fla., for a number of years.
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