"Tampa, Fla., Airport Officials Miffed about 'Sidestep' Procedure"

Thursday, October 4, 2002

Tampa, Fla., Airport Officials Miffed about Pilots Switching Runways
The Tampa (FL) Tribune


TAMPA, Fla. -- The maneuver's called the "sidestep" -- pilots diverting
from one runway at Tampa International Airport to another just minutes
before landing. 

It isn't dangerous. And it saves cash-strapped airlines jet fuel and
helps them make up for time lost to bad weather or new security checks. 

But it does violate an airport policy, and it creates a lot of extra
noise for nearby neighborhoods. And TIA officials are miffed. 

Airport officials tracked 82 flights from January to August that
sidestepped landing from the south on Runway 36L, the 11,000-foot-long
runway west of the terminal preferred for most landings and takeoffs. 

Instead those pilots -- and possibly more who were not tracked -- sought
permission from the control tower and landed on Runway 36R, a
8,300-foot-long parallel runway east of the terminal. That's the landing
pattern that generates more noise complaints from nearby residents. 

"I am absolutely convinced they are switching to the east for the
convenience of taxiing [shorter distances to the terminal], ignoring the
residents of south Tampa and our agreements," said airport Director
Louis Miller. 

The airport found that 76 of the 82 flights, 93 percent, had destination
gates on Airside A or C on the east side of the airport. 

That meant that rather than taxiing to their terminals from the western
portion of the runway, these flights could save time and fuel by landing
on the east runway. 

"Clearly the sidestep maneuver is being used whenever the change is
convenient to the airline, or an equal proportion of the changes would
be from planes with terminals on the west side," said Ken Reed, noise
officer for the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. 

The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority prepared an illustration that
superimposed flight patterns of the aircraft making the changes. It
showed planes altered landing patterns and moved to the east when they
were about three to five miles from the airport. 

The airport's tower can authorize pilots to land under a visual
approach, which means pilots set their own standards for separation.
Under Instrument Flight Rules landings, pilots must maintain a 3-mile
separation. 

A check showed pilots routinely told air traffic controllers they needed
to change runways because they were too close to a plane in front of
them. 

That makes airport officials suspicious. 

"Unfortunately, pilots that realize they likely will be moved over to
the more convenient runway, rather than being given a spacing maneuver
in the approach, may be causing the separation problem intentionally,"
Reed said. 

Both Miller and Reed said the problem is not a safety issue. 

"I don't want to imply unsafe operations," Reed said. "If the tower sees
the planes are too close on their radar, the second pilot could abort
the landing and go around again to land."

But the sidestepping issue continues to take its toll with noise
complaints. 

In the 12 months ended July 31, the airport received 236 complaints from
50 people. The largest complaint category, by far, was for jet arrivals
on Runway 36R, Reed said. 

"Runway 36L takes planes over Tampa Bay, and fish never call to
complain,"Reed said. 

The runway problem also has surfaced on departures, with 11 requests
from June 13 to Aug. 4 to switch runways to depart south from the
airport on the shorter, eastern runway. 

No penalties or fines are levied for deviations from the airport's noise
reduction program, which airlines are asked to voluntarily follow. 

Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines are two of the carriers with
gates on the east side of the airport. Airport officials asked them to
get their pilots to curb the sidestepping. 

For residents who must deal with the noise, it's just more of the same. 

Caroline Yowell has lived in Mariner Estates south of the airport for 26
years.

One of the airport's two noise monitors are in her yard -- another two
will be added to her neighborhood this month -- and her home is one of
35 the government is trying to soundproof. 

"I am glad they are continuing to work on this."


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?conf=DCConfID8

*****************************************