CAA: GA News, "Pennsylvania airport's landing system in holding pattern"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Friday, March 8, 2002 
 
New airport landing system in holding pattern 
BY LINDA METZ 
THE WASHINGTON (PA) NEWS-OBSERVER


Washington County commissioners want to find out why no one knew that 20
acres of trees would have to be cleared before the county airport's
instrument landing system could be certified by the Federal Aviation
Administration. 

At their meeting Thursday, the commissioners tabled a contract
supplement order to pay $2,000 to L. Robert Kimball Engineers to
identify the trees that need to be cut in order to receive FAA
certification of the airport's ILS. The engineering company was
responsible for overseeing installation of the ILS. 

"It strikes me that somebody has made a mistake here," said Commissioner
J. Bracken Burns. "I believe we should look into it." 

Burns said he was not in favor of paying the engineering company more
money if identifying the need to cut down the trees was part of the
original contract. 

Last month, the FAA notified airport manager Ken Krupa that about 20
acres of trees must be cleared in order for the ILS to be certified. The
landing system enables pilots to use the airport in inclement weather. 

The trees are on property located 8,000 feet east of the airport owned
by Pennsylvania-American Water Co. The FAA has determined the trees are
obstructing the required clearance for planes to use the ILS. 

According to Krupa, the FAA discovered the obstruction through
geographical papers prior to making an ILS certification flight at the
airport. 

Burns contends that someone should have known that the trees would need
cutting prior to the FAA's notification. 

"This could be a significant cost and I wouldn't want the county to
absorb that cost" if there was negligence, he said. 

Krupa said it could cost $2,500 an acre to clear the trees. That's in
addition to $2,000 proposed payment to the engineers. 

Commissioner Diana L. Irey agreed with Burns, but said she didn't want
to hold up the project. 

Planning director Lisa Cessna denied a mistake was made, but said there
would be no harm in tabling the issue for further review. She explained
that an agreement must first be reached with the water company before
the trees can be removed, allowing time to investigate the situation. 

The ILS has been the longest ongoing project ever at the airport,
located in North Franklin and South Franklin townships. 

The airport began the ILS project in 1987. In following years, three of
the four components of the ILS were put in place, leaving only a glide
scope antenna to be installed. The antenna provides vertical guidance to
the runway, allowing pilots to use the airport when clouds are as low as
250 feet. 

The project hit several snags, including the FAA's initial refusal to
give the airport money for the glide slope antenna, which indicates the
angle a pilot should descend to the runway. The FAA considered the
collection of communications towers on nearby Mt. Wheeler a hazard to
aircraft and indicated it wouldn't lift the 880-foot landing minimum,
even if the airport had a full instrument landing system. 

The county repositioned the direction of the flight path and worked with
the FAA, which eventually changed the criteria for analyzing projects. 

In September, the glide scope antenna was installed, completing the ILS
system. At that time, Krupa expected the ILS to be certified and in
operation within a couple of months. He said the ILS will not be put
into operation for at least another six months. 

To date, the ILS has cost $1,174,000, split equally between state and
county aviation block grant funds.


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