CAA: GA News, "New equipment expected to boost Castle Airport use"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Tuesday, December 3, 2002 

New equipment expected to boost airport use
By Stacey Wiebe
The Merced (CA) Sun-Star


CASTLE - State-of-the-art aviation equipment has touched down for good
on the airfield at Castle Airport Aviation and Development Center, where
new landing devices will serve as a beacon for both pilots and
commercial development. 

A new $350,000 Instrument Landing System is just the right kind of
high-tech equipment needed to provide guidance to aircraft landing in
unfavorable weather. 

It is also the equipment needed to attract potential aviation
businesses, such as military, cargo transport and charter flight
operations. 

"This is a very important step and a very important piece of equipment
to have at Castle, especially with the fog," said Airport Manager Scott
Malta. 

"It's referred to as a precision approach, which allows them to land in
relatively poor conditions," he said. "We have had several different
users, mainly cargo types, that as a result of not having an ILS have
decided to go elsewhere." 

The equipment is composed of units that guide aircraft vertically and
horizontally onto the runway. 

Built by Alenia Marconi Systems, Inc. of Kansas, the ILS was installed
by Mer-Cal Electric, Inc. of Merced two months ahead of schedule and on
budget, Malta said. 

Installation, which began in March, was completed in September.
Certification of the equipment by the Federal Aviation Administration
was finished last week. 

The equipment is a fitting accompaniment to the airport's 11,800-foot
world-class runway. 

"This has been funded by the county as a facet of their interest in
Castle as a viable airport," Malta said. "That will enhance Castle's
viability and marketability." 

Merced County's investment in the system prevented the airport from
having to wait up to two years for grant funding from the FAA. 

The FAA decommissioned the airport's former ILS, called a GRN-27, in
1999, four years after the Air Force left Castle behind. 

Additionally, Malta said, obtaining an ILS through the FAA would have
cost between $1.5 million and $2 million. 

Instead, $350,000 was earmarked in the county's general fund to finance
the project, said Merced County Supervisor Joe Rivero. 

"That's general fund money that we're looking to get back from the FAA
on grants," Rivero said. "(Approving the funds) was a way of giving
permission to go forward with the project ... . If we want to expand the
airport facility, we have to have an ILS. It is an absolute must."

Attached Photo:

Wes Myers, pictured with Castle Airport Manager Scott Malta at left, is
president of Mer-Cal Electric Inc., the local contractor that installed
the Instrument Landing System.

castle.jpg