The final day of the Texas Aviation Conference concluded with an urban air mobility presentation, Aviation Division Section Director’s forum and a TxDOT/FAA AIP program and listening session.

Urban Air Mobility, NASA’s Grand Challenge and the Texas Vision

Michael Sanders, Executive Director, Lone Star UAS, and Center of Excellence and Innovation, spoke about NASA’s concept for a possible UAS Traffic Management (UTM) System that would safely manage diverse UAS Operations in the airspace above buildings and below crewed aircraft operations in suburban and urban areas.

“Currently, there is no established infrastructure to enable and safely manage the widespread use of low-altitude airspace and UAS operations, regardless of the type of UAS,” said Sanders. “A UTM system for low-altitude airspace may be needed, perhaps leveraging concepts from the system of roads, lanes, stop signs, rules and lights that govern vehicles on the ground today, whether the vehicles are driven by humans or are automated. NASA is researching prototype technologies for a UTM system that could develop airspace integration requirements for enabling safe, efficient low-altitude operations.”

Aviation Division Section Director’s Forum

New to this year’s conference was the Aviation Division Section Director’s forum. Kari Campbell, Director, Grant Management and Administration; Greg Miller, Director, Planning and Programming; and Eusebio Torres, Director, Engineering Project Management; provided an overview of their respective sections and introduced members of their staff. After their presentation, a brief question and answer session followed.

“This really could have been a much longer session,” said Campbell. “We had some great questions from our audience, and it was good to engage everyone – not only to provide information on topics such as the project planning process, but also take questions on specific sponsor concerns.”

TxDOT/FAA AIP Program and Listening Session

Gary Loftus, Program Manager, Regional Airports Compliance, FAA Southwest Region, presented on common regional airport compliance issues.

“Hangar use infractions are the number one highest reported,” said Loftus. “Sponsors may adopt more restrictive policies however, FAA will generally not call foul if items in hangar do not impede movement of aircraft into/out of hangar and if items in hangar do not impede access to aircraft stored in the hangar.”

Dave Fulton, Director, TxDOT, Aviation Division; Terry Biggio, Regional Administrator, FAA Southwest Region and Ben Guttery, Manager, Texas Airports Development Office, FAA Southwest Region; then led their traditional conference closing listening session.

“This is always a good way to wrap up the conference and address any questions or comments that were not covered in an earlier session,” noted Fulton.

The evening awards banquet, held on the second evening of the conference, provided a time for the Aviation Division to honor those individuals and airports who excelled in the past year. The winners from the Aviation Art Contest are also recognized for their outstanding art work.

Since 1989, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale has sponsored the International Aviation Art Contest to challenge young people to illustrate the importance of aviation through art. Demonstrating the impact of aeronautics through an interactive, fun medium such as art motivates youth of all ages to become more familiar with aeronautics, engineering and science. Children between the ages of 6 and 17 may participate.

This year was a special year for the Texas art contest. Quanjie Dai, placed 2nd in the national contest and placed 3rd in the international competition. Dai is a student at Calhoun High School in Port Lavaca. Congratulations Quanjie!

Also at the evening’s award ceremony, a video tribute to Wayne Collins was played. Collins died January 27 at his home in Mineola.

Texas Aviation Awards

RAMP Coordinator of the Year

The RAMP Coordinator of the Year Award is determined one of two ways – from a coordinator with many years of dedication or a coordinator who has had an outstanding year.

Javier Molinar, Odessa District, has worked with Texas airports in his district for a little over 10 years as a special crews department head and then recently as the official RAMP coordinator.

Despite having a heavy workload with 11 airports, Molinar has a reputation for always being responsive to requests from the airports in his district. On a recent crack seal project, he inspected and followed up with city and TxDOT planning staff on his recommendations. After he recommended adding the work to the district’s crack seal contract, he attended the preconstruction meeting and provided guidance and clarity for stakeholders. The project has resulted in the extended usability of the airfield pavement until funding to rehabilitate becomes available.

An airport sponsor describes Molinar as professional and prompt to respond to him when he calls regarding questions about the airport. He considers him a valuable asset to TxDOT because of his work ethic.

General Aviation Airport Manager of the Year

This year’s winner, Mike Geer from Aransas County Airport, immediately hit the ground running when he was hired at the airport.

Geer completed the Airport Master Plan making the airport grant eligible for many years to come. He developed a Customer Resource Management program, wherein raw data is collected from aviation based tourism, then formatted and communicated to local business owners in an effort to demonstrate the value of a high functioning airport within the community.

But nearly two years ago, an event happened that changed everything.

August 25, 2017, is a day that the local residents will never forget. It was the day Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall at peak intensity at this airport with winds of 130 mph becoming the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Wilma in 2005.

When Geer emerged from the terminal building, where he had stayed the night riding out the storm with his staff and a few family members, total devastation greeted them.
In all, nine hangars were destroyed, including four box hangars and five nests of T-hangars, for a total of more than 100,000 square feet of space. Extensive damage was done to the electrical infrastructure. An entire plane was lost that was later found mangled against a game fence on the other side of the airport.

Geer and his staff went straight to work, first clearing the primary runway of debris and then communicating with state and federal agencies that the airport was open to helicopter operations within 24 hours. They then got word to the same agencies that the airport was open and could sustain daytime fixed-wing operations within 72 hours. Currently, the airport is up and running at about 90% from an airport services standpoint and are back to normal on fuel delivery services.

Reliever Airport Manager of the Year

Simply put, this year’s reliever airport manager of the year winner, Aaron Barth, Assistant Airport System Director at City of Fort Worth, is a consummate professional.

Barth started his career at the airport in 2009 as airport manager and in this capacity, he has lead numerous efforts to strengthen the airport’s role in the Texas Airport System.

Barth has taken leadership roles throughout his tenure, from updating the airport’s minimum standards, to leading a multiagency taskforce, to coordinating the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems near airports. In addition to his daily duties at the airport, he is an active leader in the airport industry.

Barth and his staff are dedicated to making the airport a first class facility and are proactive when it comes to airport development. Each year, he conducts a comprehensive 5-Year Airport Capital Improvement Plan review. Over the course of the last two years, he has secured over $5 Million in grant awards to make necessary safety and design improvements to the airport. Furthermore, in 2018, the airport implemented a Pavement Management Program to further protect the investment in airfield pavement.

He is also extremely business savvy and has lead the airport to being financially self-sustainable for the first time in its history. He led an effort in 2017 to gain 100% federal funding for the Air Traffic Control Tower based on increased air traffic activity. He has also been efficient in the use of gas well revenue to balance the airports budget through revenue-producing ventures and has used public-private partnerships to help fund the construction of a fire station to service the airport and nearby city.

Most Improved Airport of the Year

The Angelina County Airport in Lufkin epitomizes true teamwork, as they utilized their available resources to completely revamp an airport that is popular for business aviation, training, and recreational flying.

Two years ago, using an airport improvement program grant, the airport began an ambitious project to improve their pavement surfaces. They removed and reinstalled portions of their taxiway and asphalt around their existing hangars. Then they performed crack sealing on all remaining taxiway and runway surfaces that were not replaced.

To finish off their new pavement, all taxiways and both runways were repainted. Making sure this work was built to last, extensive drainage improvements were made that included the installation of French drains around the taxiway and T-hangars, and the replacement of an inadequate drainage culvert on the entrance road with a box culvert to remove water from airport grounds

Visitors to the airport have taken notice of this airport’s impressive list of improvements, noting in their AirNav comments:
“The staff is friendly and helpful. There is reasonably priced fuel and good food at the Airport Cafe. The pilot lounge is comfortable and quiet. The bathrooms are clean and well kept. Couldn’t ask for more.”

General Aviation Airport of the Year

To say that Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport has consistently provided great service to tenants and the community while facing down several catastrophic events would be an understatement.
In 2016, historic flooding in central Texas made its way downstream to the airport. When the river finally crested, it was at record levels, causing flooding at the airport and the eventual temporary closure. The airport entry road was underwater for a week. To get to the airport to assess damage, Airport Manager Jeff Bilyeu relied on local officials to ferry him via airboat. Knowing the importance of keeping their tenants apprised of the airport’s current status, he posted continuous updates, along with photos and videos to their Facebook page.

In 2017, the arrival of Hurricane Harvey saw more flooding at the airport. To help prevent such future flooding, the Airport and County paid for realignment of drainage and construction of drainage ditches.

Many aviation businesses operate out of the airport, including Dow Chemical and Buc-ee’s, with both having based aircraft at the airport.

No airport does it alone, as our award winning airport certainly receives remarkable support from county officials. One of the officials noted “A thriving county airport is an important asset to the county. While some view it as a luxury for the big corporations and county elite, it can be a valuable resource to grow and support the local economy.”

Aviation Art Contest Winners

CATEGORY I (AGES 6–9)
1st Place: Diya Vermireddy, McCoy Elementary, Carrollton, TX
2nd Place: Akshaya Obilisetty, Hobby Center Dallas, McKinney, TX
3rd Place: Kashmira Kuloor, McCoy Elementary, Carrollton, TX
Honorable Mention: Tanishq Verma, Hobby Center Dallas, McKinney, TX

CATEGORY II (AGES 10–13)
1st Place: Maya Hopson, Danny Jones Middle School, Mansfield, TX
2nd Place: Sanjana Anand, Hobby Center Dallas, McKinney, TX
3rd Place: Chloe Ward, Danny Jones Middle School, Mansfield, TX

CATEGORY III (AGES 14–17)
1st Place: Quanjie Dai, Calhoun High School, Port Lavaca, TX
2nd Place: Kelly Xu, Calhoun High School, Port Lavaca, TX
3rd Place: Yiru Zhou, McKamy Middle School, Flower Mound, TX

Breakout Session I

The afternoon breakout sessions featured timely and relevant topics to general aviation professionals.

“We have a few sessions that we repeat every year, but most of them are new ideas that we get from conference evaluations or talking with industry professionals,” said Texas A&M Transportation Institute Research Scientist and co-conference planner Jeff Borowiec.

Airport Manager’s Roundtable

This was the eighth consecutive year the popular airport manager’s roundtable has appeared on the agenda. During this session, attendees have an open forum to ask questions and engage a panel of experienced managers. This year’s panel included Eric Pratt, Airport General Manager, Mesquite Metro Airport; James Brown, Airport Director, Conroe North Houston Regional Airport; and Camilla Viator, City Manager and Airport Manager, Madisonville Municipal Airport.

Brown emphasized the need to engage the community and county government officials with airport activities and planning. Brown’s airport has seen tremendous growth in the past few years, and he shared his experiences with managing large scale projects.

Viator is a new comer to airport management, and she related her experiences with “learning on the fly” in addition to her duties as Madisonville City Manager.
“Take full advantage of the resources available to you,” Viator said. “Whether it be TxDOT Aviation staff or consultants, don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek advice from others with experience. I’ve found that everyone is very happy and willing to help out.”

Promoting Your Airport in Your Community and Beyond

Sharlette Wright, Airport Manager, Cleburne Regional Airport, led a session on promoting general aviation airports, both for aviators and the general public. In her session, Wright spoke about what to do when budget is an issue.

“Take advantage of free social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,” said Wright. “I also speak at local community organizations such as Rotary, Lions Club and other leadership groups.”

Wright stressed hosting events at your airport that involves the community, such as hosting field trips, fly-ins and pancake breakfasts. She also suggested having a “camera at the ready” to capture unique events at the airport for posting on
social media.

Addressing Environmental Issues at Your Airport

Amy Foster, TxDOT, Aviation Division, suggested addressing environmental issues at your airport. The session’s goal was to answer pressing questions such as: What is the “environmental process,” and why do we have to do it? What are the most common environmental issues on general aviation airport projects in Texas? Which are most likely to affect a project’s budget and timeline, and what can we do about it?

“You should consider known environmental factors in early master planning efforts for proposed airport development projects,” said Foster. “It is important to identify obvious, specially-protected environmental resources, such as federally-listed endangered species, historic properties, wetlands, and parkland during the development’s conceptual phase when the greatest range of alternatives exists. Don’t be blindsided!”

Foster also gave examples of which projects and impacts tended to be the most complicated and what an airport sponsor could do to better prepare for such events.

Breakout Session II

Airport Planning Studies: Which One is Best for My Airport?

The TxDOT Aviation Division Planning and Programming Staff led this informative session to help airport sponsors understand the purposes and differences of each type of study to identify which approach is best suited for their airport.

During the presentation, it was noted the goals and outcomes that come from planning projects, which include:

• Provide a graphic representation of existing airport features, future airport development and anticipated land use;
• Establish a realistic schedule for implementation of the proposed development;
• Identify a realistic financial plan to support the development;
• Validate the plan technically and procedurally through investigation of concepts and alternatives on technical, economic and environmental grounds;
• Prepare and present a plan to the public that adequately addresses all relevant issues and satisfies local, state and federal regulations; and
• Establish a framework for a continuous planning process.

The staff also reported that airport planning studies range in size and function depending on the airport’s facilities and needs, and each plan should be tailored to fit the individual needs of the airport.

Airport Weather Forecasts

Sean Luchs, National Weather Service Houston/Galveston, and Andy McNeel, National Weather Service, Center Weather Service Unit Houston, addressed topics that include how airport forecasts are made, how National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) interacts with the Center Weather Service Unit at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, resources available to the aviation community and the anticipated evolution of services.

“These requirements are a part of the FAA NextGen initiative and integrate aviation forecasting with the rest of our forecast,” explained Luchs. “This increases consistency, and creates new ceiling and visibility grids for National Digital Forecast Initiative which can be used for General Aviation airports, en-route flight information, and other non-aviation purposes.”

Pavement Maintenance and Drainage Issues at Your Airport

Harry Lorton, Scoping Engineer, TxDOT, Aviation Division and Tom Freeman, Pavement Management Program Manager, Texas A&M Transportation Institute covered the important topic of managing and maintaining the pavements at our airports. This session included a discussion of the pavement inspection process at airports, as well as profile and deflection testing along with maintenance and repair recommendations.

“Maintenance is the most cost-effective way to extend pavement life,” said Lorton. “It also reduces the total cost of pavement preservation.”

Freeman explained the process behind rating pavements at airports and the major distresses.

“Edge cracking and encroachment, block cracking and weathering and raveling are all examples of the distresses I see,” said Freeman. “Encroachment from weeds and grasses along the edge of the pavement is a big problem. It causes cracking and reduces the pavement width. It may be fixed with mowing, herbicide or grading.”

RAMP Session

RAMP Program Manager Amy Slaughter presented an overview of the Routine Airport Maintenance Program (RAMP), which matches local government expenses up to $50,000 for airside and landside maintenance. In her presentation, Slaughter used a QR code survey to quiz participants on what is eligible for RAMP funding.

“Under RAMP, sponsors may partner with a local TxDOT district office to perform crack sealing, fog sealing and/or herbicide application,” said Slaughter while going over the quiz answers. “The sponsor submits an estimated matching share before work begins. The district charges material and labor to the RAMP grant.”

Slaughter also noted which items are not eligible for RAMP, such as courtesy cars or any maintenance to any vehicle or equipment; fuel filters, jet fuel or any other consumables like batteries or indoor replacement light bulbs; work performed before the grant is executed; and carpet cleaning, utility bills, security system monitoring or other operating costs.