The proclamation cites the Village’s significant interest in the future of the airport, its businesses, users, and on airport tenants including the Illinois Aviation Museum located on the airport.

The proclamation continues by noting the economic impact the airfield has on the local community including its total economic impact exceeding $13 million annually including more than 130 jobs.

Special thanks to AOPA Airport Support Network Volunteer Grant Prellwitz for his continued dedication to the airport and AOPA!  If you are in the Chicago area, stop by 1C5 and enjoy the rich aviation heritage at the airport and say hello to Grant!

I suppose one could argue that Horace Williams is actually publicly owned since it is owned by a public university, but for those who have encountered the politics and bureaucracy at large universities, you know that any assumption that this is where all the brains and objective reasoning reside is misguided at best. UNC has been determined to shut down Horace Williams for a long time and now with a legislative super-majority in Raleigh, they are going to get their way. It is all contained in this single line, buried in the state’s current budget legislation: “S402-36.14 Section 36.14. The Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina shall effectuate the closure of the Horace Williams Airport by August 1, 2013.” UNC plans to use the land to expand the size of the university campus, but that won’t begin for some time, so the urgency to close this airport is difficult to comprehend.

Somewhere along the way, The University of North Carolina lost sight of the value of this formerly very active general aviation airport to both UNC and to that region. UNC’s Doctors, who previously flew from KIGX to serve out-lying North Carolinians, now must travel to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) via a crowded interstate highway at peak times and then deal with potential departure and arrival delays at a busy air-carrier airport. AOPA stood with the Doctors a few years ago as they made their case during legislative hearings. The Doc’s made a compelling argument about the value of their time comparing flying out of nearby IGX vs. RDU. I’ll admit thinking to myself during those hearings that this was going to be an up-hill battle. It was apparent that the university refused to listen to its own people.

And so, very soon we will lose another privately owned/public use general aviation airport. AOPA worked hard to save Horace Williams but I find it difficult to accept, even if given our best.

But what about when something significant at your publicly-owned airport suddenly impacts you and your fellow users… in a big way?  Have you been engaged?  Are you up to speed?  Do you know the key decision makers and the information and drivers behind their proposals or actions?  If something is planned that you don’t support, can you influence a different course?  Too often, the answer for most aircraft owners, pilots and airport users is “no”.

Prior to joining AOPA, I was fortunate to have enjoyed an airport management career that spanned more than two decades at large and small airports owned by cities, counties and independent airport authorities (“airport sponsors”, in the industry parlance).  As a public official charged with effectively and efficiently managing a publicly owned asset, I always strived to operate the public’s airport in a transparent, informative, engaging and collaborative manner.  I can tell you firsthand that the vast majority of airport professionals endeavor to do the same, and take great pride in providing a safe, efficient and well-planned community airport asset.

Unfortunately that is not universally true, and some airport sponsors and the staff they employ don’t always take the effort to engage their constituents on issues, proposals and plans that affect them and the airport they use.  So what is an aircraft owner, pilot or airport tenant to do?

The answer is simple.  If you don’t have an airport users/tenants/pilots association, start one.  And do so even if you have the best airport manager you could wish for, and certainly before a significant issue affects you and your fellow aviators.  A well-organized, consistently engaged users association is well worth your investment in time and resources, and will provide many benefits:

• A voice.  The ability to weigh in proactively on key airport decisions with the organized voice of many is critically important.  Remember-  if you’re based at a public airport, you have a say in how it’s managed, operated and improved.
• Education.  Airports, like aircraft, are complex machines driven by a multitude of unique requirements, standards and FAA regulations often not familiar to pilots and airport tenants.  Knowledge is power, and being engaged is a great way to learn about the unique vagaries, constraints and opportunities at your airport, and how they affect you as an airport user.
• Collaboration.  Collaboration and cooperation between the airport sponsor and airport users is a powerful tool.  Trust me on this- it’s much easier for an airport to accomplish great things when users and the airport are working together.
• Weight.  A unified voice can provide airport users with significant influence when weighing in with airport sponsors and elected officials on airport issues.  While some airport managers are pilots, many are not, and a pilot perspective on airport issues is always valuable.
• Communication.  Creation of a proactive, defined and inclusive communication channel between the airport sponsor and airport users allows for effective dialogue on issues before  they become critical.
• Community Engagement.  The ability to proactively engage the surrounding community on pressures against the airport that arise from noise, overflights, emissions and other airport impacts.  Having a group of well-organized pilots weigh in at a public hearing on a new housing development right off a runway end can be far more impactful than one airport manager reciting FAA land use recommendations.
• Fun!  Lastly, a users association can be fun!  Many airport user/pilot/tenant associations have refined into social, pilot-centric communities as well.  Is there a more enjoyable way to discuss your airport’s future than in a hangar over a beer and burger?

So if your airport does not have a users/tenants/pilots association- I would strongly encourage you to connect with your fellow pilots and organize one.   There are many great examples out there, including the Reno-Stead (Nevada) Airport Association, and the Grand Junction (Colorado) Airport Users and Tenants Association.  And whether you have one or not, stay engaged at your airport.  Take the time to get to know your airport manager and elected officials.  Attend key public meetings, workshops and design charrettes that affect your airport’s future.  Help host an airport open house.  Get out and talk to the non-aviation groups in your community about the value of the airport and the importance of general aviation.

And above all, insist that elected officials, airport board members and airport staff at your airport are consistently transparent, engaged and communicative with you and your fellow users, pilots and tenants.  Remember-  it’s a public airport and it belongs to you.

Pre-Airplane
On March 13, 1913 three men in heavily loaded dog sleds departed from Fairbanks, intent on climbing Mt. McKinley.  After mushing down the Tanana River to Nenana, the party grew in size to six, and continued the 170 mile trip to the gold mining community at Kantishna.  They backhauled supplies pre-positioned the previous fall by riverboat, and advanced toward the Muldrow Glacier, on the north side of the mountain.  On April 9th the group arrived at what would be their base camp, just short of the glacier.  Unlike modern climbers, the party took several days to collect firewood (a source of fuel for heating and cooking) and to hunt caribou and sheep.  The game meat was cooked and mixed with butter, salt and pepper to make pemmican, shaped into “two-hundred baseball sized orbs” and allowed to freeze.  This locally manufactured food, along with rice and bread, would provide much of the energy needed by the four members of the team that would attempt the summit.

These details, and much more, are recounted in Tom Walker’s new book, The Seventymile Kid. The story is an excellent read, that kept me on the edge of my seat, even though I am not normally a fan of mountain climbing stories. Along the way, I became fascinated with the logistics and modes of travel used getting to, and retreating from the mountain.  From the descriptions in Walker’s book, and a little research on the side, I decided to try mapping the route with the help of Google Earth.  The journey started the fall before when Harry Karstens (the Seventymile Kid), hauled 4,500 pounds of supplies from Fairbanks by riverboat to as close as he could get, just before rivers froze up for the season.

I won’t spoil the story of the climb for you, but will say that none of the expedition members were seasoned mountain climbers, and they faced a number of predicaments that required every bit of pioneering skill, creativity and stamina they could muster. Following the climb, the team came off the mountain on June 9^th. By this time, snow had melted and the party walked about 60 miles to a boat that had been stashed the year before. They floated about 300 miles to Tanana, on the Yukon River, where “commercial” transportation (steam powered riverboats) was available.  It wasn’t until early July that Karstens made it back to his home in Fairbanks.

Map of the routes traveled by foot, snow shoe, boat and dog sled to accomplish the 1913 ascent of Mt. McKinley. Use link in text to access map directly.

Google Earth’s distance measuring tools revealed that the party had traveled about 966 by boat; almost 100 miles on foot (hiked, snow shoed or climbed); and over 400 miles by dogsled.  By these calculations, that added up to 1,468 miles traveled to conquer Mt. McKinley the first time!  And these are just the round-trip distances, with no allowances for the relaying of gear cached on the river, or the numerous shuttles during the climb itself. This map is online if you wish to examine the route in more detail.

Post Airplane

Visitors inspect the Base Camp at about the 7,000 foot level of the Kahiltna Glacier, where most modern climbers are transported by airplane to start their journey up Mt. McKinley (Denali).

Today, almost 1,200 climbers a year attempt to scale Mt. McKinley.  The lion’s share of these depart from the town of Talkeetna, on the south side of the mountain, in a wheel-ski equipped airplane. They make the sixty mile trip in about half an hour, arriving at “Base Camp” on the Kahiltna Glacier—already a third of the way up the mountain, elevation wise.  The climb is nominally a two week trip before being flown off the mountain.  A little different from the three month duration of the Karsten-Stuck Expedition, that started in Fairbanks a hundred years ago.  While many things have changed during that century, the airplane is perhaps most responsible for shortening that trip.

I mentioned that there were two events that year.  About the time Karstens was returning to Fairbanks, James and Lily Martin were in town, and between July 3^rd and 5^th made the first powered airplane flights in Alaska in a 60 horsepower Gage-Martin biplane.  As we approach the centennial of that occasion, events are scheduled to recognize that milestone in Alaskan aviation history.  Stay tuned for more on this historic milestone!

Post Script:

A modern view looking up the Muldrow Glacier, taken June 1st. The descendents of the 1913 expedition plan to ascend the glacier on the way to the peaks, shrouded in cloud on the left.

To commemorate this expedition, the University of Alaska Museum of the North has created an exhibit, Denali Legacy, 100 Years on the Mountain, that documents the climb, contains the journals of the four men who scaled the mountain, and numerous artifacts of this historic effort.  In addition, descendants of the climbing party plan to start a memorial climb on June 8^th, following the original route up the Muldrow Glacier, but taking advantage of the road into the park–and a Park Service bus–to put them with hiking distance of the glacier.  Fairbanks Daily News Miner columnist Dermot Cole provides an overview of the planned climb.

Presenting AOPA Award to Senator Fuller

On April 24, I had the privilege of presenting California State Senator Jean Fuller (R-18) an AOPA “Friend of Aviation Award” in her office at the Capitol. Senator Fuller and her husband Russ are pilots and own a Bonanza.
Senator Fuller has been a strong supporter of general aviation. In 2010 she was the Keynote Speaker at the Association of California Airports Fall Conference. She tells fascinating stories about when she and Russ were newlyweds and chose to buy a Cessna 172 instead of a second car.
Many of the readers will recall the potentially disastrous AB 48 legislation passed in 2009 with no notice to or input from the aviation community. AB 48 would have subjected all flight training professionals in California to regulation by the state’s Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. It is widely believed that the fees and processes specified in AB 48 would have put most California flight instructors out of business. In 2011, Senator Fuller, in collaboration with AOPA and NATA, authored SB 619. SB 619 provided a specific exemption from the AB 48 provisions for FAA certified flight instructors. The bill passed both houses of the legislature with overwhelming majorities and was signed by the Governor. It became effective January 1, 2012.
We heartily thank Senator Fuller and her staff for their continued support of general aviation.

Aviation Awareness Day Underway

Aviation organizations, especially the Association of California Airports (ACA) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), for years have discussed the possibility of holding an aviation day at the State Capitol. After the ACA Fall Conference in September, an informal organizing committee was formed to seriously plan for such an event.

After a number of meetings, details began to coalesce. And on April 24, 2013, the first annual California Aviation Awareness Day at the Capitol became a reality. This is the first time that a broad spectrum of aviation organizations have come together to host an event to inform California legislators, legislative staffs, and the general public about the importance of aviation to the welfare of the California economy and to raise the level of awareness of the benefits of aviation to all Californians.

The event began with a by-invitation reception on the evening of April 23 at a local restaurant. The reception was well attended by event organizers, sponsors, legislators, and legislative staff members.

The next day the main event was conducted on the north lawn of the Capitol in a large tent enclosing displays and educational materials. Approximately 20 aviation organizations participated and interacted with visitors. There were many interesting exhibits to attract attention.

The event kicked off with a welcome and remarks by Senator Jean Fuller, a strong supported of aviation. In the afternoon after the lawn event, many of the organizers visited their legislators’ offices, and small teams distributed educational materials to the offices of all 120 legislators.

We feel that the event was a complete success. It was estimated that the event had at least 500 visitors. It was covered on local television news.

The Association of California Airports was the official sponsor. I representated AOPA on the organizing committee and also served as the event spokesperson. Other collaborating organizations, in no particular order of mention, included: Alliance for Aviation Across America; California Airports Council; California Department of Transportation; California Pilots Association; National Business Aviation Association; Seaplane Pilots Association; Southwest Chapter American Association of Airport Executives; California State University Los Angeles AAAE Chapter; Sacramento City College Department of Aviation; McClellan Air Museum; Experimental Aircraft Association; Aeroplex/Aerolease Group; Reach Air Medical; Napa Valley Balloons; Northern California Business Aviation Association; Paramount Citrus; Mead and Hunt; Parsons Brinkerhoff; Tartaglia Engineering: Southern California Aviation Association; National Association of Flight Instructors; C&S Engineering; Truckee Tahoe Airport District; and others.

We have already begun planning for second annual California Aviation Day at the Capitol, tentatively scheduled for April 24, 2014.

I have a personal history of involvement in introducing youngsters to aviation and encouraging aviation careers. It is probably driven by my own career, one that I would not trade for anything. I have always loved my work.

I began working with young people some years ago while employed by a large flight training organization. We did college accredited pilot training in South Florida. I was also involved with training Civil Air Patrol cadets and later worked as a volunteer in Aviation Exploring, a Boy Scouts of America program. I am proud to say that there are a bunch of people in aviation today that I was able to mentor. I know that because so many stay in touch with me. That’s the best part.

As we struggle with a declining pilot population and concerns about pilot and AMT shortages in the years to come, I find plenty of reasons to be optimistic about youth interested in aviation careers. One of them comes from an event I attended this week in Kentucky – “WING DESIGN CHALLENGE” – sponsored by NASA/Kentucky, The University of Kentucky Dept. of Engineering and the Kentucky Institute for Aerospace Education (KIAE).

An estimated 250 high school students representing 25 aviation teams from more than 20 school districts in The Commonwealth participated. The KIAE supplies each team with a standard complete RC model fuselage and engine. The team designs and builds a wing; documents what they have done and why – then submits their paper for judging. At the event they are judged further on an oral interview and rigorous flight testing of their wing design. I sat through a number of interviews and observed the flight testing, done by AMA licensed pilots. I can personally attest that these youngsters are “into” this program. Among this many high school students you’d think there would be some “goof-offs”, but I saw none. These teams are serious, learning a lot and clearly having a lot of fun in the process.

Judges Doing The Oral Presentation

Group Photo (but many are in the background)

During the day I was able to talk with some of the participants about their career interests. One of the initial assignments when they begin KIAE aviation classes is to sign up for our AOPA “AV8RS”- Pilots of Tomorrow program. This special AOPA membership is FREE for teens between 13 and 18 and is loaded with benefits, all designed to feed and foster their interest in aviation.

Next week I am speaking to a group of high school students interested in aviation and I am actively initiating an outreach to members who share my interest in promoting aviation careers. As summer nears and schools are out for a few months there are even more opportunities to get kids out to the airport and in the air. I am gratified to know how many AOPA members are getting involved with teens and becoming mentors themselves.

Well, the arrival of spring marks that exciting time in the Northwest when the weather warms and aviation events begin to flourish.  One of my favorites aviation events is right in my own backyard next weekend- the Colorado Pilots Association’s Rocky Mountain Light Sport Expo at Front Range Airport (KFTG), Saturday and Sunday May 18th and 19th. Now, if you are thinking that the Rocky Mountain Light Sport Aviation Expo is only for light sport pilots, think again!

As event coordinator Ann Anderson notes, the Expo is for ALL pilots even if you don’t fly light sport and it is organized, planned and executed by the Colorado Pilot’s Association. The Aviation Expo will not only feature light sport aircraft, but also general aviation aircraft, vintage aircraft, radial engine aircraft and even law enforcement aircraft. Top that all off with seminars on the latest UAS (drone) technology, lots of great food, tons of activities and vendors, an iPad mini drawing and then ask yourself…why wouldn’t you want to be there?

The Expo is sponsoring a photography contest this year for all you shutterbugs. The details of the contest along with the entry form can be found on the event website at www.rmlsaexpo.com The contest is already receiving some great entries so this should be a fun addition to the Expo. The contest categories are 1) Light Sport Aircraft, 2) General Aviation Aircraft and, 3) Vintage Aircraft. Top prize in each category will be $100, so why not enter your pictures?

Saturday is also the National Armed Forces Appreciation Day which will be honored at the Expo. There will be WWII reenactments among other activities to honor and appreciate our military. Plus we plan to have some Warbirds from across the state on display.

And last but not least, here are the magic words you’ve all been waiting for…

Pancake Breakfast!!

So stop by and see me at the AOPA booth in the display hangar, and let’s talk some flying!

Home to over two hundred private and public use airports, airstrips, lakes and landing areas, the Mat Su experiences a wide range of aviation uses.  The airspace in the valley sees everything from private pilots heading to cabins or hunting and fishing areas, to commercial operators hauling visitors, groceries and supplies to remote lodges and mines. It is also used for military training flights at low-level by helicopters and C-17s, and student flight training from Anchorage and valley airports. Add to the list, those of us that fly through the Mat Su headed to more distant destinations.  One of the tools we use to share the airspace is reporting our location and listening for nearby aircraft, but on what frequency?

Rex Gray’s map showing overlapping CTAF frequencies.

During the “inventory” phase of this project, it became apparent there was a lack of agreement even among seasoned professionals on what radio frequency to use for situational awareness in different parts of this airspace.  Rex Gray, a valley resident who also serves as the President of the Alaska Airmen’s Association, took the time to sit down with the Anchorage Sectional and the Alaska Supplement and map out overlaps in CTAF coverage in the valley.  According to the AIM, a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency serves an area 10 miles around its assigned airport.  This map, coupled with other area frequency guidance in different publications highlighted the problem. Pilots who consciously used the CTAF for the airport they were headed to were often sharing airspace with aircraft on other frequencies enroute to adjacent landing areas.  A priority was identified within the working group to reduce this confusion, and promote the use of defined area frequencies, as has been done on a case by case basis in other parts of the state.

Developing a plan that would address the diversity of users is a challenge.  Over the past two months, using Google Earth as a tool, the group developed a number of scenarios to identify areas that might share a common frequency.  Subsequently, these were reduced to two scenarios which are still in need of refinement before focusing on a final course of action.

Scenario which assigns frequencies to different zones in the Mat Su Valley.

Area Frequency Scenario: This option would assign the frequency 122.9 to the zone west of the Susitna River, to the flanks of the Alaska Range. It also cuts across the lower valley, to accommodate traffic that departs Anchorage headed northwest.  A second zone, running along the Parks Highway toward Talkeetna under this scenario would use 122.8.  The zones around Palmer and Talkeetna, with part time Flight Service Stations, would use the FSS Advisory Frequency, 123.6.  These proposed zones would connect to other areas, such as the Cook Inlet Area Frequency to the west and the Knik Glacier advisory frequency, both of which use 122.7.  Northwest of Talkeetna, a Mountain Traffic Frequency of 123.65 has been in use for years to accommodate the aircraft hauling climbers and flightseeing visitors between Talkeetna and the Alaska Range.

Scenario that provides a discrete frequency above 2,000 ft to reduce congestion on 122.8.

Vertical Area Frequency Scenario:  In the second case, the zones to the west and around Palmer and Talkeetna (described above), would remain the same. The frequency 122.8 would still serve the area along the Parks Highway, but aircraft operating between 2,000 and 5,000 feet MSL would have the option to use a discrete frequency, we’ll call it 122.XX, to reduce the frequency congestion from the traffic flying in airport traffic patterns and at lower altitudes in the zone.

What happens after I leave a zone?  Several people have raised the question of what happens once you leave one of these zones. At that point, pilots would resort to the standard rules involving CTAF’s.  Chapter Four in the AIM addresses this topic. Section 4-1-9 defines the protocol for traffic advisory practices for airports without facilities:  Within 10 miles of the airport or landing area, monitor and communicate on the designated CTAF.  Section 4-1-11 indicates that an airport with no tower, FSS or Unicom should use the multi-com frequency 122.9.  Table 4-1-2 indicates that for air-to-air communication, the FCC has authorized the use of 122.75, which helps keep the chatter down on the other frequencies in congested airspace. Checking the Alaska Supplement Notices Section is a good idea, as a number of areas around the state have had special area frequencies assigned.

These scenarios are still taking shape. AOPA would like to hear your thoughts on these approaches to reducing the confusion on radio frequency usage in the Mat Su Valley. Please email your comments to: airtrafficservices@aopa.org.  If you attend the Alaska Airmen’s Great Alaskan Aviation Gathering this weekend in Anchorage, stop by the AOPA booth and look at these scenarios in more detail.  While this work continues, fly with your lights on, keep your eyes out of the cockpit and fly safe!