BEYOND RUNWAYS - Airport Magazine · PARKER MCCLELLAN, Orlando, Florida FRANK R. MILLER, Pensacola,...

www.aaae.org/magazine | February/March 2006

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78th Annual AAAE Conference and ExpositionApril 23 - 26, 2006 •San Diego, California

Keynote Speaker Highlights• TUESDAY, MAY 3, GENERAL SESSION

Robert FornaroPresident & COOAirTran Airways

• WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, AAAE AWARDS LUNCHEONMarion C. BlakeyAdministratorFederal Aviation Administration

Registration InformationAll conference registration materials are now available atwww.aaae.org/annual/2006. The deadline for early registration feesis Friday, March 17 and onsite registration fees will apply after Friday,April 7. For questions regarding registration policies, contact Kate Hood,AAAE, at [email protected].

Hotel InformationA block of rooms is being held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt SanDiego, One Market Place, San Diego, CA 92101, phone (619) 232-1234.All attendees will receive the AAAE conference rate of $239 single and$264 double occupancy (exclusive of applicable taxes). Reservationsmust be made by Friday, March 31 to guarantee availability, and attendees must identify themselves as part of the American Associationof Airport Executives group (AAAE Association). For more information onthe hotel, visit www.manchestergrand.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/.

General Conference InformationFor further details on registration, hotel, airline and transportation informa-tion (and more), visit www.aaae.org/annual/2006, call the AAAE MeetingsDepartment at (703) 824-0504 or e-mail [email protected].

Exhibit and Sponsorship Opportunities are Available!For exhibitor opportunities, contact Kelcey Mitchell, AAAE, [email protected]. For sponsorship opportunities, contactNatalie Fleet, AAAE, at [email protected].

www.aaae.org/annual2006

H O S T E D B Y

all is well

For more information, call 1-800-728-1187 or visit www.honeywell.com/homelandsecurity©2006 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved.

We’re quietly behind the scenes making airports more secure. Honeywell’s airport solutions can

help improve efficiencies among your people, resources and responses. We do this by giving you the

tools to obtain a real-time picture of your entire operation. Our technology converts raw data from

your systems into actionable information to help you improve staff activities, optimize operations and

launch a speedier, more effective response. While we have a complete suite of offerings, our products

are compatible with most existing systems—making upgrades quick and easy. From the perimeter to

the boarding gate, when travelers move securely through your facility, it says you’ve done your job well.

Put our sixty years of aviation experience to work for you.

E D I T O R I A L B O A R DBARBARA ANDERSON

HNTB AviationWILLIAM G. BARKHAUER

Morristown, New JerseyBRYAN ELLIOTT

Charlottesville, VirginiaBILL HOGAN

Reynolds, Smith, & HillsJAMES E. JOHNSON

Odessa, FloridaRANDY D. POPE

Burns & McDonnell

A A A E B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

C H A I RR. LOWELL PRATTE, Louisville, Kentucky

F I R S T V I C E C H A I RS. ELAINE ROBERTS, Columbus, Ohio

S E C O N D V I C E C H A I RKRYS T. BART, Reno, Nevada

S E C R E T A R Y / T R E A S U R E RJIM ELWOOD, Aspen, Colorado

F I R S T P A S T C H A I RWILLIAM G. BARKHAUER, Morristown, New Jersey

S E C O N D P A S T C H A I RBONNIE A. ALLIN, Tucson, Arizona

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R SSTEPHEN J. ADAMS, JR., Manchester, New Hampshire

LORI BECKMAN, Denver, ColoradoJAMES BENNETT, Washington, D.C.

RANDALL D. BERG, Salt Lake City, UtahBEN DECOSTA, Atlanta, Georgia

KEVIN DILLON, Manchester, New HampshireLINDA FRANKL, Columbus, Ohio

HAZEL M. JOHNS, Santa Barbara, CaliforniaPAULA JORDAN, DFW Airport, Texas

ALEX KASHANI, Washington, D.C.PARKER MCCLELLAN, Orlando, Florida

FRANK R. MILLER, Pensacola, FloridaROBERT O’BRIEN, Rockford, Illinois

ROBERT OLISLAGERS, Englewood, ColoradoJEANNE M. OLIVIER, New York, New York

ROBERT E. PORTER, Arlington, TexasGARY RICE, Santa Maria, California

ANGEL RIVERA, Pearland, Texas

C H A P T E R P R E S I D E N T SROD DINGER, Redding, California

TIMOTHY DOLL, Little Rock, ArkansasCHARLES GOODWIN, Columbus, Ohio

LISA PYLES, Addison, TexasTHOMAS RAFTER, Egg Harbor Twp, New Jersey

ALVIN STUART, Salt Lake City, Utah

P O L I C Y R E V I E W C O M M I T T E ETHELLA BOWENS, San Diego, California MARK BREWER, Warwick, Rhode Island

LARRY COX, Memphis, Tennessee ALFONSO DENSON, Birmingham, Alabama

TIMOTHY CAMPBELL, BWI Airport , MarylandKEVIN DOLLIOLE, San Antonio, Texas

KENT GEORGE, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaCHARLES ISDELL, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

THOMAS JARGIELLO, Fort Lauderdale, FloridaTHOMAS KINTON, East Boston, Massachusetts

DAVID KRIETOR, Phoenix, ArizonaLYNN KUSY, Mesa, Arizona

MARK REIS, Seattle, WashingtonLESTER ROBINSON, Detroit, Michigan

JAMES SMITH, Newport News, Virginia

P R E S I D E N TCHARLES M. BARCLAY, Alexandria, Virginia

M A G A Z I N E

Volume 18/ Number 1 | February/March 2006

f e a t u r e s

cover: snow removal Big Jobs, Little Tools | 38It takes more than giant plows to keep airports running when the snow falls.

securityBeyond Screeners: Airports and the SAFETY Act | 20The SAFETY Act’s liability protections go well beyond private screeners.

arffThe Right Stuff | 26For airport firefighters, what’s on their trucks is just as critical as the vehicles themselves.

access controlBehind TSA’s Biometrics Guidance | 45Industry’s input and experience helped shape TSA’s biometrics guidance document.

d e p a r t m e n t s

Inner Marker 8

Up Front 10

Corporate Outlook 18

Market Scan 20

First Person 36

General Aviation 52

Airport Spotlight 54

Airportech 56

Retail Spotlight 58

Project Chronicle 60

Billboard 62

Advertisers’ Index 64

Plane Sight 66

coming in airport magazine

Focus on San Diego (Annual Conference Issue/April 2006)Access control/biometrics update (June/July)Retail/concessions trends (August/September)

Cover Images: Jim Martin

Cover Design: Daryl Humphrey

22

32

40

It is my very satisfying duty to report that we arethe proud new owners of some hard-to-come-byhardware, courtesy of the 2005 Davey Awards

design competition and—most importantly—thework of AM Senior Graphic Designer Seung HeeLee. Seung captured Davey silver awards in the“Print and Collateral” category for her work on theNovember/December 2004 cover (below left),

July/August 2005 cover (above right—a design shecreated from photos she took) and the entire 2005media kit.

Anyone who works with Seung will tell you hata shiny trophy isn’t necessary to convey the levelof creativity and value she brings to the magazineand AAAE. But it’s nice to know that others see herthe same way we do. Congratulations, Seung—and,as always, thank you for your efforts.

While we’re on the accolade train, a tip of the hatis in order for the longest continuously serving staffmember of AAAE. Not even Chip Barclay has beenserving AAAE members for more consecutive yearsthan one Spencer Dickerson, who in Januarymarked his 25-year anniversary as an AAAE staffer.

Spencer’s accomplishments at AAAE and for itsmembers are well-known. He’s the driving forcebehind myriad successful efforts, including the

Contract Tower Association and last year’s hurri-cane response clearinghouse effort.

And of course, under Spencer’s direction, theassociation’s collection of meetings and confer-ences has become one of the airport industry’s mostvaluable training and information exchange tools.It was fitting, then, that the AAAE staff paid hom-age to Spencer’s leadership and dedication in themost appropriate of settings: it wasn’t at a party ora fancy dinner, but during a meeting.

AAAE’s new Web-based video training system,DigicastOnline, went live in mid-January. At therisk of sounding like a weathered horse trader talk-ing up one of my stable’s own, this service is wortha look for anyone that works at an airport.

For those of you that may not know,DigicastOnline takes all of the AAAE-producedvideo programming—training videos, issue-orient-ed programming like the stellar “Airports A to Z”series and the weekly “Aviation News Today”show—and streams it via the Internet. Subscriberscan log in from any Web connection and pick frommyriad programs dating back to 2001. New pro-gramming is added every week.

I’m a huge proponent of using technology tomake life better—work life and home life. I’m alsoa big fan of using new technology to deliver morerelevant content to more people. (Along those lines,watch this space for news on development regard-ing AM’s online presence.) To me, DigicastOnlinedoes this—it enables dedicated airport employeesto work needed training into their working lives ina way that’s convenient for them.

Jump on over to www.ANTNDigicast.com andsee for yourself.

Sean [email protected]

iminner marker

Accolades Aplenty

Airport Magazine | February/March 20068

E D I T O RSEAN BRODERICK

[email protected]

P U B L I S H E RJOAN LOWDEN

E X E C U T I V E E D I T O RELLEN P. HORTON

D E P U T Y E D I T O RBARBARA COOK

N E W S E D I T O RHOLLY ACKERMAN

A S S I S T A N T / S P O T L I G H T S E D I T O RBETSY WOODS

A R T D I R E C T I O NDARYL HUMPHREY

S E N I O R G R A P H I C D E S I G N E RSEUNG HEE LEE

C O N T R I B U T O R STOM BREEN

JOHN CROFTBRIAN FINCH

REBECCA MORRISONALEX SMITH

Jim WallaceS T A F F C O N T R I B U T I N GE D I T O R

ERYN TRAVISDirector of Communications, Federal Affairs

S T A F F P H O T O G R A P H E RJAMES MARTIN

S T A F F V I C E P R E S I D E N TS A L E S A N D M A R K E T I N G

SUSAN [email protected]

D I R E C T O RS A L E S A N D M A R K E T I N G

GREG [email protected]

E D I T O R I A L O F F I C E 601 Madison Street, Suite 400

Alexandria, VA 22314(703) 824-0500, Ext. 126

Fax: (703) 820-1395Internet Address: www.aaae.org/magazine

Send editorial materials/press releases to: [email protected]

R E P R I N T I N F O R M A T I O NCAROL ROE

[email protected](717) 481-8500

Airport Magazine is published bimonthly by the AAAE Service Corporation Inc.,

a wholly owned subsidiary of the AmericanAssociation of Airport Executives, and the

Airport Research and Development Foundation.

Subscription price for AAAE members is includedin the annual dues. U.S. subscription rate to

non-members is $45 for one year. International ratefor non-members is $75. Single copy price is $10.

Copyright 2005 by AAAE. All rights reserved.

Statements of fact and opinion are theresponsibility of the authors and do not

necessarily reflect the views of AAAEor any of its members or officers.

POSTMASTERSend address changes to:

Airport Magazine601 Madison Street, Suite 400

Alexandria, VA 22314

M A G A Z I N E

Airport Magazine | February/March 2006 9

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Registered TravelerAdvances

TSA on January 20 met its firstdeadline in the agency’s plan to cre-ate a national Registered Traveler(RT) program by June 2006,announcing new details on how theprogram will operate.

TSA Administrator Kip Hawleyissued the following statement, say-ing: “We are receptive to innovativeprivate sector ideas to develop amarket-based nationwide programthat enhances security and offers amore appealing travel experience toprogram participants.”

Days later, the agency posed sever-al specific questions to the industryas part of its related Request forInformation (RFI) on the RT program.

Based on submissions it hadreceived already in the RFI, TSAasked for specific feedback on: whatthe private sector can do to demon-strate improved security in the pro-gram (such as using commercial dataor other means to evaluate RT appli-cants), ways to evaluate and utilizenew security technologies and waysto identify and implement additionalenhancements that could be incorpo-rated into the program.

AAAE, on behalf of the RegisteredTraveler Interoperability Consortium(RTIC) and its Service ProviderCouncil, submitted detailed responsesto the RFI and said comments wouldbe developed to address TSA’s supple-mental request for information.

The RTIC and its Service ProviderCouncil consist of more than 60 air-ports and 30 service providers thatare working to define and establishthe mutual and common businesspractices and technical standardsthat will complement federal stan-dards and help implement a nation-al RT program.

Highlights of TSA’s RT plan, issuedJanuary 20, include:

• RT programs will be market-driv-en and offered by the private sector,with prices established by privatesector providers.

• Participation in an RT program willbe entirely voluntary.

• RT service providers will collect 10fingerprint images from each partici-pant. This biometric information willbe used to verify participant identityat RT security screening checkpoints.

• The RT program will use smart cardtechnology to store the biometric data.

• All RT data will be handled in com-pliance with the Federal Privacy Act.

• TSA will mandate a core RT securi-ty assessment for each applicant to anRT program.

• RT service providers may under-take more in-depth security back-ground checks of applicants usingpublicly available commercial data.

• If a more thorough background checkis performed, TSA will offer a varietyof enhanced participant benefits atpassenger screening checkpoints.

• Registered travelers still will berequired to go through the securityscreening checkpoint and will be sub-ject to additional searches if they setoff an alarm or are chosen randomly.

• Applicants who are denied partici-pation in the RT program or whohave had their eligibility revoked willhave the opportunity to seek redress.

• If RT service providers are willingto make investments in approvedscreening equipment, fund addi-tional screeners and/or obtain spacefor separate RT screening, then TSAis prepared to authorize the use ofdedicated screening lanes or alter-

native screening locations for RT participants.

“The agreement between airportsand industry on fundamental RTstandards is critical to the long-termsuccess of the Registered Travelerprogram,” said AAAE PresidentCharles Barclay. “Undoubtedly, thebest path forward is one in which fed-eral resources and standards are com-bined with the knowledge, expertiseand creativity of airports, technologyand aviation companies.”

AAAE’s comments to TSA reflectedagreement by the RTIC and itsService Provider Council on thefinancial standards, technical inter-operability and common businessprocesses for the RT program.

Included in the AAAE filing are thefollowing recommendations:

Financial standards: The RTICproposes a dual-fee business modelsupporting: (1) enrollment andenablement/activation of an RT par-ticipant into the system, and (2) ver-ification fee recovery based on RTparticipant usage.

This model offers a straightfor-ward approach to enabling the max-imum flexibility and competitionfor solutions for both enrollmentand verification service providers. Itcreates the most effective market forcost-effective and innovative solu-tions and enables the broadestaccess to participant markets, there-by maximizing potential participa-tion. The proposed business modelalso minimizes the underlying costof infrastructure and interoperabili-ty through the provision of a single,regulated, high-volume commonservices component, known as theRTMS. Finally, it provides for acompetitive business environmentto encourage financially viable veri-fication solutions in airport markets.

Technical operability: Technicaloperability is the key to deploying anational interconnected RT programacross multiple airports, airlinesand a large, diverse traveler popula-tion. The RTIC makes specific tech-nical recommendations on systemmessaging, ensuring a chain of trust,optimizing the use of biometrics,leveraging appropriate token tech-nologies, ensuring system security,protecting privacy and ensuringcross-provider interoperability

Common business processes:Airports plan to contract with RTservice providers through competi-tive selection processes at each indi-vidual airport. Airports may choosefully functional service providersthat provide a complete solutionwith all the functionality associatedwith a RT service provider, includ-ing enrollment, issuance and verifi-cation. However, airports maychoose separate service providersfor each essential function. Airportswill have the discretion to select themodel most appropriate for theirparticular operation.

More information on the RTIC isavailable at www.rtconsortium.com/.

Inline’s Future Being Studied

An industry group led by TSA hasembarked on an ambitious study thatplans to tackle the most vexing prob-lem with the drive to get much-need-ed inline checked baggage systems inairports: how to pay for them.

The study, mandated by Congressin the Intelligence Reform andTerrorism Prevention Act of 2004, hastwo key parts. One lays out a strategicplan for deploying inline explosive

detection systems (EDS) at the largest250 airports in the U.S. A final draftof the framework part of the studywas sent to TSA in late fall; at AMpress time, approval and delivery toCongress was expected any day.Details of the plan haven’t been madepublic, but all indications are that theplan factored in both emerging tech-nology and partially automated sys-tems—sometimes called “inlinelite”—as keys to getting more and bet-ter inline systems installed.

The study’s contents are “anacknowledgement by TSA that thereis more than one way to go withinline,” TSA Chief TechnologyOfficer Randy Null told AAAESecurity Summit attendeesDecember 12. “Emerging newscreening technologies combinedwith improved inline designs willsignificantly improve the economiccase for automation investments,” hesaid, adding that “partial automationis acceptable.”

The other, and potentially moreinteresting, part of the study will lookat innovative ways to fund the sys-tems. A coalition of representativesfrom around the industry—includingairport and airline representatives—will be asked to provide data that willhelp the study’s leaders shape someassumptions. From there, said McBeeStrategic Consulting’s Gina MarieLindsey, stakeholders will attempt tohammer out some ways to get inlinesystems funded that don’t rely on thegovernment’s financial spigot.

“The study will bring together forthe first time airlines, airports andTSA to think creatively about how weare going to get over this hurdle,” saidLindsey, whose firm is one of thestudy’s leaders, along with consultan-cy Leigh Fisher. “We have a solution,but we don’t have the capital.”

Lindsey acknowledged that thestudy “is going to be a very challeng-

news briefs

FAA’s Southern Region Airports Divisionselected Fred Piccolo, A.A.E., presidentand CEO of Sarasota-BradentonInternational Airport, as the region’s2005 Commercial Service AirportManager of the Year. Other award win-ners included Patrick Graham, A.A.E.,executive director of Savannah/HiltonHead International Airport, whoreceived The Kitty Hawk Award, whichrecognizes FAA employees and industryprofessionals who have made significantcontributions to aviation in the south-east; Richard Lewis, director of Concord(N.C.) Regional Airport, named GeneralAviation Airport Manager of the Year;Stennis (Miss.) International Airport gotthe 2005 General Aviation Airport Safety Award, and Columbia (S.C.)Metropolitan Airport was honored withthe 2005 Air Carrier Airport SafetyAward. ... The credit outlook for U.S. air-ports in 2006 is “modestly improved”compared with 2005, but still vulnerableto factors such as additional energy priceincreases, an international health crisis,the contracting supply of domestic airservice and the rising fixed costs associ-ated with recent or planned capital devel-opment, Fitch Ratings said in a report. ...C.W. “Bill” Jennings announced that hewill retire April 4 as executive director ofthe Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.Jennings has been with the authority for30 years and has served as executivedirector since 2000. Steve Gardner willserve as interim executive direction untila new executive director is named. ...Central Wisconsin Airport ManagerJames Hansford, A.A.E., announced hisretirement after a 32-year career in air-port management, including 23 in hiscurrent position. ... Lisa Harmon joinedESA Airports as a project manager in its California Central Valley/Sierraregional office.

Tech briefs are on page 56.

Retail Briefs are on page 59.

Construction briefs are on page 62.



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ing endeavor.” Perhaps most chal-lenging: the March 2006 deadline forcompleting the study.

Next to the daunting deadline, thestudy’s largest challenge may be find-ing so-called “creative” financingoptions that fit into the federal budg-et rules. TSA Director Kip Hawleysaid his bosses are behind creativefunding concepts. Representativesfrom key congressional committeeswho spoke at the summit emphasizedthat while many in Congress are sup-portive of the concept of creativefinancing — such as capturing futurepersonnel savings to pay for the ini-tial installation of in-line systems —but federal budget rules make thisapproach extremely difficult toimplement in a meaningful way.

TSA: Part-TimeScreeners Key

TSA officials believe they have theanswer to the screener shortages thatplague some airports—fewer full-time staffers. Surprised? Don’t be.TSA’s top brass believe that addingmore part-time workers to screenerstaffs, particularly at large airports,will increase staffing flexibility whilekeeping the agency under its mandat-ed cap of 43,000 screeners in FiscalYear 2006.

“Particularly at the larger airports,you can do a better economic job bycrafting your workforce with highnumbers of part-timers,” TSA DirectorKip Hawley said at AAAE’s SecuritySummit December 12 in Washington,D.C. “Some large airports have onlysingle digits of part-timers, and thatends up costing TSA money becauseof the lack of flexibility.”

TSA’s current screener staff mixincludes 38,500 full-time screenersand 6,900 part-time screeners, saidJames Blair, TSA’s assistant directorfor security operations. The FiscalYear 2006 goal is 34,400 full-timersand 14,300 part-timers, which wouldkeep the agency beneath the 43,000full-time equivalent (FTE) cap.

TSA’s FY 2006 budget cuts 2,000screeners from the previous full-timeequivalent (FTE) total of 45,000.However, Blair, said, implementing ahigh percentage of part-time screen-ers could lead to a net manpowergain. “We can gain [the equivalent of]almost 3,000 screeners by imple-menting a 20 percent part-time stan-dard,” he said.

TSA plans to get there “through abalance of attrition and hiring,” Blairnoted, with special emphasis on thelarger airports. “We have some largeCategory X airports where the parttime percentage is 1 or 2 percent, andthat hurts us a lot,” he said.

Changi ‘BudgetTerminal’ Debut Set

Singapore Changi is slated to open itsfirst purpose-built low-cost carrierterminal in late March, welcominginitial airline tenant Tiger Airways.

The S$45 million (about U.S. $27.5million) facility, christened theBudget Terminal in a public namingcontest, is 25,000 square meters(about one-tenth the size of the air-port’s Terminal 1) and includes adja-cent, single-story buildings for depar-ture and arrival.

The terminal will feature sevendeparture gates and 10 aircraft “park-ing bays,” officials said. Inside, thereis a baggage-claim area with three bagbelts, 18 check-in counters, and 36immigration arrival/departure coun-ters, including 12 that useSingapore’s Immigration AutoClearance System (ICA), in whichpassengers use smart cards equippedwith fingerprint biometrics to speedthrough immigration.

The terminal’s initial capacity willbe about 2.7 million passengers annu-ally, and the facility can be expandedto handle about 5 million passengersper year. About 10 percent ofChangi’s current passenger opera-tions are flown by low-cost carriers,

Changi's Budget Terminal features single-story buildings for departures (pictured) and arrivals.

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according to the Civil AviationAuthority of Singapore, which oper-ates Changi.

While the Budget Terminal’s frugaldesign eschewed such airport staplesas escalators and jet bridges, it willoffer some services, such as a freeshuttle to link the new terminal withChangi’s existing facilities, free depar-ture-area Internet terminals, duty-freeshopping, and food and beverage out-lets. There’s also a 300-space parkinglot dedicated to the terminal.

People Pods For LHR

BAA, the owner and operator of sevenU.K. airports, has authorized construc-tion of an automated Personal RapidTransport (PRT) system at LondonHeathrow Airport (LHR) that willautomatically transport passengersaround the airport in driverless“pods.” The pilot system is expectedto be operational at Heathrow by 2008and could be expanded to other U.K.airports by 2011.

Known as the ULTra system, forUrban Light Transport, the technologywas developed by AdvancedTransport Systems Ltd. (ATS), a spin-off company of the U.K.’s University ofBristol. Arup, a global engineering andconsulting firm, will design the infra-structure for the system at Heathrow.

The electric-powered ULTra systemconsists of personal driverless taxisrunning on concrete tracks. Each podcarries up to four passengers atspeeds up to 25 miles per hour and isrouted automatically according topassenger demand.

ATS will provide 18 pods for theLHR pilot project, which will operateon a two-mile-long track with five sta-tions that link Terminal 1 to the outerparking area. Travel time on the sys-tem will be four minutes, with a podarriving each minute. This compareswith the current 20-minute wait for abus and a ride through often-congest-ed airport vehicle traffic.

“The use of PRT in an airport, and atHeathrow in particular, represents a

step-change in how we think aboutairport integration and operations,”commented Jonathan Drescher, associ-ate principal at Arup and leader of itsTransportation Planning group in NewYork. “It represents a renewed focuson efficient passenger service andlandside utilization. PRT will likelyprove to be a fundamental buildingblock for airports in the future.”

In addition to purchasing the ULTrasystem from ATS, BAA has invested$13 million in the U.K.-based compa-ny to promote the commercializationof the vehicles and control systems.

Sky Harbor’s New Facilities

Additional retail stores will beopening this summer in PhoenixSky Harbor International Airport’sbusy Terminal 4 as part of a majorfacility renovation.

Separately, customers already arebenefiting from a consolidatedrental car center that Sky Harboropened January 19 to house all 13 ofits rental car operators.

Terminal 4, which now features adécor that reflects Arizona’s her-itage and culture, also offers travel-

ers higher ceilings, increased light-ing and new tile flooring. More than30 new shops are open and offertravelers a variety of shoppingoptions that range from clothing tobooks to Native American products.

All of the new shops in Terminal 4are offering street pricing. For exam-ple, a book at the Borders in Terminal4 will cost the same as a book at anyother Borders store in Phoenix.

The Terminal 4 renovation will becompleted in early 2007.

The airport’s new rental car centeris housed in a 125,000-square-footcustomer service building that sitson top of a three-level parkinggarage. It has the capacity to hold5,600 rental cars ready for customerpickup. The 141-acre site also con-tains airport maintenance and fuel-ing facilities.

Phoenix is the third largest airportrental car market in the country, withmore than one million rental cartransactions processed annually,according to Phoenix AviationDirector David Krietor. “Our goal is tomake renting a car as easy and seam-less as possible for our customers.Not only are we providing a quick,convenient process, we’re also offer-ing a range of rental car options all inone place.”

The electric-powered ULTra system uses driverless pods running on concrete tracks.

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The new rental car center is locat-ed west of the airport near interstatehighways 10 and 17. Arriving pas-sengers take a designated bus for thefive-minute ride to the center.Customers return their rental cars tothe same location.

Progress At LAX

Los Angeles International Airport’s(LAX) long-awaited South AirfieldImprovement Project could be under-way early this year, pending final

approval of an Environmental ImpactReport and LAX Plan Compliance.

The project consists of movingRunway 7R-25L approximately 55feet south of its present location andconstructing a new parallel taxiwaybetween the airport’s two south air-field runways. Also included in theproject are replacing deterioratedconcrete and asphalt runway pave-ment; installing signage, lighting sys-tems, pavement markings and stormdrains, and improving related run-way-taxiway intersections.

Airport officials determined thatrelocating the runway and adding aparallel taxiway are critical toimproving airfield safety and reduc-ing the potential for runway incur-sions. While no accidents haveoccurred between aircraft landing ordeparting on the South RunwayComplex, airport and FAA officialshave been concerned in recent yearsabout the number of incursions ofvarying severity.

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All 13 rental car companies serving Sky Harbor are in the new, 125,000-square-foot facility.

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When the runway is moved, land-ing aircraft will be physically sepa-rated from the neighboring takeoffrunway as they exit Runway 7R-25Lto reach passenger terminals via thenew center taxiway.

The runway project is the firstmajor construction approved by theLos Angeles Board of AirportCommissioners since a legal settle-ment addressing the modernizationof the airport was announcedDecember 1, 2005, by Los AngelesWorld Airports, neighboring cities, acommunity group and the county ofLos Angeles.

The board of commissioners in mid-December 2005 awarded a $242 mil-lion contract to a joint venture of Tutor-Saliba, Sylmar, California, and O&GIndustries, Torrington, Connecticut, torelocate the runway and add the paral-lel taxiway. Construction is expectedto last 26 months.

While marking the end of a con-tentious debate over the moderniza-tion of the airport in December, air-port officials also announced anagreement has been reached withMercedes-Benz USA, its parent

company DaimlerChrysler Corp.,and the U.S. Department of Energyto evaluate the use of a prototypezero-emissions passenger vehicle thatuses a hydrogen-fuel cell drive system.

The agreement calls for LAX tobecome the only U.S. airport to par-ticipate in the hydrogen-fueledvehicle demonstration. Officialssaid an important factor in the selec-tion of LAX for this program is theexistence of a hydrogen fueling sta-tion on airport property.

Reno's Art, Boston's Design

Reno-Tahoe International Airportrecently opened an art gallery aspart of a new partnership with theUniversity of Nevada, Reno’s Schoolof the Arts.

Reno’s inaugural exhibit features“The Work of Art” collection, a pho-tographic study of the dedicationand commitment of visual and per-forming artists.

Airport Executive Director Krys

Bart, A.A.E., noted that the collec-tion “is just the beginning of the air-port’s dedication to using art tomake a lasting impression on ourpassengers. Watch for music anddance elements to be added in thenear future.”

Boarding passes and securitychecks aren’t required to visit Reno’snew art gallery, which is located onthe second floor of the terminalbetween the two security check-points. The gallery is open to the pub-lic 24 hours a day, all year long.

Separately, Boston LoganInternational Airport in Januaryunveiled “InventioneeringArchitecture,” an exhibition ofSwiss architecture and design thatfeatures an interactive 130-foot plat-form of an imaginative cross-sectionof the Swiss Alps. The exhibition,housed in Terminal E, is sponsoredby the Consulate of Switzerland, theSwiss House for Advanced Researchand Education and theMassachusetts Port Authority.

Architecture Professor MarcAngelil, ETH Zurich, explained thatthe exhibit is intended “to expose

Lexington Pair Nab Speas AwardLexington (Kentucky) Blue Grass Airport Executive DirectorMichael Gobb, A.A.E, (left inset) and Director of Planning andDevelopment John Slone have been selected as the recipientsof the 2006 Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award. Gobb and Slone are being recognized for their involvement inthe mural and landscape development project that’s part of afour-phase Runway Safety Area improvement project (AM,March/April 2005, p. 12). The Speas award is co-sponsored bythe Airports Consultants Council, American Institute of

Aeronautics and Astronautics and AAAE. It is presented to theperson or persons judged to have contributed most outstand-ingly towards achieving compatible relations between the air-port and its adjacent landscape. The mural design and retain-ing wall was the result of the combined efforts of Tetra Tech,Inc., Central Rock, Inc., the Landplan Group and Blue GrassAirport. Eric Henn is the artist. (Editor’s note: we’re happy to re-run

the above image of the retaining wall, both because of its relevance to

the Speas award and because the version that ran in the last AM was a

bit blurry due to a production error.)

up front

the Swiss method of architectureinstruction to other cultural con-texts. In Switzerland, architectureand related coursework is taughtprimarily by practitioners, ratherthan academics. While Americaleads the industry in crucial theoret-ical work, our focus extends beyonddesign to incorporate a variety ofintegrated disciplines such as sociol-ogy, engineering, construction, land-scape design and urban planning.”

At certain hours, professionalguides will provide tours of theexhibit. Further, an exhibition cata-log will provide essays and architec-ture projects by well-known Swissarchitects. The exhibit is open sevendays a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.through March 31. A

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Reno’s inaugural exhibit features “The Work of Art” collection, a photographic study of

the dedication and commitment of visual and performing artists.

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Over the last five years, North American airtravel has undergone a profound transfor-mation. Airlines—historically the focal

points of the air travel experience—are re-thinkingtheir business model in light of new economic real-ities. Meanwhile, airports, in contrast, are becom-ing the central driver of traveler satisfaction as theyadd new amenities and services. As a result, thereis a tremendous opportunity to re-define the air-port experience. Those airports with the most inno-vative product offerings can set the standards forthe future.

Two major trends are shaping the future of airtravel: increased security and the rise of low costcarriers (LCCs).

Since 9/11, travelers spend substantially moretime in airports. Security screening is now a majorcomponent of the air travel process. Travelers,anticipating long lines, get to the airport earlier. Asa result, average dwell times at North American air-ports are more than double the pre-9/11 average.

Meanwhile, the rapid expansion of low-costcarriers has forced important changes in the air-line industry. Capacity is up and fares are down.In this competitive environment, flight experi-ences are evolving into the same “bare bones”affair—no amenities, no added services—justbasic transportation from Point A to Point B.

With more time at the airport and fewer in-flight“perks” to enjoy, travelers are demanding richerairport experiences. The increasing popularity offull-service dining, exclusive shopping and inte-grated business services reflects passengers’strong desire to make airport time more meaning-ful and productive.

Airport dining and shopping experiences areevolving to meet more sophisticated needs. Travelerscan enjoy prime fillets from Outback Steakhouse,crab cakes from Phillips Famous Seafood, and cre-ations from A-list chefs, like Todd English in Bostonor Kathy Casey in Seattle. “Gifts for the folks backhome” used to be T-shirts and refrigerator magnets.Today, they could be outdoor gear from

Minneapolis/St. Paul’s Field and Stream store, orleather accessories from the TUMI shop in Atlanta.

Many passengers want to use their airport time torelax, but there are still many road warriors whowant get some work done. Thanks to recent techno-logical advances, airport patrons can receive timelyinformation faster and easier than ever before. Withe-mail and broadband access available throughoutmany major airports, travelers can multitask to theirheart’s content. Dedicated business centers at Dallas-Ft. Worth provide large work tables, Wi-Fi access,comfortable seating, and a Starbucks right next door.It’s a business traveler’s dream.

These are just a few examples of how airports arere-defining the travel experience. By going “up-market,” airports can meet passengers’ risingexpectations and create an entirely new paradigmfor services, restaurants and merchandise retail.

With airlines in a period of transition, airports canfill the value gap. Large “commerce zones,” offering adiverse range of premium services, are emerging inairports across North America. Their growth reflectspassengers’ more cosmopolitan needs.

Airports that deliver the highest quality experi-ences will be at the forefront of the aviation indus-try. Passengers—looking to satisfy their growingdemand for gourmet dining, upscale shopping andeffective data/communication links—will seekthem out as preferred O&D and connection points.

As more and more air trips involve connections,passengers will choose their routing—and carrier—based on the quality of airport facilities. The bestairports will draw the most passengers, expandingtheir power and reach.

These developments represent a huge opportunityin the airport sector. Airports that provide the mostcompelling product and service offerings have thepotential to shape the future of air travel. A

Les Cappetta is executive vice president, business development for

HMSHost. Contact him at 240-694-4195.

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cocorporate outlook

Tomorrow’s airports will re-define the travel experience


ANTN DigicastOnline is now available. Join the more than 100airports that currently subscribe to ANTN Digicast. Some of themany benefits of ANTN DigicastOnline are:

• On-line Training accessible any time from any Internetconnection—at your desk, at home, and on the road

• On-Demand Library with thousands of hours of trainingvideos

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• A.A.E.’s can earn CEU Credits

• More features, easier access, no equipment to buy and atthe same monthly rates

24-hour training includes:ARFF, Security, HR, Aviation News Today, Part 139, LegislativeUpdates, Movement and Non-Movement Area Driver Training,and much more!

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Top 25 Departure Airports Ranked By Total Available Seats, January 2006Change in available departures and available seats, January 2006 vs. January 2005

Data provided by OAG WorldwideExperts in global travel content

www.oagdata.com

Total Departures Available Seats

Airport Jan. 2005 Jan. 2006 Change Jan. 2005 Jan. 2006 Change

1 Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson 39,116 37,401 -4% 4,856,710 4,465,845 -8%

2 Chicago O'Hare 38,970 38,002 -2% 4,182,827 3,931,303 -6%

3 London Heathrow 19,626 19,840 1% 3,831,980 3,900,337 2%

4 Tokyo Haneda 12,742 13,120 3% 3,175,622 3,455,016 9%

5 Los Angeles 24,248 23,733 -2% 3,315,887 3,167,889 -4%

6 Dallas/Fort Worth 30,093 27,733 -8% 3,274,016 3,084,169 -6%

7 Paris Charles de Gaulle 18,879 19,298 2% 2,805,193 2,962,183 6%

8 Frankfurt International 17,348 17,453 1% 2,701,849 2,710,469 0%

9 Beijing Capital 13,046 14,482 11% 2,363,138 2,598,823 10%

10 Hong Kong International 8,717 10,062 15% 2,285,111 2,539,635 11%

11 Bangkok 11,140 11,340 2% 2,462,696 2,537,368 3%

12 Madrid Barajas 15,802 16,427 4% 2,329,277 2,464,268 6%

13 Phoenix Sky Harbor 19,194 19,722 3% 2,396,676 2,452,738 2%

14 Denver 21,427 22,712 6% 2,254,205 2,346,935 4%

15 Las Vegas McCarran 15,425 16,375 6% 2,227,662 2,303,955 3%

16 New York JFK 12,679 12,946 2% 2,149,282 2,146,359 0%

17 Houston George Bush 20,632 22,645 10% 2,004,578 2,094,692 4%

18 Singapore Changi 7,565 8,213 9% 2,012,077 2,093,585 4%

19 Amsterdam 14,062 14,147 1% 1,912,544 1,975,461 3%

20 Tokyo Narita 6,650 6,681 0% 1,918,286 1,947,909 2%

21 Miami International 12,560 12,560 0% 1,889,814 1,888,676 0%

22 Detroit Wayne County 20,634 18,909 -8% 2,073,877 1,878,859 -9%

23 Newark Liberty 15,914 16,332 3% 1,782,076 1,874,241 5%

24 Orlando International 13,627 13,654 0% 1,801,919 1,830,458 2%

25 Minneapolis-St. Paul 19,808 17,371 -12% 2,090,823 1,809,915 -13%

source: OAG MAX (www.oagmax.com)

safety act


AIRPORTS AND THE SAFETY ACTAIRPORTS AND THE SAFETY ACT

THE SAFETY ACT’S LIABILITY PROTECTIONS GO WELL BEYOND PRIVATE SCREENERS.

THE SAFETY ACT’S LIABILITY PROTECTIONS GO WELL BEYOND PRIVATE SCREENERS.

BEYOND SCREENERS:BEYOND SCREENERS:

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Fortunately the federal government has made available a tool to help mitigate, or eveneliminate, such financially devastating liability. Under the Support Anti-Terrorism ByFostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002 (SAFETY Act) sellers of anti-terror tech-nologies—that includes both products and services—have the ability to immunizethemselves from liability arising out of a terrorist event. Sellers can file an applicationwith the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to have their offering designated as aQualified Anti-Terrorism Technology (QATT). Should the application be approved, theseller will receive a presumption of dismissal in any suit alleging that their QATT some-how contributed to damages arising out of a terrorist attack. Just as importantly, cus-tomers who utilize QATTs will be immediately dismissed from any such suit.

Many airport executives are aware of the SAFETY Act and the protections it can offerthrough discussions related to the use of private screeners to replace TSA screenersunder the opt-out, or Screening Partnership Program (SPP). Several screening compa-nies have obtained protections under the SAFETY Act, giving them protections forthemselves and the owners of airports at which they perform their services. Some con-cern had been expressed that SAFETY Act protections would not fully insulate airportsusing private screeners, but that concern was alleviated thanks to language in the FiscalYear 2006 DHS spending bill (P.L. 109-90).

Airport owners would be doing themselves a disservice if their consideration of theSAFETY Act’s reach ended with SPP screeners. That is because any number of securi-ty solutions beyond screeners must be brought to bear in order to make airports assecure as possible. Airport owners should extend their bounds of thinking then whenit comes to how they can best capitalize on the benefits offered by the SAFETY Act.


Airports should not forget that theprotections of the SAFETY Act can be awarded retroactively.

Among the many lessons of 9/11 is how much potential lia-bility exists for those involved in air transportation.Plaintiffs’ counsel have done their best to lodge allegationsof liability against as many defendants as possible, and thenet result is that a whole spectrum of players can expect tobe named in lawsuits arising out of a terrorist event thattouched an airport. One need only look to the lawsuits thathave grown out of the 9/11 attacks, which named portauthorities, airframe manufacturers, screening technologyproviders, and screening service providers as allegedly cul-pable for the success of the al-Qaeda attackers.

That in and of itself is a paralyzing prospect for airportauthorities, as they now face the possibility successful claimswill be made against them for liability arising out of a terroristevent. If such liability is assigned, there is a realistic possibili-ty that it could financially ruin airport operators.

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safety act


There are many elements involvedin securing an airport. Perimeters ofairports are secured by fencing andcamera equipment, runways andmaintenance areas are secured andpatrolled, access control systems areset up throughout the airport, parkingterminals must be monitored,employees must be vetted and prop-erly credentialed, and so on. A lapsein security in any of these areas couldeasily present an opportunity for ter-rorists to conduct an attack at an air-port. The result may not necessarilybe a hijacked plane being utilized as aweapon, but many lives and largeamounts of property could be put atrisk nonetheless.

Whenever an airport plays a role inproviding security at its facilities, itshould consider utilizing the SAFE-TY Act to help insulate itself from lia-bility. Take redesigns of airport facili-ties for security purposes, forinstance. Some airports are upgradingtheir infrastructure to improve pas-senger flow and accommodateadvanced screening equipment. Thisrequires the involvement of any num-ber of companies, ranging from archi-tects and engineering firms to con-struction companies. Such compa-nies are eligible for SAFETY Act pro-tections, as their services can have ananti-terror purpose.

Airport owners should seek outcompanies that have obtained SAFE-TY Act protections and include intheir bidding packages a requirementthat companies should apply for pro-tections under the SAFETY Act. Doingso will provide airports with an addi-tional layer of liability protections.

Many other areas are eligible forSAFETY Act protections. Airportshave many areas that are restrictedand require access control. In control-ling those areas, key pads, access con-trol panels, closed circuit televisioncameras, and other security devicesare utilized to help ensure that unau-thorized personnel do not gain entryinto those areas. Such products andservices are also eligible for SAFETYAct benefits.

SAFETY Act protections can be uti-lized not only for the hardware uti-lized to control those areas, but alsofor ancillary services, such as installa-tion and maintenance. Those servicesare as critical as any in minimizing thepossibility of terrorist attacks; they toocould be a source of potential liabilityif such an attack were to occur.

The best way airport owners can goabout utilizing the protections of theSAFETY Act would be either to seekout SAFETY Act-certified sellers ofQATTs, or, if none exist, mandate aspart of any procurement process thatthe sellers of the security-related serv-ice apply for SAFETY Act protection.

Airport owners should not assumethat the application process is entire-ly within the hands of the vendor.When a seller of security-related serv-ices or products is applying forSAFETY Act protections, an airportowner can do its part to actively sup-port the application. If an airportowner believes that the particularservice or technology is stronglyneeded in order to help secure theairport (and especially if the compa-ny providing the service is one ofonly a few that can provide suchtechnology or service), it is free tosubmit a letter of support to DHS.Such letters can be helpful, as theydemonstrate the need for the particu-lar technology and/or service.

In order to best protect themselves,airport owners should consider doinga comprehensive review of their facil-ities to determine where exactlySAFETY Act can be utilized. In thatreview, airport owners should not for-get that the protections of the SAFE-TY Act can be awarded retroactively.This means that airport owners canreach out to companies that havealready provided services or tech-nologies to the airport and ask thatthey obtain SAFETY Act protections,and if the seller obtains them the pro-tections can extend to services ortechnologies already purchased.

For instance, if an airport just com-pleted a security assessment or asecurity-based design of a terminalsection, it can still have that workprotected under the SAFETY Act.This is key, as it means already-com-pleted work does not have to be re-done in order to have it coveredunder the SAFETY Act. The retroac-tive application of the SAFETY Actthus can help expand liability protec-tions and spare budget dollars.

The SAFETY Act is powerful.Airport owners have already recog-nized this in the context of opt-outscreening programs. However,screeners are but one dimension tothe security envelope that must bemaintained in order to ensure theintegrity of air transit. Many otherareas are involved; a lapse in any oneof them could lead to devastating lia-bility. Airport owners must utilize thebenefits of the SAFETY Act, whetherit is for new technologies and servic-es, existing ones, or even perhapswhen constructing an entirely newairport. The costs associated withintegrating the SAFETY Act into suchwork will be minimal when com-pared to the liability protections thatcan be obtained. A

Brian Finch is a homeland security attorney at

McKenna Long & Aldridge. His focus is SAFETY Act

matters. He has represented a number of companies

in their successful efforts to get SAFETY Act cover-

age. He can be reached at

[email protected] or (202) 496-7241.

Many areas are eligible forSAFETY Act protections

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SAFETY ACT TIPSFOR AIRPORTS

Seek products and serv-ices from companies that

have obtained SAFETY Actprotections. Using SAFETY Act-

approved products and servicesconfers liability protections uponthe airport itself (DHS keeps a list of approved companies atwww.safetyact.gov, the SAFETYAct Web site, ).

When soliciting bids for work atyour airport, encourage compa-nies to apply for SAFETY Act pro-tection if they have not alreadydone so.

If a company informs you they areseeking SAFETY Act approval, ask ifit will cover the scope of the workthey will conduct at the airport.Also, if the company has previous-ly done work at the airport, askthem to seek retroactive SAFETYAct coverage—SAFETY Actapprovals can apply to work com-pleted years before the applica-tion is filed.

Think creatively about the SAFETYAct. It’s not just for guns, guardsand gates. It can apply to engi-neering, architecture, construc-tion, maintenance, and other serv-ices that play a role in protectingyour airport against terrorism.

If you use SAFETY Act-approvedproducts or services, let your insur-ance carrier know. SAFETY Actcoverage can decrease insur-ance costs.

If company officials applying forSAFETY Act protection ask for a let-ter for support from you, give themone. It helps them—and you.

For more on the SAFETY Act, see www.safetyact.gov.

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For airport firefighters,what’s on the truck isjust as critical as the

vehicle itself.


By Jim Wallace


If a big, angular truck with hoses is your ideaof aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF)equipment, you have only part of the picture.What goes on the trucks is also important, includ-ing equipment to help operators identify chemi-cals, find their way through snow, fog or smoke, andput water or foam precisely where it needs to go.

For example, Matt Mauer, the battalion chief of the 26-person ARFF unit at Kansas City International Airport(KCI), appreciates having the Snozzle and the Rhino, twoproducts of Crash Rescue Equipment Service of Dallas.

The Snozzle is a high-reach, extendable turret that hasbeen used at airports since 1987. Mauer likes theSnozzle’s ability to poke through the skin of an aircraftlike a needle giving a vaccination to get directly to thesource of an onboard fire. He also likes the 52-footextended reach of its articulating, telescoping boom,which is needed to get to problems in big jets like theBoeing 747 or the soon-to-be-in-service Airbus A380.(Booms extending 65 feet are also now available—seesidebar, page 29.)

“The quicker you get to the fire, the better,” he said.Grady North, vice president at Crash Rescue, said more

than 250 Snozzles are in use throughout the world,including at most major U.S. airports. The military has48 of them and plans to increase that number to 70 in thenear future, he said.

Wilson Jones, vice president and general manager ofthe ARFF business unit at Oshkosh Truck Corp., said thetrend is for most customers to ask for a Snozzle to beattached when they order a truck, “especially with thebigger airports and the bigger airplanes. If you don’t haveit, you’d be questioned if you had a bad incident.”

The Snozzle’s piercing ability, using a hydraulic cylin-der with a hardened-steel, pointed tip, is especially valu-able for use on cargo aircraft, North said, because it notonly penetrates the exterior of the aircraft but alsopierces the containers inside.

The first in-service use of a penetrating Snozzle camein response to the December 2003 crash of an MD-10 onFedEx Flight 647 at Memphis (AM, July/August 2005, p.11). Its use in applying agents into the plane’s main decksaved 98 percent of the cargo, North said.

A Snozzle can add $120,000 to the cost of a new firetruck. “It’s not cheap,” North acknowledged, but its abil-ity to direct water, foam or other chemicals directly ontoa fire results in less waste. “It makes a 3,000-gallon trucklike a 6,000-gallon truck.”

Although the Snozzle can be tilted down to reach low-level fires, the Rhino Bumper Turret is designed to reachunderneath aircraft better, such as for wheel fires. Using aconventional turret in such instances, North said, canresult in foam coming down on the operator’s windshield,but the Rhino allows the operator to see above it. It alsoimproves efficiency by about 40 percent, he said.

Said KCI’s Mauer: “It’s four times faster than any turreton the old truck.”

KCI has recently upgraded its ARFF fleet, putting twotrucks into service—a 2003 Oshkosh 1500 Striker with a52-inch Snozzle and a 2005 Emergency One Titan HPR II6X6 with a Rhino. At AM press time, a third new truck, a2005 Titan HPR II 8X8 with a 52-inch Snozzle, was aboutto enter service. It also called for two older trucks toremain on standby.

“I can make interior and exterior attacks on an aircraft,”Mauer said. “I can throw 7,500 gallons within two minuteswith three frontline trucks.”

Experience with the Snozzle and testing at Tyndall AirForce Base in Florida on the effectiveness of getting a noz-zle down low led to the development of the Rhino, Northsaid. It adds $20,000 to $25,000 to the cost of a vehicle, hesaid, and about 140 have been sold since the Rhino wasintroduced about five years ago. “It’s been picking up likecrazy,” added Sarah O’Connor, an account manager atCrash Rescue Equipment Service.

Marty Huffman, ARFF program manager at RosenbauerAmerica, said about 80 percent of the ARFF vehiclesordered from his company last year had devices likeSnozzles and Rhinos installed on them.

Jones said Oshkosh installs its own version of a low-attack bumper turret instead of the Rhino. After checkingrecords for Oshkosh’s last few dozen ARFF trucks, he said,“I couldn’t find a truck that we’ve built lately that didn’thave it.”

Marty Huffman, ARFF program

manager at Rosenbauer America, said

about 80 percent of the ARFF vehicles

ordered from his company last year

had devices like Snozzles and Rhinos.

arff


KCI was also an early adopter of theEagleEye Driver’s Enhanced VisionSystem, a product from a Canadiancompany, Team Eagle. EagleEye usesthe combination of an infrared ther-mal imager and a moving map displayto help vehicle operators navigatearound an airfield through snow, rain,fog or smoke that limits visibility.

Installing EagleEye in a vehiclecosts about $50,000, but PaulCudmore, general manager of TeamEagle, considers that a reasonableprice to ensure that a $1 million truckcan be deployed in difficult condi-tions. He said an in-cab, touch-screencomputer uses the Global PositioningSystem to show the position of avehicle and “the most elegant way toget from A to B.”

Other driver-enhancing vision sys-tems are available, but Cudmore saidEagleEye is the first to use a GPS-based system. Airports with EagleEyesystems on ARFF trucks in additionto KCI include Sacramento,Cincinnati and Vancouver, he said,and some Canadian airports, includ-ing Greater Toronto and Calgary, usethem on their lead snowplows.

“The system can also show otherGPS-equipped vehicles on the screen,if you have the equipment,” Cudmoresaid. “Once you know where you areand start driving, the system willshow your progress. It will show youand talk to you.”

So far, Mauer has the systeminstalled on only one vehicle, so hecan’t take advantage of the feature

that alerts the operator to the pres-ence of other vehicles. KCI gotEagleEye as part of an FAA-fundedtest program, he said, but the FAAdidn’t pay to put it on other vehicles.

“It’s got some good stuff in it,” hesaid. “It will warn you when youbegin to deviate from the route,which is real handy in snow.”

Cudmore said, “It definitely givesyou that peace of mind that in anyweather event you can respond to thebest of your ability.”

Another EagleEye feature Mauerlikes is its onboard information sys-tem, which stores documents likeschematics, standard operating pro-cedures and data sheets on hazardousmaterials. “It’s great at aircraft identi-fication and telling you how many

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Airport Magazine | May/June 2005 29

seats there are and where the fuel shutoff is,” he said.Huffman at Rosenbauer and Jones at Oshkosh said cus-

tomers’ demand for EagleEye is picking up. “We’re seeingthat more and more these days,” Huffman said.

In addition to fire, ARFF units also must be prepared tohandle unidentified chemicals. Smiths Detection, a com-pany with experience in such aviation security devices asX-ray machines and explosive trace detection machines, isnow providing products that can identify a wide range ofchemicals, biological agents and explosives.

The centerpiece, according to Jim Viscardi, manager oftransportation security technology and programs, isHazmatID, a portable chemical identifier that costs

Researchers at the FAA’s William J. Hughes TechnicalCenter in Atlantic City, New Jersey, will soon begintesting lofty firefighting techniques for aircraft like theAirbus A380 and Boeing 747-400 using a modifiedOshkosh Striker aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF)vehicle delivered in December.

The $650,000, six-wheeled truck has a 2,500-gal-lon water tank plus tanks for 500 lb. of Halotron, 500lb. of Potassium bicarbonate. It also has a high-flow bumper turret that can pump a preset mixture of foam concentrates from two 210-gal-lon tanks for side-by-side comparison testing via an electronic proportioning system. Carrying a crew of three, the 77,000-lb. Striker is pow-ered by a 680 hp. Caterpillar C-16 engine with an Allison transmission.

The most striking advanced feature of the Striker will be its 65-ft. high-reach extendable turret (HRET), which is being designed and installedby Dallas-based Crash Rescue Equipment Service, Inc. Reaching 15 feet higher than the aviation industry standard waterway, the 65-foot HRETis meant to give airports an additional tool to fight fires on two-level New Large Aircraft (NLA) like the A380. It will also provide more standoffdistance to make room for all of those evacuation paths — the A380 has 16 emergency exit slides, six from the upper deck.

Keith Bagot, FAA’s aircraft rescue and firefighting program manager, and Nick Subbotin, the agency’s aircraft rescue and firefighting proj-ect lead, said that once the HRET is installed, the truck will spend a year in live-fire testing at Tyndall Air Force base in Panama City, Florida,where the FAA has access to the military’s 100-foot-diameter burn pit through an interagency agreement.

A special mockup of an NLA cabin with slides is being installed and the Striker/HRET will be put through its paces in the fire pit over thenext year. Bagot and Subbotin said the testing will include full-pit fires, with the mockup in the center, to evaluate how the extended boomcan help to maneuver around multiple slides and engine nacelles with 2-d fires. Once the research is complete, FAA plans to include theinformation in an advisory circular.

Once the Tyndall work is complete, the Striker will likely return to the Tech Center, joining the FAA’s 750-gallon Emergency One Titan, deliveredin 1992, and a pickup truck unit with firefighting skid mounted on the back. The FAA generally handles lower flow rate research at the center, usinga fire-hardened military surplus C-133 cargo aircraft fuselage in its burn pit. The Titan was earlier used to help develop firefighting technologieslike the Driver’s Enhanced Vision System and elevated boom and aircraft skin penetrating techniques. The FAA has three full-time employees work-ing ARFF projects at the Tech Center.

Along with the NLA work, the FAA will also use the Striker to study the effects of rear-wheel steering on truck performance, including turningradius, tire life and reduced load shift in the water tanks due to reduced ground scrubbing. One of the Striker’s two rear axels is steerable.

Though rear-wheel steering systems are available, Bagot and Subbotin said FAA has not yet quantified the benefits of having the option,including whether it reduces rollovers, a problem they said occurs much more often than is reported. “We’re struggling to get the industry tocough up the information,” said Bagot. According to Bagot and Subbotin, there are an estimated six to 12 rollovers each year in the U.S.Previous rollover studies at the FAA resulted in the development of a lateral “G” meter with audio alert of an impending rollover.

Along with its research functions, the Striker will also be available for emergency response functions at nearby airports, including theAtlantic City International Airport, home of the Tech Center.

— John Croft

FAA’s New Toy

HazmatID is so discerning, it can

determine not only if a certain

powder is cake mix, but also if

the mix is made by Betty Crocker

or Duncan Hines.

FAA


$50,000 to $80,000. He said it usesinfrared spectroscopy to identify tensof thousands of different chemicals—powders, liquids and gels. Thatincludes explosives, narcotics, chem-ical weapons and precursors toweapons of mass destruction.

For example, Viscardi said, sarindoes not become a weapon until it isa gas, but HazmatID can detect it as aliquid. The system is so discerning,he said, that can determine not only ifa certain powder is a cake mix butalso whether it was made by BettyCrocker or Duncan Hines.

The equipment is handheld, water-proof and self-automated. So a usercan take it into the field, put the sub-stance in question onto a diamondchip and, within 15 seconds, deter-mine whether it is something danger-ous or just Gold Bond Foot Powder,Viscardi said, reducing the need toevacuate part of an airport.

Sensir Technologies, which SmithsDetection acquired in 2004, putHazmat ID on the market a few yearsago. Since that acquisition, the Sensirgroup developed a complementaryproduct, GasID, that Viscardi said hasbeen “making its way through theemergency response community” forthe past year.

GasID is a portable gas and vaporidentifier that costs $50,000 to$80,000. It does much the same thingas HazmatID, except it specializes ingases. A user collects a suspicious gasin a Mylar bag and then attaches it tothe machine, which studies theinfrared spectrum using a molecularfingerprinting process.

A product just released inNovember, RespondeR RCI, whichcosts $30,000 to $40,000, employsanother infrared technique, Ramanspectroscopy, to identify mixtures ofliquids. HazmatID is good at identi-fying pure liquids but not mixtures,Viscardi said, so RespondeR RCIfills in that gap. He said water andglass are invisible to it, so it can seeright through a clear glass or plasticbottle to determine whether some-thing is innocuous or a toxic indus-trial chemical.

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Bumper-mounted turrets allow operators to maintain an unobstructed view of the fire as they attack it.

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Viscardi said two other handheld products are also use-ful for ARFF units. One, the Sabre 4000, which is aboutthree years old, is a portable version of desktop explosivedetection machines. It costs between $25,000 and$29,000.

“It looks like a DustBuster with a nozzle on the frontend,” Viscardi said.

Using ion mobility spectroscopy, Sabre 4000 can detectexplosives, narcotics, chemical weapons and toxic indus-trial chemicals within 10 seconds, he said, but if some-thing is an innocuous gas, GasID is needed to determinewhat it is.

Many ARFF units are using Sabre 4000 to detect chem-ical weapons and industrial chemicals, Viscardi said,while law enforcement agencies are using it to find explo-sives, such as in unattended vehicles.

The APD 2000, which has been around more than sevenyears, also employs ion mobility spectrometry to detectchemical weapons, industrial chemicals, irritants likepepper spray and mace, and gamma radiation. Viscardisaid it does much the same tasks as the Sabre 4000, but itis less expensive at about $10,000. Because of that, as wellas its ease of use and portability, about 90 percent ofARFF units have the APD 2000, he said.

What’s on the horizon for ARFF? At Rosenbauer, the lat-est trend Huffman is seeing for add-on ARFF equipmentinvolves wireless transmitters to send information,including video, from a frontline truck to an emergencyoperations center or command vehicle. At Oshkosh, Jonessaid he hasn’t seen too many requests for wireless trans-mitters, but he has seen plenty of requests for digitalvideo recorders instead of videotape recorders.

Oshkosh is also getting more requests these days for cus-tom-built medical cabinets, he said.

Huffman said the next big thing for the trucks will beultra-high pressure, which is already common in Europeand being used in small American military vehicles inIraq. “This,” predicted Huffman, “is going to change theARFF world as we know it.” A

Jim Wallace is a freelance writer based in Charleston, West Virginia.The Snozzle at work (top) and the HazmatID in the field.

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Many airports around the U.S. are being visited by a new type ofCanadian snowbird. Snowbirds are traditionally northerners whohead south for warmer weather during the winter. But this new snow-bird is right at home in the cold.

Team Eagle, a Campbellford, Ontario-based company that helpsairports deal with snow and other airfield problems they face, has beenin the airfield equipment business primarily in Canada for more than25 years. In recent years, it has branched out to the U.S. Since July2004, Team Eagle has had a branch office in Woodbury, Tennessee.

Team Eagle is the umbrella organization for four subsidiary com-panies: Eagle Airfield Ltd., which supplies such airfield equipment asplows, runway sweepers and fire trucks; Eagle Integrated Solutions,which provides airfield software and technology; Stability DynamicsLtd., which manufactures electronic products that make vehicleoperations safer; and 3rd Millennium Solutions, which concentrateson research and development for new products for airport opera-tions, such as friction measurement devices.

General Manager Paul Cudmore said Team Eagle’s sales of suchbig equipment as fire trucks and plows are still mainly limited toCanada, where it is a leading supplier of such items. He said TeamEagle is taking “baby steps” into the U.S. market, where it has con-centrated on selling many of its SmartAirport software-based prod-ucts to airports all over the nation, including Atlanta, Salt Lake Cityand El Paso.

Not surprisingly for a Canadian company, one of Eagle IntegratedSolutions’ major products is an airfield winter management system,WinterOps Pro. It is a modular system that provides a truck opera-tor with an in-cab graphical review of runway conditions, such as friction and temperature levels.

By towing a measuring device, the truck becomes its “own littleenvironment station,” explained Cudmore. It can then transmit con-ditions back to airfield maintenance officials, so they will knowwhether snow needs to be removed from a runway or chemicalsadded to restore friction to it.

Its real advantage, Cudmore said, is the use of the GlobalPositioning System, because the data are then not only accurate andreliable but also forensically auditable. That allows an airport, in theface of criticism from airlines that a runway was not properly main-tained, to demonstrate that it exercised due diligence, he said,because “you can’t fake a GPS reference.”

Another key product is the EagleEye Driver’s Enhanced VisionSystem, which combines a moving map display with an infraredthermal imager to help vehicle operators find their way throughsnow, rain or fog when there is little or no visibility.

Other SmartAirport products include: AirOps Digital Inspections, aproduct that can be used on laptop or handheld computers to recordairport reports and inspections in a paperless manner; ATIMS orAsset Tracking and Incursion Management System, which providesreal-time and historical viewing of airfield vehicle activity from amanager’s desktop or a supervisor’s vehicle; and ElectricalOps Pro,which uses digitized, geographically referenced airfield satellite pho-tos to convert an airport’s lighting inspection into a paperless picto-rial report loaded onto a touch-screen computer inside a vehicle oronto a handheld device.

“Our biggest advantage is we pay 100-percent attention to air-ports,” Cudmore said. That is in contrast to other companies thatadapt products for airport uses.

Team Eagle’s motto is: “Your airfield solutions partner.” That lastword is key, Cudmore said, because partnership is paramount in thecompany’s approach. Long-term support and advice are importantcomponents of that, he said.

“We really work hard at winning people’s trust that we can helpthem,” Cudmore said. As an example, he relates the experienceTeam Eagle had with one potential customer that put out a bid for apiece of equipment with specifications that the company could havemet. But Team Eagle officials determined that the specifications weresimply wrong for the job. “The customer couldn’t have been happywith what was specified,” Cudmore said.

So Team Eagle declined to submit a bid and instead wrote a let-ter to tell the customer about the problems with the specifications.Left out of the note was the fact that Eagle’s recommended changes,if adopted by the potential customer, would take the company out ofthe running for the job. Back came a grateful letter telling Team Eaglethat the customer was holding off on taking bids until those prob-lems could be fixed.

Cudmore calls selling airfield products in the U.S. from a base inCanada “definitely challenging.” But he hopes Team Eagle’s partner-ship approach will help turn its “baby steps” into big strides.

—Jim Wallace

Team Eagle Seeking U.S. Partnerships


The Kansas City Aviation Department (KCAD) offi-cially opened a $6 million ARFF facility at KansasCity International last November, replacing a facil-ity built in 1971 that was one of the first buildingson the airfield. The new building is more spaciousfor both the tucks and their all-important opera-tors, the firefighters. For the hardware, there areeast and west entrances, high-speed hydraulicdoors and a vehicle maintenance bay. For theoccupants, features include workout and training

areas. Seventy-five percent of the project fundingcame from an FAA Airport Improvement Programgrant; airport user funds covered the rest. Theprime contractors were Black & Veatch (design)and Titan Construction (construction). Recently,AM Editor Sean Broderick talked with KCAD'sMelvin Price, who served as the design and con-struction project manager, about the project.Below, edited for length and clarity, are excerptsfrom Price's comments.

Melvin Price on Kansas City’s New ARFF Station

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Location, location, location?

The first thing we wanted to assess was theactual duties of the ARFF as given to us bythe FAA in advisory circulars. So the mainthing was response time. That was one thingwe were lacking (with the old station). Westill made the cut, but we were hard pressedto do it. So the first thing that we as an air-port looked at was the response time of theARFF unit which basically boiled down tolocation—what is the optimum location forthe new ARFF unit?

We actually did a study as to the mosteffective place before we even starteddesigning the ARFF station. Once we had thelocation, then it kind of just evolved fromthere. We brought in the firefighters. Webrought in the local firefighter union, Local42, to start our design.

Silence is golden

After the location site was done, we did asound study because the location that wedeemed most appropriate for this was smackdab in the middle of the airfield. Since the fire-fighters have to live there—they do 24 hourson, 48 off, and 24 on our station—we did astudy to see what it would take to make surethat they were able to maintain the level ofnoise that they have become accustomed to.

For the sound attenuation for the building,the interior walls are 14 inch thick poured inplace concrete. To get some radiant light intothe building, we used six inch thick glassblocks. Some of the exterior walls have beenbermed. There is earth right up against thewall for better sound attenuation. The bunksare inset into the building.

We needed the apparatus bay to be able toaccommodate the trucks that we were order-ing and that were coming in the future.Halfway through this, we got delivery of ourfirst 1500. It was an Oshkosh Striker, and itbarely fit into the old station. Then when wetook delivery of the new 3000 from E-One—it didn't fit at all. We couldn't even put it intoservice. So with the apparatus bay, welooked at the future and we made it bigenough to accommodate if the airport grew(therefore requiring more trucks), and even iftrucks grew.

The design challenges

We took the advisory circular for ARFF sta-tion construction as a template and thenmade sure that the things that they stated inthe circular were included in the new build-ing, seeing as how that advisory circularwasn't around when the first one was built.

The biggest challenge was putting a brandnew structure in the middle of the airfield.That posed the biggest problem, and due tothe fact that we were looking for soundattenuation, we did pour-in-place concrete.The bracing system that we used was phe-nomenal, but it just was so intricate that wehad trucks coming in and out, going acrossan active airfield for months and months at atime. That was the biggest hurdle. Then itwas just making the space livable for theguys. These guys have to stay there. We didour best to make it as accommodating andhome like as we could.

Some cool features

We have a pavement radiant heating systemwhich actually uses a mixture of water andglycol that is sent through manifolds towarm the pavement in front of the apparatusbay doors, if we have a snow event or an iceevent, to give the trucks some added tractionbefore they shoot off onto the airfield.

We have a training room.We have a closed circuit TV that watches

the four corners of the building to see the air-craft traffic around.

For the sound attenuation for the building,the interior walls are 14-inch-thick poured-in-place concrete. To get some radiant lightinto the building, we used six-inch-thickglass block windows.

Lessons learned

The best thing to do is to make sure that youanswer all the "what ifs." Make sure there isnothing left out there lingering. Make surethat all the questions are answered. Makesure you take into account what the guyswho will be working there say. A

MELVIN PRICE

snow removal


It takes a lot more than a conga line to keepsnow off an airfield. These machines areholding their own in airport snow removalefforts—and in the off-season, too.

The mammoth machines built bycompanies like Vammas, Oshkoshand Boschung naturally earn thespotlight when airports set out toclear runways of snow and ice. Butlesser known, smaller machines playintegral roles in keeping airportsopen when the worst of winter falls.

With its one-person cab and 110-horsepower Cummins diesel engine,the 5,000-pound Trackless MT SeriesV municipal tractor is one such utili-

ty vehicle. Though it can easily blendinto the background during the hub-bub of a large airport under the siegeof snow, its effects do not go unno-ticed by facilities experts.

“It’s not the first line of defense, butin the second and third day after thestorm, it goes out to get around signsand lights, and in tight spots,” saidAlex Gonzalez, deputy manager,Maintenance/Power for the WayneCounty Airport Authority. Theauthority bought five units back in1994 for Detroit Metropolitan WayneCounty Airport, and all five, withsnow blower and blade attachments,are still in use.

And while it may not be the firstline of defense airside at larger air-

BIG JOBSfor small tools

By John Croft and Sean Broderick

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ports, the Trackless is nonetheless akey player landside at many facilities— and not just in the snow. BrianMcMillen, airfield maintenancesupervisor at the South Bend RegionalAirport in Indiana uses his MT formowing in the summer months.Upgrading the MT for snow wouldrequire only that he purchase of oneof the many accessories available.

Attachments for the MT includesnow blowers, angle plows, rear-saltand sand spreaders, V-plows, leafloaders, front sander plows, powerangle sweepers, front and boom-mounted flail mowers and commer-cial finishing mowers. Dick Eckrich,president of O.J. Watson Equipment,a Trackless MT distributor in Denver,

Colorado, said the most popularattachment for his customers inColorado is the broom attachment,followed by the front flail mower andthe blower.

The MT is built by TracklessVehicles, Ltd., in Ontario, Canada.Company District Manager NoelNagora said the company has beenbuilding this type of vehicle for 35years and there are thousands in thefield, including one being used by theU.S. government at the White House.Nagora says airports began using thetractor about 20 years ago.

Eckrich’s biggest customer isDenver International Airport, wherethere are now 10 Trackless MTs inservice following the delivery of five

new machines in January. The airportbought its first five MTs in 1999.Chuck Smith, director of aviationfleet maintenance at the airport, saidDenver uses the machines for “any-where we can’t get our regular snowpieces.” That includes clearing side-walks and spreading chemicals, inaddition to using blowers to clear thetop deck of some of the parking struc-tures. In the warmer months, Denveruses mower decks on the MTs forgrass cutting.

Versatility tends to set the MT apartfrom many competitors, despite asometimes higher price tag. “If you’regoing to sell a machine for grounds-

snow removal


keeping, you can buy a cheapermachine,” said Eckrich. “But if youadd ice and snow control and theability for grounds-keeping, thatmakes it a year-round machine.”

At the Garrett County Airport inWestern Maryland, Airport ManagerEd Kelly said he replaced two vehi-cles by purchasing the MT, but inreturn he gained three additional“vehicles” because of the MT’sattachments. Kelly bought a snowblower, grooming mower, sweeper,flail mower and plow. Kelly receivedthe tractor last spring and used it formowing, cutting not only grass butalso “numerous hours on manpow-er.” His previous tractor could not cutclose to the runway lights, causinghim to have to bring in a push mowerto finish the job. With the MT’s artic-ulated design, he was able to cut towithin “two or three” inches of thelights and finish the job with at weedwhacker.

Detroit Metro officials have similarkudos for the MT in the snow. Whilethe primary job for the trucks is toclear parking lots with blowers andbrooms, crews take the MTs airside aday or so after the initial snow clear-ing process to clean around lights andsigns and to clear out access areas for

weather monitoring equipment andFAA buildings. In the summer,Detroit uses the MT to cut grass usinga front-mounted flail mower and abatwing mower. While the airporthasn’t purchased any new attach-ments since the initial delivery, onenewly available device that’s caughtthe eye of maintenance managers isan infrared asphalt heater. The idea isto eliminate uneven humps in theasphalt with removing and replacingthe material.

At Garret County, Kelly’s one com-plaint is that he hasn’t yet been ableto use the MT to plow his 3,000 foot-by-75-foot runway during the firstfour snows this winter. He said theMT was “working fine” when a recallon the clutch bearing came out, andthe local Trackless representativecame in to fix it. As of this writing,the machine had been down for eightweeks. Once it’s back, he envisionsbig savings: Previously he used apickup with a front plow for the run-way and brought in a contractor withbackhoe and truck to pick up andhaul away the windrow. With the MT,he plans to use the blower chute toscatter the snow far enough out thathe won’t have to cart it away.

Trackless Vehicles said the clutch

bearing problem occurred when theclutch manufacturer, Wisconsin-based Twin Disc, introduced a newbearing assembly into a clutch designthat Trackless had been using for 10years. Nagora said Trackless hadinstalled about 100 of those clutchesin recent production units, but thatdealers had found and fixed all affect-ed machines. “We supported thedealers, the dealers supported thecustomer,” said Nagora. “Everyone’shappy and up and running.”

Older workhorses in the field werenot affected by the recall. At Detroit’sMetro Airport, the MTs have beenready and able to work since 1994.“The paint’s not so bright, but they’restill going,” said Gonzalez.

The demand for smaller, multi-function equipment is expected togrow, said Alan Stearn, executivevice president of Fortbrand Services,the U.S. sales representative for sev-eral snow removal and ground servic-es suppliers. For one, airfields havenever been more crowded—passen-ger traffic is returning to pre-9/11 lev-els even as smaller jets continue tograb a greater share of the world’s air-line fleet, meaning operations are onthe rise. “Airports are starting toaddress runway capacity problems

The Hagie tractor / Vammas plow-brushcombination cleans around lights and

signs, then passes right over top of them. HA

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Attachments for the Trackless MTinclude sweepers (pictured), mowers,plows and an asphalt heater.

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for the desire of fewer runway clo-sures,” Stearn said. This trend is jux-taposed with airports’ desire to keepcosts down—which often means lim-iting or even freezing staff additions.“If equipment can perform severalfunctions with fewer personnel, it’s amajor diving force,” he said.

With that in mind, Stearn seespotential for one of the newest mem-bers of Fortbrand’s portfolio: theFresia F2000 plow/sweeper/blower.Syracuse Hancock International, cit-ing the machine’s multi-functioncapability and the resulting ability touse manpower more flexibly during asnow event as determining factors,purchased one in September aftertesting the Italian-made machine lastwinter. In December, the airport wasauthorized to purchase a second one.

Fortbrand also may have con-tributed to uncovering a diamond-in-the-rough in the multi-functionarena. Several years ago, Stearn’scompany sent a Vammas edge lightplow to Minneapolis-St. PaulInternational (MSP) for evaluation.The plow worked well, explainedPaul Sichko, MSP’s assistant airportdirector/maintenance. But MSP’sengineers, working directly with ateam from Vammas, made some

improvements to it, resulting in the14-foot PS 4200 plow/edge lightcleaner. The large V-shaped plow isactually four sections of blades: twoouter blades and two smaller innerblades that come to a wedge-likepoint in the unit’s center. The twoinner blades open up to help cleanaround signs, and a pair of rotatingbrushes behind them carefully cleansaround edge lights.

Because the plow was made to goon the front of a bucket loader,maneuverability around lights andsigns was tricky, explained Sichko.“You had to be so precise around thelights, we were knocking over toomany,” he said. “We had the plow,but we had to find the right tractor todrive the unit.”

So they went to work. The originalmodification plan called for finding atractor tall enough to drive right overtop of the lights, cleaning aroundthem as it went, Sichko recalled. “Wesaid, ‘If we make it taller to get overthe lights, why don’t we make it tallenough to get over the signs?’” Thekey, Sichko, figured, was finding atractor that would clear FAA size 5“runway distance remaining” signs,which stand 42 inches tall. “I’m asouthern Minnesota boy and my fam-

ily has an agricultural background,”he said. “I knew just the rig.”

Enter Hagie, the Clarion, Iowa-based manufacturer of high-clearancetractors that, besides a high rideheight, have their cabs mounted foreand the engines aft. That, saidSichko, means the operator has anun-obscured view at whatever he’sdoing with the tractor—such as driv-ing over top of a row of edge lightsand cleaning each one as he goes.

Sichko and his colleagues couldn’tbe happier with the Hagie GST20 /Vammas 4200 plow combination.MSP has 4,000 edge lights and 400airfield directional signs, he noted,“and we were hand-shoveling fromaround the bases of all of these fix-tures.” Clearing all of them wouldmean eight hours of dusk-till-dawnwork for a 16-man team, Sichko said.Thanks to the Hagie / Vammas combi-nation, those nights are over at MSP.

And although the manpower sav-ings in edge-light work will quicklyoffset the GST20’s cost, MSP andHagie are working to expand theequipment’s usefulness. Hagie’sdecades of experience in the precisescience of applying liquid chemicalsto crops translates well to runway de-icing, for example. The company cansupply a 120-foot spray boom attach-ment for the GST20, and themachine’s aft-mounted tank can carry2,000 gallons of liquid—“enough todo an entire runway with one vehi-cle, one operator,” Sichko said. Plus,he added, “I can drop the spray boomand 15 minutes later have a plow.”

When the snow is gone, the sprayboom can be used for weed control,Sichko said, and plans for a flailmower attachment are in the works.“We have to do more with less, notjust with personnel but with equip-ment as well,” Sichko said, addingthat the Hagie GST20 has helpedMSP in that area. “We could see theaddition of another one.” A

John Croft is a freelance writer and flight instructor

based in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

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As the founder of snow removal contractor SnowManagement Group, John Allin helped a lot of busi-nesses solve a lot of problems during the winter

months. But there was one problem that, indirectly, he helpedcreate: in the cold, northern climates, snow removal wasoften a misnomer—Allin’s crews didn’t remove snow as muchas move it into big piles. Often, a winter of moderate to heavyprecipitation followed by a late thaw would leave many aparking lot half-full with frozen whitish-gray mountains untilseveral months into the new calendar year.

“We were having some issues with moving snow on com-mercial parking lots,” Allin explained. “My whole intent was torevolutionize the contractor business by supplying them withan affordable, portable melter unit.”

Through a friend, Allin was introduced to executives atPark-Ohio, the Cleveland-based industrial manufacturing con-glomerate. One of its subsidiaries, Feco Engineering, special-izes in custom commercial ovens. Originally, the idea was forFeco to offer its expertise finalizing a design for Allin’s snowmelter, and Allin would find a manufacturer. But Park-Ohiostepped in and offered to back the venture, leading to the for-mation of Snow Dragon LLC, a Park-Ohio Company.

Allin, Snow Dragon LLC’s president, got what he was look-ing for in the Snow Dragon SND 600. It’s an eight-foot-long,20-foot-wide machine that can melt 60 cubic yards of snowper hour (assuming a snow density of about 20 pounds percubic foot) and be towed from site to site by a contractor,making it ideal for schools or restaurants. But he quickly real-ized that he had a lot more: because the technology thatSnow Dragon uses was easily scalable, creating larger mod-els required little in the way of complicated engineering. SoSnow Dragon added the SN 1800 and 3600 to its product line.

The 1800, which can handle 180 cubic yards of snow anhour, is 48 feet long by 8.5 feet wide and can be hauled witha tractor and low-boy trailer—no special permits needed,Allin said. The 3600 can melt 360 cubic yards per hour. It is 68feet long by 11.6 feet wide and is meant to stay in one place,Allin said; moving it requires a tractor/45-foot low-boy trailer

combination and a permit. Allin believes both machines canserve the airport market, and while versions of each havebeen tested at Cleveland Hopkins (last winter, during the pro-totyping phase) and, more recently, at several commercial air-ports in New England, at AM press time, no airports hadplaced orders.

Each of the units works the same way: snow is dumped inthe top, where it falls into a water bath heated by burners. Thesnow melts, and the water is extracted from the unit by over-flow valves, while the heaver-than-water impurities—like

sand and rocks—settle at the bottom of the unit and are leftout of the discharge. Heat is re-circulated within the unit,which cuts down on steam clouds and potentially trouble-some ice build-up around the unit’s top and outside, Allinexplained.

Sticker prices on the units are $600,000 for the SND 3600,$395,000 for the SND 1800, and $150,000 for the SND 600,Allin said, adding that the company is seeking distributorsthroughout the U.S. and Canada. A

—Sean Broderick

BEWARE THE DRAGON

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If your security isn’t allowing you to run efficiently,

how well is it really protecting you?

© 2004 ADT Security Services, Inc. ADT, the ADT logo and ADT Always There are registered trademarks of ADT Services, AG, and are used under license.

Integration is the key to greater efficiency—true of both aviation facilities and security sys-

tems. That’s why ADT’s aviation security solutions are created with an emphasis on inte-

gration. Our dedicated team of aviation professionals can help you choose from industry-lead-

ing solutions in checkpoint security, video surveillance, access control, biometrics and perimeter

control. All chosen specifically to help meet the needs and size of your facility. And because

ADT is a GSA Schedule Holder, you can expect a procurement experience that is equally

streamlined. To get started, just call 1-877-557-5635 or visit us at ADT.com. ADT. Always

There.®

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On October 3, 2005, the Transporta-tion Security Administration (TSA)issued the “Guidance Package:Biometrics for Airport AccessControl.” The TSA guidance docu-ment is meant to help airports chooseand implement biometric access con-trol systems throughout their facili-ties. Biometrics is a methodologyused to uniquely recognize humansbased upon one or more physical orbehavioral traits such as fingerprints,eye retinas and irises, facial patternsand hand measurements. Biometrictechnology is one method of improv-ing upon existing access control sys-tems at airports.

The TSA guidance outlines thebasic criteria and standards that TSAbelieves biometric products and sys-

tems should contain in order to meetan acceptable level of performance forairport access control systems. Thefinal guidance document provides air-ports with good information as theywork to add biometrics into theirsecurity systems. It also encouragesairport operators to ask the right ques-tions before creating a bid or requestfor proposal (RFP) documents.

These guidelines originated in late2004, when the Airport LegislativeAlliance (ALA) was working closelywith House Aviation SubcommitteeChairman John Mica (R-Florida) andhis staff on a requirement for TSA toestablish biometric guidelines for theairport industry. This effort was part ofthe ALA’s broader work on legislationimplementing the recommendations

of the 9/11 Commission. The ALAfocused on ensuring that any require-ment in this area would not impose atechnological or financial burden onairport operators given the troubledhistory that airports had with accesscontrol system requirements datingback to the time that the FederalAviation Administration had primaryresponsibility over airport security.

This endeavor resulted in a con-gressional requirement, outlined inthe Intelligence Reform andTerrorism Prevention Act, signed intolaw by President Bush on December17, 2004, for the TSA to issue biomet-rics guidelines for airport access con-trols by March 31, 2005. The congres-sional language also required TSA toconsult with representatives of the

TSA’s Biometrics Guidance

By Rebecca Morrison

TSA’s Biometrics Guidance

access control


aviation industry and the NationalInstitute of Standards andTechnology (NIST) in developingthese guidelines.

As a result, in January 2005, AAAEand numerous other associationsstarted working with TSA to meet theintent of Congress. The act requiredthat TSA’s guidance include: (1) tech-nical and operational biometric stan-dards; (2) a plan for creating andmaintaining a list of biometric airportaccess control devices, known as aQualified Products List (QPL); and (3)procedures that will aid in airportimplementation including a bestpractices guidance.

AAAE’s Transportation SecurityPolicy staff worked with TSA for thenext two months on the developmentof the TSA guidelines. The staffhelped educate TSA on the currentstate of airport access controls andthe importance of protecting theinvestment airports had made overthe past several decades on accesscontrol. The staff also emphasizedthat TSA needed to create minimumstandards that airports could utilizewhen upgrading or changing theirsystems. In addition, the staffstressed that the biometric guidelinesshould remain recommendations—not be mandated in any manner.AAAE wanted to ensure that theseguidelines would not impede airportsfrom moving forward with their bio-metrics developments.

In early March 2005, with the helpof the AAAE TransportationSecurity Services Committee, AAAEprovided TSA with detailed techni-cal and policy related comments onthe two TSA draft guidelines that ithad been provided.

Seven months later, on October 3,after Department of HomelandSecurity review and approval, TSAissued the guidance package.

The guidance document includesmost of AAAE’s recommendations. Itoutlines basic criteria and standardsthat TSA believes biometric prod-ucts should contain in order to meetthe technical requirements ofacceptable performance for airportaccess control systems. TSA statesin the document that the criteria arebased on its technical expertise,which it accumulated in consulta-tion with NIST and the aviation andbiometrics industry representatives.

The guidance states that TSA willuse these criteria to evaluate biomet-ric sub-systems for inclusion on theQPL. In some cases a device that doesnot meet all the TSA criteria andstandards may be still be approvedfor placement on the list if TSAbelieves its performance will be com-parable to devices that meet the crite-ria and standards.

As the majority of U.S. airports cur-rently do not have any biometricsincorporated into their access controlsystems, the final document, althoughlong and wordy, provides usefulinformation as airports work to addbiometrics into their security systems.It encourages operators to ask theright questions before creating a bid orRFP documents, and will likely be

most helpful to smaller airports withminimum staff and little experiencein developing projects of this nature.

For larger more proactive airportssuch as Seattle-Tacoma International,an early biometrics adopter amongairports, however, the TSA guidelineswere not as useful. “We already had acomprehensive biometric system inplace before the guidelines came out”stated Arif Ghouse, the Port ofSeattle’s chief of airport security, “Wehad made a decision shortly after9/11/ to move ahead with the tech-nology despite there being no stan-dards from FAA/TSA.” In fact,Ghouse explains, Sea-Tac was amodel on which TSA developed theguidelines, “TSA monitored [our]progress closely and incorporatedaspects into their guidelines.”

For Denver International Airport(DEN), the usefulness was limited aswell. “The only value I have seen forDEN is it confirms that the biometrictechnology we are using is acceptable”explained Lori Beckman, A.A.E., theairport’s director of security.

At Minneapolis-St. Paul Interna-tional Airport, the guidancereceived a more positive review.“The guidelines were mostly help-ful in that the private sectorproviders kept abreast of the workand the drafting and responded toour RFP with systems that would becompliant with those guidelinesnow and going forward,” saidDeputy Executive Director ofOperations Timothy Anderson. “As an airport, all we did was refer-ence the existence of the guidelinesin our RFP—in our case for the new card access system—andrequired providers to be able tomeet those guidelines.”

The general sense from airports isthat the TSA guidance document,although somewhat vague and gener-al, is sufficient in setting the parame-ters for the airport and biometricindustries without pigeonholing air-ports into having to use a specificproduct or system. A

Rebecca Morrison is AAAE’s staff vice president,

Transportation Security Policy.

Industry’s input and experience helped

shape TSA’s biometrics guidance document.

access control


Get The Guidance

TSA’s biometrics guidance document, a 140-page .PDF, is

available at: http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/Biometrics_

Guidance.pdf.It’s also available on the

Transportation Security Policysection of AAAE’s Web site

(www.aaae.org).

Deliver your message again.

Take advantage of your organization’scoverage in Airport Magazine by order-ing custom reprints. Our reprint teamspecializes in creating high-impact pro-motional pieces that are ideal for deliv-ering your message via trade shows,mailings, or press kits.

And again. And again…

For information on making Airport Magazine reprints work for you, contact Carol Roe at (800) 259-0470 or [email protected]


Most airports derive revenue from a variety of sources, and it is becoming morecommon for airports to finance operations from a combination of usage fees andto finance capital programs through grants, such as the federal AirportImprovement Program (AIP) and Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs) These rev-enue sources are based on activity at the airport; AIP grant amounts are basedon the passenger throughput and landed cargo weight, and approved PFC col-lection amounts are based on passenger throughput. Traditionally, usage feeswere limited to landing fees based on an aircraft’s maximum certified grosstakeoff weight. However, with the advent of newer aircraft tracking and identi-fication technologies, airports can bill for usage of their facilities. A revenuemanagement system that can track airport usage, passenger flow, and landedcargo weight would maximize operational revenues as well as capital financingfrom AIP and PFC sources.

In the past, due to the lack of automated solutions, airports have relied onthe honor system, whereby users self-report their landings, parking, cargolanded, and the like. However, as independent aircraft monitoring and track-ing solutions have become available, many airports have found additional rev-

By Alex Smith and Thomas Breen

revenue management

Airport Revenue Management

IMPROVING

enue resulting from the increasedtraceability and reliability of theautomated systems when comparedto the honor system.

Airports operate using one of twoaccounting methods—a residual costor a compensatory approach. Themain difference between the two isrisk allocation; the residual approachplaces the risk with the airlines, astheir usage fees may need to increaseto cover costs of airport operations,while the compensatory approachmay result in insufficient airport

operational revenues, which wouldresult in an operating loss for the air-port. In either case, airports havefound that an independent, accuratesource of revenue management isbeneficial. For cost accounting, anindependent revenue managementsystem benefits the users, which aremainly signatory airlines, and the air-port. Therefore, regardless of theaccounting method used, an inde-pendent revenue management systemwill enhance capital program financ-ing and operating revenues.

As of 2005, more than 3,000 air-ports in the U.S. national system

received an average of $12 billion peryear for planned capital develop-ment. The largest source was bonds,followed by AIP, then PFCs, with var-ious industry estimates of airportcapital developments ranging from $9billion to $15 billion per year. AIPentitlements are based on cargo activ-ity, i.e., landed cargo weight, as wellas the number of enplaned passen-gers, which is based on a stratifica-tion of entitlements, with a minimumtotal of $1 million and a maximum of$26 million as follows:

• $7.80 for each of the first 50,000• $5.20 for each of the next 50,000• $2.60 for each of the next 400,000• $0.65 for each of the next 500,000• $0.50 per additional enplanementAs of January 2005, over 350 air-

ports were approved by FAA to col-lect PFCs, including over 90 percentof the top 100 airports. Over half ofthe airports are collecting at the high-er $4.50 level, and by the end of 2004,FAA had approved over $47.5 billion.The amount and type of fundingvaries depending on the airport’ssize. For example, large and mediumhub airports depend more on bonds,

while smaller airports rely more onAIP grants. Passenger facility chargesare a more important source of rev-enue for the large and medium hubairports because they have the major-ity of commercial service passengers.

The reporting requirements impo-sed by the government for PFC pro-grams are fairly onerous. Airportsmust compile quarterly reports toprovide oversight of PFC revenue tothe FAA and the airlines. Airlinescollecting PFCs from more than50,000 annual enplanements mustconduct annual independent audits.The quarterly reports are monitoredto see how well revenues track to theapproved program. Excessive rev-enue accumulation may result in arevision of charge expiration, or adecrease in the PFC fee. For short-falls, an increase of project total ispossible (up to 15 percent) by extend-ing the program expiration date.

An airport’s annual capital pro-gram allocations will vary dependingon airport development programs;however, the amounts to be trackedmay be of the same order for opera-tions as for capital programs. Forexample, a typical landing fee for apassenger aircraft may be in theregion of $200-$400. The PFC entitle-ment, at $3 per paying passenger istherefore $300 for an aircraft carrying100 or so passengers.

Although each airport is different,the main revenues sources for a typi-cal U.S. top 200 (as measured byenplanements) airport can be compa-rable. For example, an airport’s oper-ational revenues usually come fromlanding fees, auto parking, propertymanagement, and retail. Aircraftlanding and use fees usually accountfor 20 percent to 30 percent of rev-enue, auto parking fees usuallyaccount for 20 percent to 30 percent,


The technology exists to improve the accuracy, timeliness, comprehensiveness,

and automation of revenue management, enabling airports to effectively manage

complex capital programs and accurately assess airport usage fees.

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revenue management


and the remaining revenue is general-ly derived from property leases, suchas ticket counter and retail space.Landing and use fees represent theonly significant airport revenuesource with source data that isuncontrolled (self reporting) and,therefore, difficult to audit.

Airports have been constrained bythe lack of available technologies andreliance on traditional manual proce-dures. With new passive flight track-ing systems, such as multilateration,now commercially available, it ispossible to implement comprehen-sive modern billing systems that canbill for all airport usages, includinglanding fees, parking fee manage-ment, user fees (stratified for signato-ry and non-signatory users), FBO andGA fees, de-icing facilities, ramp/apron/gate usage, maintenance facili-ties, noise-related surcharges, andcurfew violation fees.

Many U.S. airports attempt to bill forsuch usage, but the data comes fromvarious sources and its accuracy isoften questionable. For example, manydata fields are based on an airline’sschedule, which reflects intent, asopposed to what actually happened.

Most existing aircraft billing, rev-enue management and operationstracking systems are manually inten-sive and rely on data inputs from dis-parate sources. Many of the datasetsare incomplete, inaccurate, and result

in less than perfect solutions. Datasources include schedule informa-tion, FAA flight strips, and alsoAirline Service Quality PerformanceReports (ASQP). Manual transcrip-tion of FAA flight strips is prone toerror, and according to statistics onthe ASQP data from the Departmentof Transportation, the aircraft tailnumber data is missing more than 39percent of the time. Existing sourcesof data for airport revenue manage-ment, while still useful, are incom-plete, inaccurate, and often introducea significant delay in data timeliness.

A substantial portion of an airport’soperating revenue may be derivedfrom leases of property and facilitiesto airlines and retail companies. Anairline at the airport may also receiveinvoices for rent and facility fees aswell as aircraft activity. These twodifferent types of fees can be catego-rized as static and dynamic billing,where the airline receives bills forrental of space (static) and landingfees (dynamic). There are several verygood software packages on the marketfor management of leases at airports –for the static part of the equation.There are also flight tracking solu-tions on the market aimed at captur-ing airport landing fees; however,until now, there has been no compre-hensive approach that combines thestatic lease management with thedynamic aspects such as landing fees,

taxi usage, and overall facility usageincluding gates.

One of the main reasons to intro-duce billing automation into a busi-ness is to improve revenue collection.Increased revenue may be collectedby using a system that is more com-prehensive in identifying usage. Costsassociated with revenue collectionmay be reduced through automationand the reduction of manually inten-sive activities. More accurate andautomated client billing may reducethe cost to some clients, whileincreasing costs to other clients, butmost importantly, the system wouldprovide volumes of detailed and accu-rate information on usage charges.

Most airports use unsophisticatedmethods to charge for airport usage.Peak time pricing has been simplybased on hourly blocks of time andclient fees are assessed based onbasic aircraft registration weight.Parking fees are usually charged tothe nearest hour and ramp use feesare assessed based on the scheduleduse of ramps at the airport. The rea-son for the simple approximationsand basic rules is because existinglegacy billing collection techniquesare rudimentary and cannot supporta more sophisticated set of rules.

With a more sophisticated system,the billing is exact and peak pricing isbased on actual landing time, parkingtime, ramp usage, type of ramp anddeparture. Fees are based on the spe-cific aircraft weight for the individualaircraft, which is more equitable forusers with different aircraft configu-rations. A system with this level ofaccuracy and fidelity benefits the air-port as well as the airport users. Usersare supplied with detailed informa-tion as feedback showing the billingaccuracy and they can use this infor-mation to streamline their operationsand planned use of the airport inpeak and non-peak periods.

Increasingly sophisticated datafeeds and the integration of multipledata streams allow an airport to geteven closer to the ideal billingmethodology: one that is based on the

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economic cost of use. Every aircraftand passenger that arrives or departsan airport requires a certain amountof resources be available for thatoperation. Some aircraft require moreresources than others based on theirsize, weight and use. An ideal billingsystem would charge a fee based onthe actual costs associated withaccommodating that aircraft at thatairport at that time.

For instance, an Airbus A380 willconsume more of the airport’sresources than a Canadair RegionalJet, but the difference in resourcesconsumed by each of these two air-craft is only approximated by theratio of their maximum gross weights,which is how most billing systemsare configured to charge landing fees.The A380 will carry more than 500people and may require that othergates be closed to accommodate thesize of the large aircraft. These addi-tional gates are then denied to otheraircraft and there is a cost associatedwith the lost opportunity, even if theAirbus was not directly using thegates, it was denying the airportaccess to a revenue-producingresource. This lost opportunity costrepresents an economic cost thatshould be recovered by the airport.

Airports need accurate, timely,comprehensive, and automated rev-enue management systems for operat-ing revenues and capital programentitlements. The technology existstoday to combine existing methodswith more accurate data-trackingtools and data sources to create accu-rate, robust, cost-effective, bottomline-enhancing revenue managementsystems at airports of all sizes. A

Alex Smith and Tom Breen work for Rannoch Corp.,

the provider of AirScene multilateration flight track-

ing systems, which are used for a variety of airport

applications, including revenue management. The

company has over 60 airport customers worldwide,

including revenue applications at Raleigh-Durham

International, Ted Stevens Anchorage International,

Louisville International, Indianapolis International,

Cincinnati Lunken Municipal, and Portland (Maine)

Jetport. For more information, contact Alex at

[email protected].


• Track capital program and operational revenue entitlements.

• Maximize capital program and operational revenue entitle-

ments.

• Audit capital program and operational revenue entitle-

ments.

• Automate tracking of capital program entitlements and col-

lection of airport operations revenues.

• Bill for landing fees using actual weight, certified gross

takeoff weight for the type, or a modified certified gross

takeoff weight for the specific aircraft.

• Track actual landed cargo weight for billing and AIP entitle-

ments.

• Assist the airport in complying with Government require-

ments for reporting.

• Independently audit activity at fixed base operators (FBOs).

• Track aircraft parking fee management by location/time

period, and overnight parking.

• Track use and throughput of de-ice facilities.

• Track actual ramp/apron/gate use by user.

• Track actual use of maintenance facilities.

• Implement noise fee surcharges.

• Consolidate billing to users for property lease and

facilities usage.

• Automatically bill for peak pricing.

• Automatically bill for the physical damage costs of runway

and taxiway use.

• Automatically bill for the economic cost of use.

What Can Today’s Technology Do?

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gageneral aviation


UNV’s Tower BluesBy John Croft

Bryan Rodgers, director of theUniversity Park Airport (UNV) incentral Pennsylvania, is quite famil-iar with the yin and yang of spectacu-lar growth at non-hub and generalaviation (GA) airports. His facility isone of the fastest growing in the U.S.,according to the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Transportation(PennDot). It’s already the busiestnon-towered commercial service air-port in the country, according to FAAdata, with more than 270,000enplanements in 2005.

On the positive side, the airport’sgrowth reflects a thriving GA commu-nity and a prospering business sceneat nearby Penn State University andits associated business park. On theother hand, 65,000 operations ayear—mostly GA—are making theGA, corporate and commercial pilotcommunities increasingly worriedabout the specter of a midair orground collision. Part of the problemis that air traffic control radars in the

region can sweep down only to 4,000feet in the area due to the mountains,leaving pilots to fend for themselvescloser to the ground.

Without $15 million for a newradar, Rodgers’ number one priorityfor nearly three years has been to geta control tower on the field. He’s notthere yet.

GA airports can either build theirown towers or get federal dollars forpart or most of the project. Once thetower is built, the airport can eitherpay for staffing itself or get part or allof the funding through the FAA’sContract Tower Program. Contracttowers are staffed by contractorsrather than civil servant controllers.

UNV's first step was to write to theFAA’s Air Traffic Organization andask for federal help to build a tower.Rodgers sent the information inOctober 2003 and received somegood news 10 months later. In termsof a benefit-cost ratio, the FAA said acontrol tower at UNV ranked 1.85, farabove the minimum threshold of 1.0to qualify for full federal AirportImprovement Program (AIP) funding,according to Rodgers.

With full AIP funding, the govern-ment pays for 95 percent of a qualify-ing project's cost. When benefit-costratios come in lower than 1.0, theagency can offer a lower percentageof the cost-sharing, according to DaveMadison, acting director for terminal,safety and operational support atFAA headquarters. Madison said abenefit-cost analysis is also a neces-sary ingredient for airports requestingto join the Contract Tower Program.In that case, a ratio 1.0 or more wouldqualify an airport for full funding forits controllers. Madison said the con-tract tower program is “full up”through 2007.

Next Rodgers hired consultantsMead & Hunt, Inc., to analyze thespecifics and the location of thetower. What resulted was an optimal-ly located tower standing 80 to 90feet, with a predicted price tag ofabout $5 million. Unfortunately, themaximum AIP funding available forthe project was $1.5 million. Thatamount, said Rodgers, “isn’t going toget us a tower.”

Even if the FAA’s $1.5 million hadbeen enough to build the facility,however, UNV would still have towait years to get in the tower-buildingqueue. According to Madison, theFAA needs until 2010 to complete allof the towers currently in thepipeline. “A lot of people, when theyfind out the time scale, they go to

As of January 1, there were 231 air-ports participating in the FAA ContractTower Program. They are representedby the U.S. Contract Tower Association(USCTA). For more information onUSCTA, visit www.contracttower.org.

The USCTA

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Congress,” said Madison. Though FAA has approved UNV to

use passenger facility charges (PFCs)from its commercial service to keepthe project going, Rodgers said thosePFCs will ultimately be required tobuild a new passenger terminal,which traffic forecasts show will benecessary within five years.

As such, PennDot last year decidedto pursue congressional earmark formoney for the tower, a typical alterna-tive. Rodgers said the state failed to getan earmark in the 2006 appropriationsbill, but that it would try again in 2007.

Salina ExpandsAircraft Services Wells Aircraft Inc. in January was slat-ed to open a full service airframe main-tenance, avionics and engine facility atSalina (Kansas) Municipal Airport.

The expansion of aviation servicesis part of an industry marketing cam-paign by the Salina Airport Authorityand the Salina Area Chamber ofCommerce to grow the SalinaAviation Service Center. Salina’s avi-ation fuel sales already exceed fourmillion gallons annually.

Hutchison-based Wells Aircraftwill provide aircraft owners with air-frame and powerplant (A&P) services,as well as avionics installation andrepair for a wide range of general avi-ation aircraft.

“Since 1928 Wells Aircraft Inc., hasprovided excellent service to pilotsand aircraft owners throughout theGreat Plains states,” said Tim Rogers,A.A.E., executive director of the SalinaAirport Authority. “That tradition ofexpert service will continue at its newSalina Municipal Airport facility.”

The company will operate from ahangar at the south end of the airportadjacent to the M.J. Kennedy AirTerminal. Wells’ long-term plan is toalso offer air taxi and charter services

from its new Salina business location. In recent years, the Salina Airport

Authority has invested nearly $8 mil-lion in airfield improvements,including a new general aviation

reliever runway, extensive rehabilita-tion of the primary and crosswindrunways, the purchase of a newARFF vehicle and renovations tolarge aircraft hangar facilities. A

Calendar year 2005 was a busy and successfulone for Memphis International Airport(MEM) as the facility made significant con-

tributions to both its region and its customers.Ranked eighth out of 34 medium-sized airports andfirst among the Northwest Airlines hub airports foroverall airport satisfaction, Memphis Internationalis making its mark in every arena.

According to a 2005 new economic impact studyconducted by the Sparks Bureau of Business andEconomic Research Center for Manpower Studiesat the University of Memphis, MemphisInternational has a $20.8 billion impact on theMemphis area. This number correlates both finan-cially and in jobs, as the airport generates one ofevery four Memphis-area jobs, much of that flow-ing from the FedEx Express hub. “The singlelargest economic engine in Memphis starts andstops with Memphis International Airport,” thestudy said.

The four billion pounds of goods that landed lastyear generated about $19.5 billion of the goodsand services tied to the airport, along with nearly156,000 jobs, the report said. Nearly 94 percent ofthis cargo came through the FedEx hub.Some other findings in the study: passengerflights—393,690 of them carrying 5.2 million pas-

sengers—produced $1.2 billion and 9,500 jobs, andconstruction accounted for $60 million and 542jobs, bringing the total to about 166,000 jobsdepending in some way on the airport.

Researchers acknowledge the fact that the airportmakes a bigger impact because it is so heavily aircargo than if it was just passenger driven. Both thecargo and distribution businesses that feed off of itgive Memphis the ability to not only maintain com-panies, but also encourage them to develop andattract new ones.

The study said that executives of companiesranging from Cell Genesys, which creates vaccines,to Medtronic Sofamor Danek and Smith & Nephew,which make bone and joint replacements, toFlextronics and Jabil Circuit, assemblers of elec-tronic goods, all cited the airport as a factor inlocating facilities nearby.

The study also found that while less than 25 per-cent of 420 companies surveyed used the airport tosend out or receive goods, 80 percent had employ-ees riding on flights to and from the airport, andnearly 60 percent had customers or business asso-ciates come through Memphis International.

The airport itself is not the only local aviationicon getting accolades: in December, Larry Cox,A.A.E., president and CEO of Memphis-Shelby

asairport spotlight


MemphisInternational Airport

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Memphisby Betsy Woodsby Betsy Woods


County Airport Authority (MSCAA), was inductedinto the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame for hisleadership and contribution to aviation for the stateof Tennessee.

Another highlight to top off the year at MemphisInternational Airport last year was the unveiling ofits new restaurants and concessions, which costapproximately $25 million and took two years tocomplete, the airport said. The airport announcedthat four primary operators have long-term con-tracts to operate restaurants or concessions atMemphis International Airport: The ParadiesShops, Anton Airfood, DNC - Travel HospitalityServices and The Hudson Group.

The airport said the new concessions weredesigned to be Memphis-centric and feature localfavorites: Interstate BBQ, Back Yard Burgers,Lenny’s, Corky’s, Grisanti’s Bol a Pasta, Folk’s Folly,Huey’s, Sun Studio, The Memphis Zoo, theMemphis Rock & Soul Museum and Elvis PresleyEnterprises. National chains such as Varsity Grill,Blue Note Café, Einstein Bagels, Starbucks, Arby’s,CNBC News and Hudson News feature a localMemphis flair. A

Quick Facts:• MEM is the top U.S. hub for on-time flights.

• According to the J.D. Power & Associates 2004 Global AirportSatisfaction Index Study, MEM ranked 8th out of 34 medium-sizedairports, and scored higher than Detroit and even withMinneapolis, Northwest’s other hubs.

• The Memphis Municipal Airport, consisting of three hangars anda sod field runway, was dedicated on June 15, 1929.

• A new, $5.5-million terminal was dedicated in 1963, andMemphis Municipal Airport was renamed Memphis MetropolitanAirport.The airport’s name was changed to Memphis InternationalAirport in 1969.

• In 1973, FedEx Express was founded in Memphis, and the com-pany built a sorting facility and an administration building on theairfield. FedEx’s package-sorting complex, which would latercome to be known as the Super Hub, has made MemphisInternational the busiest cargo airport in the world.

• In 1986, MSCAA completed work on a new master plan for con-tinued development, constructing a third parallel north-south run-way; extending an existing runway to 11,100 ft., to better accom-modate non-stop international flights; improving existing terminalconcourses; building a new International Arrivals Facility; creatingadditional parking; and making roadway improvements.

• United Parcel Service increased its presence at the airport in1999, opening a 330,000-sq. ft. package storage facility on an 84-acre site adjacent to the new third parallel runway.

• In 2001, a service agreement was signed between Memphis-based FedEx and the United States Postal Service. Under thisagreement, FedEx is providing approximately 3.5 million pounds,the equivalent of about 30 DC-10s of airlift cargo capacity, on adaily basis.

2005 Statistics• Total passengers (January-November 2005): 9,274,133 (+ 7% vs. same time period in 2004)

• Total freight (January-November 2005):6,559,435,616 lbs. (+ 0.7% vs. same time period in 2004)

atairportech


Savannah’s EasyFIDS UpdatesSavannah/Hilton Head InternationalAirport recently added wireless FIDSinputs at its airline boarding gates,improving customer service by mak-ing the flight-updating process moreconvenient for its carriers withoutbreaking the airport’s IT budget.

The communicate with the air-port’s FIDS server via the airport’swireless backbone, which was built in 2003. Airport NetworkSolutions/ICOA, the airport’s Wi-Fiprovider, and FIDS display providerInfax teamed up on the project.

“The airport’s IT architecture wasset up in such a way that we couldaddress anything that seems reason-able,” including applications likecommon use kiosks and RFID,explained ICOA Director of FieldOperations William Ankerstjerne,who played a leading role in design-ing the airport’s network. “The FIDSproject fit right into that role andproved how useful a wireless infra-structure, when airport owns andoperates it as a neutral host, can be.”

Savannah/Hilton Head, like manyairports, has seen its airlines trimstaff sizes in recent years. One of themany ramifications: fewer airlineagents to do things like make timelyupdates to the FIDS systems using theinput stations in traditional places,like at ticket counters or operationsareas, explains Greg Kelly, A.A.E.,Savannah’s director of operations.“The solution was to find a way toeconomically add FIDS input sta-tions at other locations convenient tothe airline personnel at any phase oftheir operation,” he said. “The air-lines told us that FIDS input stationslocated near their gates would givethem the opportunity to makeupdates at the gate if they missed it atthe counter or in ops.”

ICOA and Infax got to work. Infaxset up mobile workstations—basical-ly combining a laptop and a cabinetto create a self-contained unit that theairline can place anywhere. The unitsconnect wirelessly to the airport’sFIDS server via the airport’s Wi-Fibackbone, not unlike a passenger log-ging on to surf the Internet. “Someairlines opt to have two [worksta-tions], some three,” Kelly explained.“But they all like the idea of havingthem at the gate.”

Ankerstjerne said that other air-ports with ICOA’s wireless servicesand Infax’s FIDS offerings haveexpressed interest in duplicatingSavannah/Hilton Head’s setup.

Meanwhile, Kelly noted,Savannah/Hilton Head is pressing onwith its next phase of Wi-Fi deploy-ment: the ramp area. While it won’taddress a specific need right away,having wireless connectivity on theramp will bring several long-termbenefits, Kelly explained. For one,

some airlines—notably JetBlue in theU.S. and WestJet in Canada—arelooking to move data between theircockpits and ground operations peo-ple, and the airport wants to be asaccommodating as possible to suchcarriers at its facility.

The move also is the next step in along-term plan, Kelly explained.Down the road, the goal is to push thesignal to the entire airfield. Amongthe benefits that would bring is theability for the airport’s operationsteam to file real-time reports—suchas runway inspection data—from outon the airport, Kelly said.

Jacksonville, Leeds:FIDS With A TwistFlorida’s Jacksonville InternationalAirport and the U.K.’s LeedsBradford International Airportrecently unveiled new dual-functionFIDS applications.

Southwest Florida International installed three Cernium ExitSentry intelligentdirection monitoring systems to monitor exit lanes. ... Honeywell will supplyHouston George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports with itsRadar Video Surveillance (RVS) perimeter intrusion detection system, whichtracks ground-based moving targets. Both airports also will serve as beta sitesfor Honeywell's Advanced Video Processing System (AVPS), which monitorsand analyzes certain behaviors captured by video. ... The Maryland AviationAdministration bought a $6.9 million Motorola, Inc. Mission Critical wirelesscommunications system for Baltimore/Washington International ThurgoodMarshall Airport that will improve coordination between the airport and neigh-boring jurisdictions, Motorola said. ... Phoenix Sky Harbor has rolled out freeWi-Fi access on both sides of security. ...France’s Vatry Airport signed up forLufthansa Systems’ ELWIS air cargo logistics system.

tech briefs


Jacksonville put a seven-foot-by-twelve-foot display into service at itscourtesy waiting lot, located next tothe authority’s administration build-ing. The display, supplied byDaktronics, lists the status of eacharriving flight. A “ready for pickup”message next to a flight prompts driv-ers that it’s time to head to the termi-nal to meet arriving passengers.

Leeds Bradford installed AirportTVon both the non-secure and securesides of its terminal. AirportTV com-bines FIDS and wayfinding informa-tion side-by-side with airport-specificadvertising on large monitors.

According to the company, informa-tion and ads are customizable basedon many variables, including thearea of the airport that a system isin, the time of day, or even targetingpassengers waiting for specificflights, such as international travel-ers who might be more likely tojump at duty-free offers. Leeds is thesecond U.K. airport to buyAirportTV, joining Nottingham EastMidlands. The system is not in anyNorth American airports. A

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rsretail spotlight


P atrons sidle up to the bar in a sleek metal-lic and sapphire-toned room and maketheir selections from an assortment of

inventive martinis and the latest cuisine. Scenes from a hot, trendy martini bar, or just

another layover at the airport? In Detroit, it's both.Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

recently underwent an overhaul in its McNamaraTerminal concourse, opening an array of retail anddining concepts in Concourse C to include, amongother things, a Martini Lounge, Fuddruckers, twoCNN Newsstands, and a Detroit 500 destinationbar. This terminal and concessions program haslanded the airport both recognition and awards forits innovation and style.

Delaware North Companies Travel HospitalityServices is the company that won in the bid toexpand Detroit’s retail operations alongside recog-nized names in food and beverage. Combining atrendy martini bar concept and an “upscale”atmosphere, the Martini Lounge offers airport trav-elers the opportunity to choose from a full menu ofmartinis, and enjoy a variety of appetizers and“haute” cuisine.

On the other end of the spectrum in McNamaraTerminal concourse is Fuddruckers, a family-friendly hamburger chain known for its jumbo-sized built-to-order burgers and expansive topping bar.

Detroit Metropolitan’s retail revamp also boaststwo new Detroit CNN Newsstand stores (includingthe first CNN Newsstand in an airport), which areone-stop shops that resemble actual newsrooms.The CNN airport news, book and gift stores featuremonitors that broadcast CNN programming, a spe-cially designed anchor desk checkout and a coffeebreak area.

In an effort to creating partnerships with localbusinesses, Detroit Metropolitan said it wanted toentice travelers by incorporating local culture intothe airport retail and foodservice facilities. The air-port followed through with this idea in Detroit500, a destination bar decorated with race andautomotive memorabilia.

With all of these enticing options for travelers tochoose from, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne CountyAirport’s concourse is anything but ordinary, andsure to leave a first—and lasting—impression. A

DETROIT METROPOLITAN WAYNE COUNTYCONCOURSE C By Betsy Woods

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AIRPORT

RETAIL BRIEFS

HMSHost opened the European bakery cafe concept BriocheDoree in the American Airlines terminal (Terminal 4) at LosAngeles International. ... HMSHost Europe announced theopening of two Segafredo kiosks and the illy Coffee Bar/Café,its first restaurants at Stockholm’s Arlanda International. ...BAA Boston announced it has added a new Brookstone retailoutlet to the Airmall at Boston Logan International Airport. Thenew location marks Brookstone's third store at Logan and thecompany's 41st airport store throughout the country. ...Phoenix Sky Harbor International said its Terminal 4 renova-tion is nearly complete, with more than 30 new shops nowopen and additional stores scheduled to come this summer.... Comfort Zone Spa announced it has expanded into a retailstorefront in the post-security area between Concourse B andA at Jacksonville International. ... HDS Retail, North America,said it has been selected to provide a newsstand concessionand a bookstore concession in the international terminalbuilding at Vancouver International. ... Columbus-based cook-ie company Cheryl&Co. on Nov. 21 opened its first airportstore at Port Columbus International.

Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) successfullypassed the performance verification test,which was conducted during the week of

November 28, officials from Grand Rapids Gerald R.Ford International Airport report. JCI and the KentCounty Department of Aeronautics (KCDA) havebeen preparing for the next project milestone, theendurance test.

The endurance test, which demonstrates systemreliability, is conducted over two 15-day periods.The test primarily consists of measuring error ratesand calculating false alarm rates.

At AM press time, the test’s execution was beingheld up by a few technical glitches. The main one:JCI and the airport team discovered that one model ofcard reader was being affected by static electricity.

“The manufacturer believes it has remedied theproblem, and we are monitoring the performance ofsix new readers,” said Rob Benstein, A.A.E., KCDApublic safety and operations director. If the newreaders hold up, about 35 more will be installed.

The endurance test was slated to begin the lastweek in January. Even with a bit of slippage,Benstein said, a project completion date of March31 is attainable. A

pcproject chronicle

>> Gerald R. Ford International Airport


Next time: project completion?

ACCESS CONTROL/SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM UPGRADES

About This Series

Project Chronicle makes its return after aone-issue hiatus. The project remains thesame, however: an upgraded access con-trol/CCTV system at Grand Rapids (Michigan)Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR).

In October 2003, GRR and the KentCounty Department of Aeronautics awardeda $2.6 million contract to Johnson Controlsto build and install new access control andclosed-circuit television systems. DMJMTechnology developed the systems’ specifi-cations. Airport Magazine—through thisspecial Project Chronicle feature and inclose cooperation with GRR, DMJM, andJohnson Controls—has been tracking theproject as it moves along.

At AM press time, the project's scheduledcompletion timeframe was late March. Theproject's original schedule called for com-pletion in fall 2004.

IET ‘Dramatically Reduced’ SEA-TAC’s Training Costs

“AAAE’s Interactive Employee Training (IET) system has dramatically reduced our training

costs while improving the consistency of our training message. We are pleased that our

training costs have dropped below $18 per employee with the use of the IET system.”

- Mark Reis, Managing Director of Aviation, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

IET Systems• Reduce Training Costs and Valuable Staff Time

• Improve Recordkeeping and Tracking of Employee Training

• Incorporate Full Screen Video to Make the Most Impact

• Use Fully Customized Courses to Improve the Learning Experience

• And, Are AIP/PFC Eligible!

For information, contact Will James at (703) 824-0500, Ext. 149, [email protected] or Jim Johnson at Ext. 183, e-mail [email protected].


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a s s e n g e r t r a f f i c

REVENUE PASSENGER MILES, IN BILLIONS

U.S. MEMBER AIRLINES, AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION

P2005

2004

2003

2001

2000

NOTE: Sept 2000 – Aug 2001 traffic included to show pre-9/11 baseline

u i l d o u t

The Port of Portland, Oregon, has approved

a $2.1 million contract with Scheidt &

Bachmann GmbH for the purchase and

installation of an automatic parking guidance

system in the parking garage to more easily

guide motorists to empty parking spaces.

The system will provide a sonic detector over

each parking stall, connected via computer to

a series of variable message signs. As

motorists approach each level of the garage,

a message sign will indicate the exact num-

ber of vacant spaces available on the floor.

The port authority also has authorized pre-

liminary design work for a second parking

garage. The design work for the second

garage will provide two alternative configura-

tions. One design will provide for a seven-

story garage with 3,000 parking spaces and

500 spaces for rental cars. The second design

calls for a garage with the same parking

capacity plus a 140,000-square-foot port

administrative office. A $1.6 million contract

was awarded to Zimmer Gunsul Frasca

Partnership to prepare the designs.

The Capital Region (Virginia) Airport

Commission, owners and operators of

Richmond International Airport, has selected

Fabricom Airport Systems Inc. to design,

build and install outbound and inbound bag-

gage handling systems. The contract is worth

$5.7 million and the work is to be completed

by March 2007.

The Airport Services Division of AJT &

Associates Inc. has received a $1 million con-

tract to assist in constructing an air traffic

control tower cab at Grand Bahamas

International Airport in Freeport to replace

the one destroyed by hurricanes.

Bradley International Airport has begun the

next phase of its Unified Terminal A construc-

tion project, which includes the opening of a

new corridor connecting Terminal B with

Terminal A as well as the relocation of the exist-

ing Gates 20 through 30 security checkpoint.

Next up in the $200 million terminal improve-

ment project is the renovation and completion

of continuous ticket counters in the older sec-

tion of Terminal A to match similar space in its

newer portion, airport officials said. A

a s s e n g e r s b y a i r p o r t

AIRPORT NOVEMBER 2005 NOVEMBER 2004 CHANGE

Bob Hope (Calif.) 482,375 406,886 +18.5%

Chicago O’Hare 6,113,670 5,906,446 +3.5%

Chicago Midway 1,476,404 1,467,326 +0.6%

Columbus International 540,355 519,882 +3.9%

Denver International 3,362,441 3,185,005 +5.6%

Des Moines International 150,801 162,826 -7.4%

Gainesville (Fla.) Regional 30,166 30,868 -2.3%

Kansas City International 800,511 798,299 +0.3%

Los Angeles International 4,790,621 4,781,092 +0.2%

Milwaukee General Mitchell 573,349 529,874 +8.2%

Orlando International 2,813,659 2,625,357 +6.2%

Pensacola Regional Airport 130,023 118,428 +9.8%

Pittsburgh International 831,825 869,292 -4.3%

Reno-Tahoe International 374,393 367,556 +1.8%

Rogue Valley (Ore.)-Medford 44,102 43,327 +1.8%

San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Regional 29,911 26,812 +11.6%

Seattle-Tacoma International 2,226,447 2,191,469 +1.6%

South Bend (Ind.) Regional 60,089 62,339 -3.6%

Southwest Florida International 656,638 585,828 +12.0%

Stewart (N.Y.) International 20,170 54,010 -62.6%

T.F. Green (Rhode Island) 444,038 467,020 -4.9%

B

Where can you accomplish all of thesethings? At the 2006 AAAE/IAAEInternational Airport Conferences.

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and itsaffiliate, the International Association of Airport Executives(IAAE), hosts several management conferences each year. Theseevents create the ideal environment for top-level U.S. and inter-national airport executives to share and exchange information onthe fast-progressing global aviation industry. Airport-related busi-ness opportunities are growing worldwide, making these confer-ences essential for airport and aviation personnel, regulators andcorporations that supply products and services to the industry.Don’t miss these chances to learn airport practices around theworld and find new business ventures!

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTSECURITY CONFERENCEMay 31-June 2, 2006London, EnglandThis highly informative conference, sponsored by AAAE/IAAE andDaon, will be attended by over 150 airport and aviation expertsfrom around the world in addition to U.S. and international gov-ernment officials. Aviation equipment, technology and overall avia-tion security policies will be addressed at this meeting. For moreinformation, contact Spencer Dickerson of the AAAE/IAAE staff inthe U.S. at 703-824-0500, Ext. 130 or [email protected], orGeorge Paldi, European Consultant, AAAE at 011 36 209427005,[email protected].

U.S./EUROPE AIRPORTENVIRONMENT BEST PRACTICESSYMPOSIUMJune 28-30, 2006Brussels, BelgiumPresented in cooperation with the U.S. Federal AviationAdministration and European organizations, this symposiumbrings together airport leaders from around the world to discussenvironmental best practices. Issues such as air emissions, noise,storm water drainage and deicing operations will be examined. Akey focus of the symposium is an environmental best practices—what has worked well and what are the remaining challenges Formore information, contact Tom Zoeller of the AAAE staff in the U.S. at 703-824-0500, Ext. 172 or [email protected], or George Paldi,European Consultant, AAAE at 011 36 209427005, [email protected].

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTTECHNOLOGY CONFERENCEJuly 9-11, 2006 Prague, Czech RepublicThis premier international avia-tion technology conference bringstogether the key technology and aviation players to learn aboutthe challenges and solutions wired and wireless applications poseat airports, especially in terms of safety and security. Come learnabout the fast developing world of wireless and security technol-ogy and about the different business and technology models andstandards that are being used by airports around the world. For more information, contact Rebecca Morrison of theAAAE/IAAE staff in the U.S. at 703-824-0500, Ext. 152 or [email protected]. or George Paldi, EuropeanConsultant, AAAE at 011 36 209427005, [email protected].

12th ANNUAL CENTRALEUROPE/U.S. AIRPORT ISSUESCONFERENCEOctober 24-26, 2006 Dubrovnik, CroatiaVisit scenic Dubrovnik, network with airport colleagues fromCentral Europe/U.S. and corporations, and learn about infrastruc-ture development, airport safety and security, airline/airport rela-tions challenges. For more information, contact Spencer Dickersonof the AAAE/IAAE staff in the U.S. at 703-824-0500, Ext. 130 [email protected], or George Paldi, European Consultant,AAAE at 011 36 209427005, [email protected].

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTGEOGRAPHIC INFORMATIONSYSTEM WORKSHOPNovember 15-17, 2006 Madrid, SpainEuropean, U.S. and other airport Geographic Information Systemexperts will deliver presentations and lead discussions that are usefulfor small or large airports already using GIS as well as airports new toGIS. The following topics will be discussed: Airport GIS Applications(Planning, Design and Construction; Airside Operations;Airport/Airfield Maintenance); Airport GIS Development (SystemDevelopment; Data Development; Process Development); GIS &Environmental Challenges (Noise; Air Quality). For more information,contact Greg Mamary of the AAAE/IAAE staff in the U.S. at 703-824-0500, Ext. 176 or [email protected] or George Paldi, EuropeanConsultant, AAAE at 011 36 209427005, [email protected].

Individual and package sponsorship opportunities are available for all of these conferences. Please contact Spencer Dickerson of the AAAE/IAAE staff in the U.S. at 703-824-0500, Ext. 130 or [email protected],

or George Paldi, European Consultant, AAAE at 011 36 209427005, [email protected] information is also available at the AAAE/IAAE meetings website: http://www.iaae.org/meetings/calendar.htm

• Network with International Airport Colleagues• Find New International Business Opportunities• Learn and Exchange Ideas

• Network with International Airport Colleagues• Find New International Business Opportunities• Learn and Exchange Ideas

ADVERTISER PAGE PHONE WEBSITEAAAE 3, 19, 61, 63, 65 703-824-0504 www.aaae.org

ADT Security Services, Inc. 44 877-557-5635 www.adt.com

Airport Magazine 47 703-824-0504 www.aaae.org/magazine

Argus Consulting 9 816-228-7500 www.argusconsulting.com

Burns & McDonnell Back Cover 816-333-9400 www.burnsmcd.aero

Delta Airport Consultants, Inc. 53 704-521-9101 www.deltaairport.com

DHS 64 N/A www.ready.gov

FirstLine Transportation Security 5 866-417-7960 www.firstlinets.com

HMSHost Corp. Inside Back Cover 240-694-4195 www.hmshost.com

Honeywell International, Inc. 4 800-345-6770 www.honeywell.com/homelandsecurity

Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 25 412-269-6322 www.mbakercorp.com

Oshkosh Truck Corp. 34-35 920-235-9151 www.oshkoshtruck.com

Plant Equipment, Inc./CML 57 951-719-2100 www.plantcml.com

PrimeFlight Aviation Services 5 615-312-7856 www.primeflight.com

Reveal Imaging Technologies Inside Front Cover 781-276-8400 www.revealimaging.com

Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc. 15 800-225-7739 www.rsandh.com

Ricondo & Associates Inc. 17 312-606-0611 www.ricondo.com

Rosenbauer 7 651-462-1000 www.rosenbaueramerica.com

Siemens 12 877-725-7500 www.usa.siemens.com/logisticsassembly

Smiths Detection 21 973-830-2131 www.smithsdetection.com

Snow Dragon 53 216-531-1010 www.snowdragonsales.com

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Airport Magazine | February/March 200666 Welcome to our newest department, where we'll share some of our staff's best photos.

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