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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-05-21-HFAC-min Hanscom Field Advisory Commission Minutes May 21, 2002 1. Minutes: Shelly Moll reported that the Minutes from previous meetings were available for review and comment. 2. Air Show: Jim Corcoran and Col. Phil Meteen, from Hanscom Public Affairs and Hanscom Air Force Base respectively, reported on the 2002 Air Show plans. The Friday practice session will not be open to the general public. The Air Show will be held on Sat. and Sunday with the Thunderbirds scheduled at 3:15 p.m. The Thunderbirds will arrive on Thursday, leave Friday morning, and return Friday afternoon for the practice session. Parking plans are in place. The businesses on Hartwell Avenue are making their parking lots available. There will also be parking available on Virginia Road, at Minuteman Tech and at the Minute Man National Historical Park. The locations will be actively managed by the Air Force. There will be no shuttle buses so there will be long walks for attendees. Security will be tight. People are being encouraged to “leave your bags at home.” Fold up chairs, diaper bags and pocketbooks are acceptable, but items like coolers and back packs will not be allowed. 3. FAA Process for Handling Aircraft Accidents/Incidents/Occurrences: Gary Lopez from the Bedford flight standards office explained that the FAA oversees the maintenance and operation of aircraft and establishes rules that regulate these functions. The FAA is particularly concerned with situations that involve an aircraft that is in flight, preparing for flight, or landing. An “accident” occurs when there is loss of life, serious injury, and/or substantial damage to an aircraft. An “incident” is when there is a small amount of aircraft damage and/or minor injury. An “occurrence” is when there is a problem that results in minimal or no damage to the aircraft. The FAA conducts regular inspections as well as investigations when there is an incident or occurrence. The FAA also investigates accidents that do not include loss of life. The investigations are usually completed within six months. Generally no comments are made during an investigation, and a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request is required to get information on the results of an investigation. FOIA requests are handled by the regional office (Burlington, MA for New England), not the flight standards office. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates accidents, establishes the probable cause, and makes recommendations. The NTSB website lists everything they report. They generally issue a preliminary report fairly soon after the accident; final reports may take six or more months. Regarding safety concerns expressed by those at the meeting, G. Lopez said that the Air Traffic Control Tower staff know if a pilot isn’t following regulations, and this is generally handled by those in the Tower. If there is a generic safety problem with equipment, this is handled by the manufacturer. In the Shuttle America incident, the FAA is conducting an investigation. Mark Cestari from Shuttle America added that Shuttle America has a safety director. In the recent incident where a Shuttle America aircraft hit a fence while taxiing to a hangar, Shuttle America called the press, and their safety director is addressing the issue internally. 4. Planning Report: Sara Arnold reported that the new windows in the Civil Terminal have been installed and the grooving of Runway 5/23 is complete. Massport staff is meeting with the Conservation Commissions in the four towns to review the Notices of Intent for the 2002-2003 vegetation management plans for removal. Staff at Hanscom is busy preparing for the Air Show. 5. Run-ups: Margaret Coppe reported that she has heard from people in the Concord and Bedford areas who have been affected by run-up noise at night. Margaret Lidskog reported that she has been disturbed by an increase in nighttime activity and most recently there has been run-up noise at night that she hadn’t heard before. It is a constant revving noise and can be heard several miles away from the airport. The following additional comments were made: There is concern about air quality. Massport should keep a log of the night run-ups. DEP has a regulation that says no person can conduct a disturbing run-up if it is preventable. When Shuttle America moved its maintenance operation to Hanscom, they should have come to HFAC. Richard Walsh made the following comments: The blast fence, where most run-ups are conducted, was installed many years before the new houses in the Virginia Road area were built. Because of the proximity of the new housing, Massport is asking that night run-ups be conducted on the east ramp. Massport has asked the towns to require noise attenuation for new housing developments near the airport, if possible. It is important that run-ups be conducted—it is a safety issue. Massport will look into keeping a run-up log. M. Cestari added that: When Shuttle America began operating at Hanscom, their maintenance operation was at Buffalo. Since January 1, Hanscom has been used for maintenance of all their aircraft, resulting in more than usual night activity. It is planned that after July 1, the only Shuttle America aircraft that will be maintained at Hanscom will be those being overnighted at Hanscom. Sara Mattes expressed frustration with R. Walsh implying that the towns should take responsibility for this issue because houses have been built close to the airport. She suggested that Massport buy land to buffer the residential areas from the airport. She said that the issue needs to be addressed, whether or not Shuttle America continues to maintain aircraft at Hanscom. It was agreed that Sara Mattes, Jim Merageas, Ken Heider, Tom Hoban, Shelly Moll, and Frank Diglio would get together to discuss recommendations for Massport. 6. Monthly Noise Report: Sara Arnold distributed material that included March data, but April data is not yet available. 7. Commuter Airlines: R. Walsh reported that Boston-Maine (B-M) is still interested in operating out of Hanscom, and that B-M representatives met with Massport staff and Shuttle America staff. There is a draft operating agreement, but Boston-Maine doesn’t have its Operation Specifications from the FAA yet. B-M plans to have staff at Hanscom and lease a small amount of counter space from Shuttle America. They plan to start in mid to late June and would like to work up to 26 daily operations. If either airline adds operations that result in the total daily commuter operations exceeding 49 before completion of the environmental assessment in the Environmental Status and Planning Report, an environmental assessment will be required. This will be requested of the th airline that wants to add the 49 flight. 8. Other: Touch-and-go activity and baggage inspections were on the agenda at the requests of Henry Francis and Marty Pepper-Aisenburg respectively. Since both individuals had left the meeting, these subjects were not discussed.