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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-09-17-HFAC-min Hanscom Field Advisory Commission Minutes September 18, 2007 Prepared by Massport Staff 1. Minutes: Hank Manz brought the meeting to order. There were no comments on the June Minutes. 2. Airport Layout Plan (ALP): There was discussion about the role of HATS and HFAC in the development of the Hanscom ALP. Richard Canale said that the towns should have been kept informed of the “zoning” document’s development, and the towns should have had an opportunity to provide input, rather than having it presented after FAA approval. D. Steele explained that the ALP is not a zoning document and the FAA requires airports to periodically update their ALPs to reflect current conditions and identify areas of potential development. It is a series of maps that are developed by an airport in conjunction with the FAA to ensure they meet FAA requirements. D. Steele reminded the group that both HFAC and HATS had been given reports on the progress of the ALP development, and she would get back to HFAC with more specific details about those communications if so requested. She noted that Tom Ennis had given a full review of the ALP at the June HFAC meeting, and CDs of the ALP had been distributed to the towns and chairs of HFAC and HATS. Hank Manz confirmed that the ALP CD had been recently received in the mail. D. Steele agreed to provide two hard copies of the ALP to the HATS Environmental Subcommittee. 3. Websites: There was discussion about the Massport website and the noise monitoring system website and how they will function. Massport staff reported that Massport is planning to upgrade its current website, and there will be links to the noise monitoring system (NMS) section. Massport representatives reminded the group that a committee of resident and aviation representatives was asked to give development feedback on a proposed wireframe for the NMS site some time ago and that Massport is not planning to have a NMS beta site prior to the website being made available to the public. However, it may be possible to tweak the information in the website after it is developed. There was general consensus that providing a beta site can be difficult because different people often have conflicting comments. It was suggested that Massport might find it useful to get feedback from a couple people before the site becomes public. Margaret Coppe noted that she generally finds it difficult to find documents on the current website. She also stated that she would like to have the monthly reports that are handed out at HFAC available on the web. D. Steele said she will forward these comments to those working on the upgrade. H. Manz reported that he is developing an HFAC website that will include HFAC minutes and noise reports for each month. He will add the ALP, but website size restrictions may limit how much can be added to it. He is also interested in using the website to post free Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that may be of interested to HFAC. One user of Airport Monitor, which is on the current Massport website, noted that it periodically “goes to sleep” during use. Another user has found that she can no longer access Airport Monitor. It was noted that, in the second case, it may be necessary to download a recent Java upgrade in order to access Airport Monitor. S. Arnold said she will take these issues back to those who manage the site. She added that it is generally useful to have specific dates and times, and specific sequences of what happened, when there is a problem. 4. Community Concerns:  Noise Monitoring System (NMS) Upgrade: Julian Bussgang noted that there hadn’t been any recent communications with the residential committee that was established to work with Massport on the NMS. Massport staff reported that they believed that the most recent communication with Mike Bahtiarian, chair of the committee, was in the Spring. It was noted that Massport has committed to moving two monitors, and all parties have agreed that the Concord monitor should be moved. Massport owes M. Bahtiarian some data before it is possible to address the relocation of the Concord monitor. Massport has signed an agreement with the Minute Man National Historical Park that allows Massport to leave one monitor at its current location on Park property. There have been delays in the implementation of the upgraded NMS because the contractor for the system is building an extremely complex system from the ground up, plus the company has made acquisitions and undergone some internal restructuring.  Charters: J. Bussgang expressed concern about the pollution that will result from more charter activity at Hanscom, as discussed in a recent Boston Globe article about plans for additional charters associated with college sports. He asked about the numbers of chartered flights. Massport staff explained that there isn’t a mechanism for tracking the number of chartered operations; charter passenger counts are reported by the aircraft operator to the FAA. Annually, the FAA reports to Massport the number of passengers on charter flights for the year. These are part of the passenger counts that are used to determine whether Hanscom is eligible for federal Airport Improvement Program funding. There was discussion about Massport limiting chartered aircraft to sixty seats. Massport staff clarified the difference between charter and scheduled service and explained that the sixty seat limit, which is a grandfathered rule (per the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990) and cannot be changed, and only applies to commercial, ticketed passenger service.  : Security Hearing R. Canale asked why the residential communities weren’t informed about a public hearing held at Logan relating to security policies at Massport’s three airports. D. Steele explained that she saw this as being of particular interest to the aviation community, which was informed of the hearing, and apologized for not contacting the HFAC chair.  Linear Air: J. Bussgang asked about Linear Air’s plans to start a new service using jets at Hanscom. Massport staff said that HFAC has received periodic reports about Linear Air’s plans to provide air taxi service in very light jets (VLJs). Currently they are providing air taxi service in turboprops. Linear Air has received its first VLJ and is currently pursuing FAA authorization to fly it as an air taxi. 5. Monthly Noise Report: Sara Arnold presented the noise report for June, July and August. S. Arnold noted that EXP, the metric used to track noise at Hanscom, is not an acronym; it stands for “exposure.” 6. Capital Projects:  Runway Safety Area (RSA): Massport has submitted a request to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for a superseding order to proceed with the RSA project. This is the next step after the Bedford Conservation Commission’s denial, per regulation, of the project. D. Steele will inquire into what the process’s next steps are and will also report back on the size of the area that will be affected by the project.  Vegetation Management Plan: D. Steele reported that aerial photos have been analyzed to identify vegetation that penetrates the approach surfaces for Hanscom’s runways, and a report is being developed to outline a program for addressing it. Part of this analysis includes vegetation at the end of Runway 23 that is in the Town of Bedford. Initially the FAA requested that penetrations at the Runway 23 end be removed to support a 34:1 glide slope. Communications between Massport and the FAA have resulted in the FAA accepting a 20:1 glide slope which minimizes the affected area. Thomas Hirsch explained that all aircraft, regardless of size, use the same glide slope. D. Steele said that Massport will be working with Bedford on this project, but she will continue to keep HFAC informed.  Hangar 24: In response to a question, D. Steele responded that several entities have shown interest in developing the Hangar 24 site. 7. Other:  Wyotech: S. Arnold reported that Wyotech is consolidating its trade school operations at Hanscom and will be vacating Hangar 11 at the end of the month.  Nighttime Field Use Fee: As previously reported, the Airport Owners and Pilots Association went to the FAA and questioned the validity of a weight based fee nighttime field use fee. Massport has been working with the FAA to address the issue of shifting the nighttime field use fee from a weight based fee to a noise based fee.  Army Reserve Welcome Home: D. Steele informed the commission that Massport th is working with the Army Reserve’s 399 Combat Support Hospital staff to plan a homecoming for 233 local medical personnel who are returning from Iraq at the end of September. She encouraged the group’s participation at the event and asked for any suggestions that might make it an exciting and warm welcome for the troops.  HFAC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): There was discussion about the MOU. H. Manz asked J. Bussgang, who has submitted some suggestions, to work with Gordon Feltman and Dorothy Steele to review the document. Margaret Coppe may wish to assist. th 8. Next Meeting : The next HFAC meeting is set for 7 p.m. October 16 in Lexington. HANSCOM FIELD ADVISORY COMMISSION DATE: 9/18/07 HFAC MEMBER ATTENDEES CATEGORYNAMEIN ATTENDANCE ********************** Contiguous Towns (4) BedfordGordon Feltman Bedford Alt. ConcordAnne Shapiro Concord Alt.Charles Blair LexingtonHank ManzX Lexington Alt.Michael Barrett LincolnSara Mattes Lincoln Alt.Sarah Cannon-Holden Local Citizen Groups (2)********************** So. LexMargaret CoppeX No. LexGraydon WheatonX ********************** Area Wide Organizations (2) LWVMelodee Wagen LWV Alt. VACANT ********************** Other Area Towns (2) CarlisleSteve Lerner WalthamRep. Tom Stanley Waltham Alt.Michael Squillante ********************** Businesses Basing Acft at Hanscom (2) VACANT RaytheonMichael Burke Aviation/Aviation Related Businesses (2)********************** Jet AviationFrank Diglio Signature Flight SupportRick Blaze Signature Alt.Jim Phelps Business Aviation Organization (1)********************** MBAAJohn Williams NBAA (Alt. Org.)Ken Heider ********************** General Aviation Organization (1) Hanscom Pilots AssociationThomas HirschX ********************** Ex-Officio Members MassportSara ArnoldX MassportBarbara Patzner MassportCedric DanielX MassportDorothy SteeleX MassportTom Ennis HAFB FAABarry MorganX MMNHPNancy Nelson