THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS : . ,/
MASSACHUSETTS AERONAUTICSZ COMMISSION .
FOR
YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31. 1961
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FEB 9 1S62
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ANNUAL S :S PORT - 1961
In our report for the calendar year 1960 we highlighted several subjects which justify further mention this year.
One of these was a substantial reduction, at many points, in the number of passengers carried in CAB certificated local scheduled air service which had begun to be noticeable as early as 1959. In 1961 this trend not only continued, but in some cases the rate of reduction increased. This happened at Fitchburg and Pittsfield where only limited schedules are in effect. It was also evident in the New Bedford, Hyannis, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard area served by Northeast Airlines. During the same period Cape and Islands Flight Service, Inc.., flying small airplanes on frequent schedules mostly between Hyannis and Nantucke~, was building up a volume which-now amounts to about 1/3rd as many passengers in and out of these tw'o points as are carried by Northeast. In addition, Massachusetts Air Industries, flying primarily between New Bedford, Martha's VineY,;I.rd and Nantucket, and National Executive Flight Service, Inc., flying betvJeen the Vine yard and New York, added a modest number of passengers to the total.
At the same time Mohawk Airlines' local service from upstate New York through Worcester to Boston showed an 110/0 increase in passengers between 1960 and 1961, and Allegheny Airlines' new service between Boston and Long Island, and between Boston and numerous Pennsylvania and New Jersey points showed a respectable total of 64,493 passengers in and out of Boston for its first twelve mo.nths of operation.
We also spoke of the New England Council Regional Airport Study which came about largely because of the relative deterioration of local air service in New England. This study was completed in 1961. It concluded that the 43 com munities in New England certificated by the Civil Aeronautics Board for scheduled air service could more efficiently be served through 20 specified regional a11- \veather airports. The effect of this on Massachusetts was to nominate Worcester, Lawrence, Boston, New Bedford, Hyannis, Nantucket, and Martha7s Vineyard as regional airports, but to eliminate Pittsfield and Fitchburg.
This plan has been favorably considered by the federal agencies involved, and by the airline most directly concerned, which has already peti.tioned the CAB for permission to drop most of the stops not included in the New England CounciPs plan.
During the year 1961 it became apparent that the regional airport philosoph~ for airlines, which gained a head start in New England and has since acquired con siderable impetus in other parts of the country, would create a growing need for some kind of air transportation between regional airports and many other com munities. Whether or not this will take the form of scheduled air taxi service with small airplanes, subject to a minimum of federal regulation and requiring PAGE 2 ANNUAL REPORT
no subsidy, or will involve a federally regulated third , lev~l of air service, is presently being wi'dely debated. Again Massachusetts~ through joint action with the other New England stat,es and the New England ,Council, is taking the lead in the development of this type of service, which is already well represented by Provincetown-Boston Airlines, Cape and Islands Flight Service, Massachusetts Air,Industries" National Executiv~ Flight Service, Four Star Aviation, operating between Lawrence and Boston, Berkshire Aviation Enteirpris'e's, conne'Ct'ing Pitts field with Albany and New York, and several other': s'irtiilar operati~ns. ' , ,:,'"
• .: J -.. ." ". • As a necessary corollary~ improv,ement of smaller airports to permlt ope~atiQns at' nig~t , ~nd in, bad ,w'eaiher' has :recei~, e'~ : add~d ~ attention. ' During the year runway ' light~ were installed with ~tate, <:>r state, 'and 'federal aid, at Mans field, ,Orange, and Southbridge, and a radio' hbrq.er at IraU River; Runw'ays were extended at Law,rence arid :Sou~hbridge, taxiway and' apron improvements were ma<;ie a~ Provinc"etown" Mansfield, New ' Bedforci~ Plymouth and Southbridge. Con,trol towers, lights and 'other faciiities incid~ntal to 'full instrument landing qapabilities, were ~q?structed at Hyannis and Nantu.cket, and work is well under way' 0l.1 ~major runway ext~rision at Worcester. ,,' '," " ' ", ,
,.' ," ";rlans were "prepared, : sit 'e~ were selected, ' and community backing 'was developed for new ge,neral aviation a~rport~ , ~t Brbcktoh and in the Boufne-Ware- ham area. " , ," " " '
, , I;)uring, the twelv~ months we 'passed on to cities and towns doing this work a tot~l of $~87,939. 82' in federa~ airport aid, 'and $278,:8'82.55 in state aid. • " • • '. : J • • ,. '. '. . '. 1961 was marked by a series of fatal acCidents at Nantucket involving small airplanes, fog, and p'ilots inexperier;~ed in instrument flying. As a result, and in close cooperation with airport commissions, the Federal Aviation Agency and the U.S. Weather Bureau, r:t)any improvements have bee,n made and more are in pr.ocess in' the observation, collection and dissemination of critical 'weather informatiol.1 i,n .. the C~pe and Islands area.
" The yea,r was also noteworthy for publication, by the federal governme'rtt" of .fundamental long,:an~ short ,range policies .covering .all aspects of aviation, know.n ~& Projects Horizon, aeacon, and Tightrope. Massachusetts took part in the preparation of these policies through the acti'vities of the Commission in the National Association of State' Aviation Officials" and toe General Aviation Council.
In last y~aris report we,promised to giye 'sp.9cial attention to highway directional mar~ers to airports ,w,ith the a$sist~nce of the Department of Public Works, and to some changes in aeronautical tax laws. '" ,
, The first project is proce~d~ng slowly. The eeqond is covered by Senate , Bill No. 479 of 1961, : which will ,be act~d on during this" sessio'n' of the Legislature. • .,' J • We finished ,the year a~ , we star.ted it" with a 'total of nine employees. , • .' ' • .' • r '. • • ,
" '. , ' ·ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 3
A detailed account of some of our activities follows --
SAFETY
Registration: 4837 pilots and 1639 aircraft were registered at the end of the registration period in July. This is a decrease of 183 pilots~ but an increase of 55 planes over the last correspond ing period.
Inspections: A total of 265 inspections of various types were made at air ports and seaplane bases. This has remained approximately the same for the past four years.
Managers: 64 persons were licensed as airport managers. This is an increase of two over the previous year.
Accidents: After showing a downward trend for two years~ accidents in 1961 increased by 18 for a total of 105. Included in this total were 4 accidents involving 6 fatalities and 5 accidents where 10 persons were injured. In analyzing this figure, it should be pointed out that of the total~ 50% occurred during landing or takeoff and from available evidence, 770/0 involved pilot error.
Disciplinary Action: As a result of the 335 complaints received and investigated, certain disciplinary action was taken. 4 pilots were taken to court~ 163 received warning letters, 10 cases were turned over to the FAA for action, and 6 others were referred to the various military agencies for action. Of the total complaints received, 156 involved airline aircraft. This was an increase of 97 over 1960, and it might.be attributed to larger and more frequent jet planes provoking noise complaints from nearby residents.
Financial Hesponsibility: The sixth year (1961) since the enactment of the Aircraft . Financial Responsibility Act required our action in 10 cases. It was unnecessary to suspend any pilot or aircraft certifi cates of registration which might indicate that many more pilots and aircraft owners are now securing insurance, as the preceding year 11 persons had their registrations suspended.
Lectures: Our enforcement personnel continued in their practice of giving lectures on aeronautical laws and regulations, accident and violation investigation to local police and state police trainees at the State Police Academy in Framingham. Safety lectures were given to several aviation organizations. PAGE 4 ANNUAL REPORT ~------.----- Safety (continued)
Waivers: Several aerial activities that took place within t he Common wealth did not exactly fit into the general pattern for which our regulations were established. and because their non compliance served a greater public good~ ' we issued~ after investigation, waivers to a total of 70 persons. 35 of these were in connection with the sport of parachute jumping. The others were for the purpose of pipeline patrol; exhibition acrobatic flight; air meets; agricultural dusting and spraying; insect control; wildlife survey; forest fire patrol; banner towing; and scientific research.
Legislation: During 1961 we recommended a bill which will be considered by the 1962 Legislature. This bill provides for the imposing of an excise tax on Massachusetts based airplanes in lieu of the personal property tax now in effect. The pr oceeds would be used for aeronautical purposes.
PROMOTION
State Airplane: Pilots of the Commission flew the state airplane a total of 168 hours on inspections, investigations, court and enforce ment t r ips, engineering survey, photo and administrative flights .. It was also flown to assist several other state . departments and to transport state officials. We continued with the State Division of Fish and Game to fly survey flights ..
A viation Education: The Talespinner, a departmental aviation newsletter, was published and distributed to those concerned with the industry and other interested parties. We continued giving talks to civic groups about aviation, its history and future in Massachusetts and explaining the activities of the Com mission. Our films, "Flight Decision", "The F lying Businessman", and "Airport America" were shown, or lent to civic, school, military, and aviation groups. Aviation educational pamphlets and material from the National Avia tion Education Council were distributed to schools, libraries, teachers and students.
Sport Parachute . Jumping: In the last several annual reports" we pointed out that Massachusetts, through the Commission, was the first state to recognize and license parachute jumping for sport; that a jumping center had opened at the Orange Airport, and that during the first season 2259 jumps had been made. In ANNUAL REPORT ____ _ PAGE 5
.r.r~otion (continued)
1961 at the end of their third years' operation" we find that jumps at the Orange center totaled 5105. In addition" 1305 jumps were made at the Mansfield Airport. This compares with 1071 made in the previous year. At Fitchburg Airport, which was not reported last year" 902 jumps were made. A total of 7312 jumps were made at these three airports and coupled with the fact that the 1962 Federation Aeronautique Internationale World Parachuting Championship will be held at the Orange Airport indicates a tremendous growth of this sport in Massachusetts.
Airport Directory: The directoIy entitled "Massachusetts Air Holiday"" listing airports" services offered and recreational attractions in the vicinity of landing areas were distributed to many inquirers residing both in and outside Massachusetts.
Federal-State Cooperation: Personnel of the Commission continued their work in the promotion and development in aviation and aviation safety by meeting with various federal aviation groups to exchange accident and enforcement information, use of airways and traffic control systems and to suggest changes in federal laws and regulations. This occurred with much greater frequency in 1961 indicating that the federal aviation people are depending heavily on the know ledge and experience of the state agency.
AIRPORTS
Certificates of Approval: Certificates of Approval were issued to 57 landing areas for commercial operation during the year. 22 were to cities and towns, 27 for privately owned commercial airports and 8 for commercial seaplane bases. An additional 68 private fields were registered. The only change over last year was the loss of one privately owned commercial field.
State Aid: Completed this year were three projects in which the Com mission shared with the municipality the $35,000. cost of the improvements.
Fall River - MHW beacon. Nantucket - Sealcoating runways, taxiways and aprons. Orange - Runway lighting. PAGE 6 ANNUAL REPORT
Airports (continued)
State and Federal Aid: The federal government provided half of the 2.5 million dollar cost, with the Commission and the municipality sharing the other half of the following airport improve ments.
COIl;lpleted During 1961:
Hyannis - Control lower building, runway marking. Lawrence - Reconstruction and extension of runway, new taxiway, high intensity runway lights, and runway marking. Mansfield - ·Taxiway,··.. runway lights and marking. Nantucket - Control tower and FSS building, runway marking and approach clearing. New Bedford - Taxiway lighting. Plymouth - Extension of taxiway and runway marking. Southbridge - Extension and lighting of runway, taxiway and apron~
Under' Way:
Nantucket - High intenSity runway lights. Provin'cetown - Taxiway and apron extension. Worcester ~ ~unway extension.
These three jobs involve a total expenditure of appro~imately three million dollars, mostly at Worcester.
PROGRAMMED
Bourne-Wareham - New lighted general aviation airport. Brockton - New lighted general aviation airport. Gardner .. Runway extension and lights. Lawrence - Cross runway and apron ~xtension Martha t s Vineyard - Apron extension. ------~--Nantucket - Apron extension. : New Bedford - Runway overlay • . Norwood - Apron 'extension. Turners Falls - Runway lighting. Westfield - Runway overlay. ANNUAL REPOR:I' PAGE 7
REGIONAL AND NATIONAL AFFAIRS !
The Commission was active as usual in connection with congressional legislation, Civil Aeronautics Board proceedings covering new and changed air line services, and through its membership in the National Association of State Aviation Officials. In addition, it was influential in many fields through the activities of the Director of Aeronautics, who was Chairman of the New England Council Aviation Committee, Chairman of the New England Conference of State Aviation Officials, Chairman of the NASAO Navigation Aids and Airspace Committee, both NASAO and National Pilots Association representative on the General Aviation Council, and a Director of the National Aeronautic Association.
LOCAL SERVICE AIRUNE PASSENGERS
12 Months 12 Months % Ending 11/30/61 Ending 11/30/60 Change
"Boston MOH* 58970 53049 H1 :Boston AL* 64493 :Boston P-B* 9996 10175 - 2 :Fitchburg NEA 148 1097 -86 !Hyannis NEA 22334 24061 - 7 Hyannis C&I* 7354 8939 -18 Lawrence NEA 2201 3820 -42 ~a~thars Vineyard NEA 11524 13042 -12 Martha's Vineyard C&I* 220 181 122 Nantucket NEA 24176 28931 -16 Nantucket C&I* 7944 9160 .. -13 Ne w Bedf6rd NEA 28838 34328 -16 Pittsfield NEA 1625 2336 -30 Provincetown P-B* 9996 10175 - 2 Worcester NEA 52147 61111 -15 Worcester MOH* 4987 4271 117
*Calendar year totals
CONTROL TOWER AIR TRAFFIC COUNT
Calendar Year Calendar Year % 1961 1960 Change
Boston-Logan 185112 194303 - 5 Boston - Bedford 200763 196085 ~ 2 New Bedford 41440 45080 - 8 Westfield 53188 63440 -16 Worcester 40162 43182 - 7 PAGE 8 ANNUAL REPORT
INSTRUMENT APPROACHES
City and State Radio Aids: Calendar Year 1961 Calendar Year 1960
Pittsfield 53 19 Lawrence 216 226 Fitchburg 42 44 Norwood 73 81 Beverly 36 28
Federal Radio Aids:
Bedford 3067 2222 Boston 12443 11666 Hyannis 585 462 Marthats Vineyard 424 369 Nantucket 532 426 New Bedford 610 619 Westfield 159 147 Worcester 636 580
PLANS FOR 1962
For the coming year, in addition to our continuing safety, enforcement .. and promotional activities .. we hope to concentrate on --
a. Bringing our regional airports up to the highest required standards.
b. Improvi ng the radio and lighting facilities of smaller airports so as to accommodate the growing need for scheduled air taxi service.
c. Adding new general aviation airports where needed, as in the Bourne Wareham, Brockton, Northampton, and Revere areas.
Respectfully submitted,
John M. Wells, Chairman Philip W. Caporale Charlotte S. Kelley Edward J. Lynch Edmund M. O'Riordan Crocker Snow, Director of Aeronautics