Existing C Onditions
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Existing Conditions 2 2 E XISTING CONDITIONS 2 .1 INTRODUCTION Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field (YKM) is located in Yakima County within the City of Yakima and covers an area of 825 acres. The main entrance is at the intersection of South 24th Avenue and West Washington Avenue approximately three miles southwest from the Interstate 82/State Route 12 Interchange. There are two active runways at the airport. Runway 9/27 is paved with asphalt and is 150 feet wide by 7,604 feet in length. There is a Localizer back course non-precision approach to Runway 9 and a precision approach to Runway 27. Runway 4/22 is also paved with asphalt and is 150 feet wide by 3,835 feet in length. There are visual approaches to both runway ends. 2 .2 AIRPORT HISTORY Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field provides the primary air transportation access for the City of Yakima (pop. 91,000 in 2010), Yakima County (pop. 235,000 in 2010) and Figure 2-1: Airport Location Map the entire Yakima valley. To accommodate the increasing population and commerce opportunities of the Yakima Valley, the airport has been continually upgraded since its inception in the early 20th century. The chronology of the airport is shown on the timeline and descriptions on the next two pages. Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister F ield Master Plan P a g e | 2-1 C hapter 2 ♦ Existing C o n d i t i o n s Figure 2-2: Yakima Air Terminal Development Timeline Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field Master Plan 2-2 | P a g e Existing Conditions ♦ C h a p t e r 2 Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field Master Plan P a g e | 2-3 C hapter 2 ♦ Existing C o n d i t i o n s 2 .3 EXISTING AIRPORT PLA NS 2.3.1 Previous Master Plan Update The latest Airport Master Plan prepared for the Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field was published in 2003. The following are key recommendations of this master plan: 1. Extend Runway 9/27 to a total length of 10,160 feet 2. Extend Runway 4/22 to 4,420 feet 3. Construct a new parallel taxiway south of Runway 9/27 4. Develop new air cargo facilities 5. Update and modify the passenger terminal 6. Acquire property to protect runway approach surfaces 7. Institute and follow a pavement rehabilitation program 8. Remove FAR Part 77 obstructions 9. Expand the general aviation area In addition, a number of facility expansion and renewal projects intended to bring the airport into full compliance with FAA’s Airport Design Standards were included. Since 2003, the recommendation to extend Runway 9/27 has been questioned and the local jurisdictions surrounding the airport have asked for additional information regarding its ultimate length. Additionally, wind analyses have shown Runway 4/22 may not meet FAA criteria for crosswind runways and its future is in question. One of the goals of this master plan is to revisit these recommendations to reassess their need or to revise the recommendation. 2 .4 APPLICABLE FEDERAL/S TATE PLANS 2.4.1 FAA National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to identify airports within the United States and its territories critical to the nation’s air transportation system. Airports listed in the NPIAS are eligible for Federal Development Grants under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field is Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field Master Plan 2-4 | P a g e Existing Conditions ♦ C h a p t e r 2 listed as a ‘Non-hub Primary Airport’1 in the NPIAS and is one of ten such airports in Washington State. 2.4.2 Washington State Department of Transportation Long-Term Air Transportation Study (LATS) The Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) Long-Term Air Transportation Study (LATS) is a strategic planning effort for the aviation system in Washington. According to the LATS, YKM is classified as a Commercial Service Airport Commercial Service Airports provide scheduled passenger air carrier and/or commuter service to in- state, domestic, and (in some cases) international destinations. Some of these airports also serve regional air cargo demand and many accommodate significant levels of general aviation activity. Commercial Service Airports are mostly located in large population centers. The extent of a Commercial Service Airport’s service area, as defined by driving time and population, depends upon the type of air service provided. Typically, these airports are classified as primary or commercial service airports in the NPIAS (WSDOT, 2009). 2 .5 AIRPORT FACILITIES Existing airport facilities at YKM include two active runways and a full parallel taxiway system, runway and taxiway lighting systems, visual and electronic navigational aids, general aviation hangars and tiedown aprons, a passenger terminal building and support facilities, airport offices and maintenance building. Figure 2-3 shows the existing facilities at YKM. These are discussed in the following section. 1‘Non-hub Primary Airport’ - Commercial service airports that enplane less than 0.05 percent of all commercial passenger enplanements but have more than 10,000 annual enplanements are categorized as non-hub primary airports. There are 244 non-hub primary airports that together account for 3 percent of all enplanements. These airports are heavily used by general aviation aircraft with an average of 95 based aircraft per airport. Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field Master Plan P a g e | 2-5 C hapter 2 ♦ Existing C o n d i t i o n s Figure 2-3: Existing Airport Facilities Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field Master Plan 2-6 | P a g e Existing Conditions ♦ C h a p t e r 2 2.5.1 Runways and Taxiways The airfield at YKM consists of two runways, 9/27 and 4/22. Runway 9/27, the primary runway, is 7,604 feet long, 150 feet wide, and has a Category I precision instrument approach available on Runway 27 and non-precision approaches on Runway 9. Taxiway A is the full length parallel taxiway to Runway 9/27 with a runway/taxiway centerline separation distance of 400 feet. Runway 4/22 is the 3,835-foot-long, 150-foot-wide crosswind runway with full parallel Taxiway B. The runway/taxiway centerline separation for these is 313 feet. Table 2-1: Airport Runway Data Runway 4/22 Runway 9/27 Length: 3,835’ 7,604’ Runway Dimensions Width: 150’ 150’ Pavement Type Asphalt Grooved Asphalt 95 (S), 160 (D), 220 (DT), Pavement Strength (in 1,000 lbs.) 70 (S), 80 (D), 120 (DT) 550 (DDT) Runway Safety Area (RSA) 4,315’ x 120’ 9,604’ x 500’ Object Free Area (OFA) 4,315’ x 250’ 9,604’ x 800’ Obstacle Free Zone (OFZ) 4,215’ x 250’ 8,004’ x 400’ Runway Lighting MIRL HIRL Runway End 4 22 9 27 Runway Approach Category Visual Visual Non-Precision Precision Runway Approach Slope 20:1 20:1 34:1 50:1 Runway Markings Basic Basic Non-Precision Precision Localizer, Instrumentation / Approach Aids None None ILS GPS/RNAV Visual Aids PAPI PAPI VASI PAPI; MALSR Critical Aircraft Beech Baron Boeing 727 Wingspan: 37’ 10” 108’ Weight: 5,500 lbs. 184,800 lbs. Approach Speed: 98 knots 133 knots Airport Reference Code (ARC) B-I (small) C-III S - Single-wheel Gear D - Dual-wheel Gear DT - Dual-tandem Gear DDT - Dual double Tandem Gear ILS - Instrument Landing System MALSR - Medium Intensity Approach Lighting System MIRL - Medium Intensity Runway Lights HIRL - High Intensity Runway Lights PAPI - Precision Approach Path Indicator VASI - Visual Approach Slope Indicator Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field Master Plan P a g e | 2-7 C hapter 2 ♦ Existing C o n d i t i o n s Both runways have been constructed to meet FAA design standards for safety and operational efficiency. The Airport Reference Code (ARC) is the classification system developed by the FAA to relate airport design criteria to the operational and physical characteristics of the types of aircraft expected to operate at the airport on a regular basis. The ARC is based on two key characteristics of the designated critical aircraft. The first, denoted by a letter, is the aircraft approach category. This is determined based on the aircraft’s approach speed in the landing configuration. Generally, aircraft approach speed affects runway length, exit taxiway locations, and runway-related facilities. Following are the ARC approach speed categories: Category A: Speed less than 91 knots Category B: Speed 91 knots or more, but less than 121 knots Category C: Speed 121 knots or more, but less than 141 knots Category D: Speed 141 knots or more, but less than 166 knots Category E: Speed 166 knots or more The second component, depicted by a roman numeral, is the Airplane Design Group. This is based on the aircraft’s wingspan and determines dimensional standards for the layout of airport facilities, such as separation criteria between runways and taxiways, taxilanes, buildings, or objects potentially hazardous to aircraft movement on the ground. Following are the design group categories: Design Group I: Wingspan up to but less than 49 feet Design Group II: Wingspan 49 feet up to but less than 79 feet Design Group III: Wingspan 79 feet up to but less than 118 feet Design Group IV: Wingspan 118 feet up to but less than 171 feet Design Group V: Wingspan 171 feet up to but less than 214 feet Design Group VI: Wingspan 214 feet up to but less than 262 feet Based on the previous master plan, YKM has an Airport Reference Code (ARC) of C-III.