Chapter 1 Background and Inventory

MARIPOSA-YOSEMITE miles southeast of the airport, along State Highway 49. State Highway 49 borders the Location and Environs airport to the east, south and to the west, and provides direct access to the facility. The steep ariposa-Yosemite Airport is located in hills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range create west central Mariposa County, California. M a natural border for the airport along its northern The airport is approximately 70 miles northeast edge. of Fresno, 37 miles east of Merced and 18 miles southwest of Yosemite National Park. The Mariposa County is comprised of several rural airport lies along the western slope of the Sierra communities. Mount Bullion, directly to the south Nevada foothills at an elevation of approximately of the airport, is the closest community. The 2,250 feet above mean sea level (MSL). areas to the immediate north, east, and west are Yosemite National Park occupies the majority of relatively undeveloped with the exception of land within the County. California’s Central occasional rural residential development. The Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills lie west of the majority of urbanized development exists within airport (Figure 1A). The topography in the the Town of Mariposa and eastern Yosemite immediate airport environs consists of steep Valley. The rich history of the gold rush era can sloping hills to the north and to the east, with still be experienced in the numerous historical slow rising hills to the south and west. buildings and abandoned mining towns which are spread throughout the County of Mariposa.

Airport Development and Facilities History

The Mariposa County Airport was constructed in 1936 in a collaborative effort by the Federal Works Agency, the Works Project Administration, and the County of Mariposa. The airport was dedicated to the County in 1937.

The airport is located immediately east of the intersection of State Highway 49 and the Mt. Bullion Cut-off Road. State Highway 49 is the main north-south highway in the County and connects Mariposa County to other highways and urban areas of the Central Valley. According to the Department of Finance for the State of California, the County of Mariposa has no incorporated cities. The town of Mariposa, the county seat, is located approximately four-

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Figure 1A Location Map Mariposa-Yosemite Airport

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The Mariposa-Yosemite Airport was originally medium-intensity edge lights are constructed as only a dirt strip. It was not until available. To facilitate landing operations, a the late 1940’s that the runway was paved with Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) is in asphalt. place for both Runway 08 and Runway 26.

From the time of its inception, Mariposa- Mariposa-Yosemite Airport’s main building area Yosemite Airport has served an integral part in is located in the south-central portion of the the County’s emergency and evacuation plans. airport’s property. There are 45 hangars of various sizes and condition occupying the During the course of the 1997 flood which majority of the airport’s building area. In addition devastated the Yosemite Valley, Mariposa- to aircraft hangars, there are 51 tiedown Yosemite Airport was used as a base of locations available for both transient and based operations for many of the Forest Service aircraft. A public-use aviation fuel helicopters sent into the flood zone storage and dispensing facility is to conduct rescues. The airport has located just north of the airport’s also, in numerous instances, served terminal building between the two as a temporary place of refuge for transient aircraft tiedown aprons. displaced residents of the county. The above ground fuel tank provides In the early 1990’s, the Stumpfield general aviation gas to the flying Mountain Fire ravaged the County public. of Mariposa. In an effort to On the northeast side of the airfield extinguish the fire, 14 fire attack lies a separate building area. This helicopters, including the CH-47 building area includes a small house Chinook and S-64 Skycrane, were for the airport manager, two private aircraft temporarily based at Mariposa-Yosemite Airport hangars, and four old hangars owned by the helping to resolve a devastating situation. County. Additional facilities in this vicinity include Facilities the airport’s Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS), the airport’s segmented circle, Mariposa-Yosemite Airport is owned by the and the airport beacon. County of Mariposa and maintained by the County Public Works Department. Mariposa- Yosemite Airport is the only airport within Mariposa County. A summary of Mariposa- Yosemite Airport facilities is presented in Table 1A on the following page.

Runway 08-26 is 3,306 feet in length and 60 feet wide. Both runway ends have straight-in nonprecision instrument approach capabilities with visibility minimums down to 1¼ statute mile. Both runways are approved for “circle-to-land” operations. The runway is paved with asphalt rated at 12,000 pounds for aircraft with single- wheel landing gear configurations and marked for nonprecision operations. Pilot controlled

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Table 1A Airport Profile

GENERAL INFORMATION AIR TRAFFIC PROCEDURES ! Airport Ownership ! Airplane Traffic Patterns Mariposa County Runway 08: Right traffic County Public Works Department manages and Runway 26: Left traffic operates facility ! Typical Pattern Altitude ! Jurisdiction: Unincorporated portion of Mariposa County 3,254 ft. MSL (1,000 ft. AGL) ! Property Size: 94.6 acres owned in fee, 29.6 in easements ! Instrument Approaches (Runway 8-26) (124.2 total acres) GPS-A: 11/4 mi. visibility, 3,900’ MSL minimum descent ! Airport Classification: General Aviation Airport altitude (1,646’ AGL)

! Airport Elevation: 2,254 ft. MSL GPS-B: 11/4 mi. visibility, 4,180’ MSL minimum descent altitude (1,926’ AGL) “Circle to land” operation approved for all runways RUNWAY/TAXIWAY DESIGN ! Communications: CTAF/UNICOM: 122.7 Runway 08-26 ! Airport Reference Code: B-1 (Small) ! BUILDING AREA Critical Aircraft: Beechcraft Baron ! ! Location: West of mid-field Dimensions: 3,306 ft. long, 60 ft. wide ! ! Aircraft Parking Location Pavement Strength (main landing gear configuration) West of Runway 8-26, center of building area

12,500 lbs. (single wheel) ! ! Aircraft Parking Capacity Average Gradient: 0.97% T-Hangars: 45 spaces ! Runway Lighting Based Tiedowns: 26 spaces Pilot-controlled medium intensity runway edge lighting Transient Tiedowns: 25 spaces (MIRL) ! Fixed Based Operators ! Runway Marking County run airport service center

Non-precision instrument ! Services ! Visual Approach Aids County provides Fuel: 100LL Runway 26: PAPI ( 4.5 ˚, Threshold Crossing Height 40’) on left side ENVIRONS

Runway 08: PAPI ( 4.0 ˚, Threshold Crossing Height ! 36’) on left side Access: Primary access via State Highway 49 ! ! Primary Taxiways Nearby Land Uses

Full-length parallel taxiway on west side of Runway Agricultural lands to the northwest and south

8-26 Airfield primarily surrounded by open space Town of Mt. Bullion to the south Helicopter parking positions Scattered rural residential ! Location: West of Runway 26 ! Topography ! Critical Aircraft: Bell 412 Generally steep hillsides in immediate airport vicinity ! Dimensions: 50 ft. long, 50 ft. wide Terrain rises to the north and east (Mt. Bullion and Sierra Nevada Foothills) ! Surface Type: Concrete ! Lighting: Taxiway lights AIRPORT PLANNING DOCUMENTS ! Airport Policy for Commercial/Business Usage Adopted by the County Board of Supervisors April 1999 ! Airport Master Plan Adopted by County Board of Supervisors April 1995 ! Airport Comprehensive Land Use Plan Approved by County Board of Supervisors June 1995 ! Environmental Impact Report Mariposa-Yosemite Airport Master Plan and Comprehensive Land Use Plan Approved by the State Clearinghouse May 1995

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AERONAUTICAL SETTING and provides a direct route between two VOR navigation facilities: Friant and Linden. Area

Three public-use airports are located within a 30 COMMUNITY PROFILE statute mile radius of Mariposa-Yosemite Airport Mariposa County was incorporated in 1850. At (Figure 1B). Of these airports, Merced Municipal that time it was the largest county in California Airport is the only commercial airport providing encompassing over 20% of the states total land airline service and enhanced facilities. Other area. However, since the late 1850’s, Mariposa than Merced Municipal Airport, Pine Mountain County, the original “Mother of Counties”, has Lake Airport in Tuolumne County has the been broken into 11 smaller counties. Today greatest number of based aircraft (113 based Mariposa County consists of over 931,000 aircraft as of 2005). Table 1B below provides acres, 452,384 acres of which belongs to the detailed information on these airports. Yosemite National Park. Table 1B Area Airports Location Facilities Services

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Airport Name / Direction

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Owner Community/ County Distance Based Aircraft of Runways Number Longest Rwy (ft.) Surface Lighted-Intensity Approach Visibility Category Control Tower AvGas Jet Fuel Maintenance Rentals Auto Food

Mariposa Mariposa/ Mariposa-Yosemite ― 52 1 3,306 A M 1¼ NP ― 3 ― 3 3 ― County Mariposa Tuolumne Groveland/ Pine Mountain 24N 113 1 3,625 A M 1 VIS ― 3 ― 3 ― 3 County Tuolumne Atwater/ Castle Merced County 25W 21 1 11,802 A/C H ½ ILS ― 3 3 3 3 3 Merced Merced Municipal/ Merced/ City of Merced 30SW 99 1 5,903 A H ½ ILS ― 3 3 3 ― 3 Macready Field Merced 1 Distance in statute miles from MPI; 2 A=Asphalt, C=Concrete; 3 M=Medium, H=High; 4NP=Nonprecision, V=Visual, ILS=Instrument Landing System

Area Airspace Rather than incorporated cities, Mariposa County consists of a handful of small towns, the Federal regulations establish various categories largest of which is Mariposa, located 4 miles of airspace with distinct operating requirements southeast of the airport. In 2000, the total for each type. The airspace in the vicinity of population of the County was 17,300. The Mariposa-Yosemite Airport is relatively California Department of Finance (DOF) uncomplicated (Figure 1C). The airspace directly population forecast for Mariposa County predicts over the airport, from the surface up to, but not an annual growth rate of 1.1%. If the County including, a height of 1,200 feet, is uncontrolled grows at this annual rate, the County will reach a Class G airspace. Controlled airspace (Class E) population of 20,500 by 2015. begins at a height of 1,200 feet above the The local economy has historically been surface and extends up to 18,000 feet MSL. supported by agricultural, trade and mining Low-altitude federal airways provide distinct uses. Today, the service industry, including routes that can be flown in both visual and tourism, agriculture and state/local government instrument conditions. Victor Airway V-459 are the major contributors to the Mariposa passes directly over Mariposa-Yosemite Airport County economy.

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Figure 1B Area Airspace Map Mariposa-Yosemite Airport

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Figure 1C PREVIOUS AIRPORT PLANS AND Airspace Classes STUDIES

The most recent airport master plan for Mariposa-Yosemite Airport was authored by Aries Consultants (April 1995) and adopted by the County Board of Supervisors in June 1995. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the current airport layout plan in June 1995. Additionally in 1995, the Mariposa County

Airspace Entry Special VFR in Communications Separation Board of Supervisors adopted the Mariposa- Classes Requirements Surface Area Yosemite Airport Comprehensive Land Use Plan A Required ATC clearance All N/A which establishes a set of policies to guide

B Required ATC clearance All Yes development around the airport. The County of

Two-way Mariposa has incorporated these policies into C Required communication VFR/IFR Yes their zoning code. prior to entry Two-way Runway D Required communication Yes operations prior to entry Not required None for E None for VFR Yes for VFR VFR

G Not required None None N/A

In 2000, the service industry was ranked first in employment for Mariposa County, with agriculture second and state/local governments third in total employment for the County. In 2000, there were over 250 farms in operation in Mariposa County. Farm land accounted for about 22% (198,230 acres) of the County’s total land area. Major agricultural commodities include livestock, poultry, and field crops. Of these commodities, cattle and calve production was valued the highest at $9.3 million dollars in 2000.

In 2000 the per capita income for Mariposa County was $18,190, slightly below the California average of $22,711. Additional economic information is provided in Table 1C.

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Table 1C Community Profile

GEOGRAPHY POPULATION AND ECONOMY Location Current/Historical Population ! Mariposa-Yosemite airport is located in the foothills of the 1990 1995 2000 Sierra Nevada’s, approximately 47 miles from Yosemite ! Mariposa County 14,320 15,021 17,130 National Park. * As of September 2006, restrictions on longer vehicles on Hwy 140 due to rock slides. Projected Population 2005 2010 2020 ! Mariposa County consists of 931,200 acres and borders ! Tuolumne County to the north and east, Madera County to Mariposa County 17,991 18,608 20,607 the south, and Merced County to the west. (Source: California Department of Finance) ! Mariposa airport is 70 miles northeast of Fresno and 37 Basis of Economy miles east of Merced. ! Industry groups with greatest percentage of employment in Topography Mariposa County): ! Relatively flat in airport vicinity, with steep foothills and Services 31% mountains rising to the east, and sloping hills falling to the Agriculture 22% west. State/local government 18% ! In the vicinity of Yosemite National Park Trade 11% ! Yosemite National Park reaches up to 13,000 feet in Federal government 10% elevation (Source: California Department of Finance)

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION CLIMATE Major Highways Temperature ! Main access into Mariposa County near airport: Avg. High Avg. Low California State Highway 49 running north-south. ! Hottest month (July) 94°F 65°F California State Highway 140 running east-west ! Coldest month (December) 55°F 35°F

Railroads (Source: World Climate. www.worldclimate.com) ! Currently railroad service, such as Union Pacific and Amtrak, Precipitation bypass Mariposa via Fresno and Merced. ! Average annual rainfall in Mariposa County: approximately (Source: Amtrak) 35 inches (variable according to elevation and exposure) Public Transportation (Source: World Climate. www. weatherunderground.com) ! Bus Service: Greyhound Bus Lines (nearest service) Humidity ‚ Merced 37 miles west ! Average 57.7% ‚ Fresno 72 miles southwest ! High 100.0%

Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System ! Low 11.0% (Y.A.R.T.S) ‚ Connects Merced, Mariposa, and Mono Counties to (Source: World Climate. www. weatherunderground.com) Yosemite National Park with connections to AMTRAK. Winds Mariposa County Public Transportation: ! Prevailing winds are from the north-northwest ‚ Provides paratransit services in the vicinity of Mariposa

and north county, and once per week service on

weekdays to outlying areas.

AIR TRANSPORTATION Commercial Service Airport ! Fresno-Yosemite International Airport (54m se) ! Merced Municipal Airport (30m sw)

General Aviation Airports ! Pine Mountain Lake Airport (24m n) ! Castle Airport (25m w) ! Madera Municipal Airport (37m s)

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