Section 7: Airports and Ports BATS Section 7: Airports and Port Section 7.1: LPA Group, Transportation Consultants Study The Glynn County Airport Commission hired the LPA Group, Transportation Consultants, to consider the influences affecting the demand for aviation facilities and services within the Glynn County and South Georgia airport market area, and to develop a plan to safely and efficiently meet anticipated airport needs for the next twenty-year planning horizon. Information from the LPA Group, Transportation Consultants, study, is used extensively. Section 7.1 (a): History of Brunswick Golden Isles Airport Figure 7-1 http://www.glynncountyairports.com/media.html Figure 7-1 shows the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport, or BQK, as it existed during World War II. The BQK is a public owned facility, whereby its current role in the national aviation system is to meet the needs of general aviation patrons, commercial passengers, air cargo operators, and other airport tenants. The existing and potential role of any airport is determined by factors such as historical events, geographic location, acreage, and surface transportation. The Airport came into existence because of being selected by the U.S. Navy as the site for one of a network of air stations established to patrol coastal shipping lanes for German U-boats. Construction on the air station began in September of 1942 and completed in January 1943. The U.S. Navy decommissioned the airfield in 1958. Commercial service at BQK Airport began in February of 1970 when Delta Airlines began serving the airport. The BQK is a commercial service-primary airport located 5 miles north of downtown Brunswick in Glynn County. The City of Brunswick is located 80 miles south of Savannah, Georgia and 75 Long Range Transportation Plan 2005-2030 7- 1 Section 7: Airports and Ports BATS miles north of Jacksonville, Florida in the southeastern coastal region of Georgia’s first congressional district. The Airport is situated on fee simple property held by Glynn County that exceeds 2,003 areas. In addition, the Glynn County Airport Commission, or GCAC, oversees and operates the Airport, which was formerly named Glynco Jetport. Section 7.1 (b): History of McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport Figure 7-2 http://www.glynncountyairports.com/airporthistory22.html Figure 7-2 shows the McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport, or SSI, as it existed during World War II. The SSI is a public owned facility. Its current role, identified by the Georgia Statewide Aviation System Plan, or GSASP, is to meet the needs of area residents and local businesses, visiting general aviation patrons, and other airport tenants. The existing and potential role of the Airport is affected and in some instances, dictated by such factors as historical events, geographic location, acreage, tourism, and surface transportation. SSI was constructed on St. Simons Island in 1938. This marked the beginning of airport development in the Glynn County. SSI served as a naval base during World War II. After the war, the airport was utilized for general aviation and commercial purposes. Air South offered commercial service for Brunswick and the Golden Isles at SSI prior to 1970. However, in August 1970 Air South began to provide service out of Glynco Jetport (BQK). In August of 1974, Air South terminated service at Glynco Jetport and reinstated service out of SSI. Air South was purchased by Florida Airlines in February 1975, which continued to serve the area until 1980. Since 1981, there has been no air carrier service at SSI. Since construction in 1938, virtually little change in the overall area has taken place. The Airport currently owns approximately 320 acres. There are a number of FAA classifications for general aviation airports according to the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, or NPIAS, 1998 -2002, which comprises over 3,344 airports. By definition, SSI is a General Aviation-General Utility airport. This classification represents an airport that can accommodate virtually all types of general aviation aircraft. Principally, an airport's role identifies the aircraft it can accommodate, or in the case of commercial service airports, the routes and markets it serves nonstop. Long Range Transportation Plan 2005-2030 7- 2 Section 7: Airports and Ports BATS Section 7.2: Existing Conditions Section 7.2 (a): Brunswick Golden Isles Airport Figure 7-3 shows an aerial view of BQK airport as it currently exists today. Table 7-1 identifies airfield assets at BQK as they Figure 7-3 existed in 1999. Included in table 7-1 are the airfields, passenger terminal area, general aviation facilities, other miscellaneous support, and ancillary facilities. Table 7-1 provides a concise accounting of applicable airfield assets at the airport. The passenger facilities are positioned on the southern side of Runway 7-25 at BQK. The terminal building entered service in 1954 and has remained at today’s present location. Over the years, the terminal has been upgrade to accommodate increasing levels of activity and improve passenger service, level of comfort and security. The main structure at the airport is 2-stories and 3,213 square feet. The first floor accommodates all passenger activities, ticket sells, baggage handling, security and other services. Section 7.2 (b): McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport Figure 7-4 shows an aerial view of the SSI airport as it Figure 7-4 currently exists today. Table 7-2 identifies airfield assets at SSI as they existed in 2001. Included in table 7-2 are the airfields, passenger terminal area, general aviation facilities, other miscellaneous support, and ancillary facilities. Table 7-2 provides a concise accounting of applicable airfield assets at the airport. A single fixed base operator, Golden Isles Aviation, services general aviation at SSI. All general aviation facilities are owned and maintained by the GCAC. This facility includes airport maintenance, aircraft rescue, and fire fighting facilities, fuel farms, and other airport facilities inventoried in the previous sections. Several ancillary facilities exist across the commercial non-aviation-related facilities to follow. Long Range Transportation Plan 2005-2030 7- 3 Section 7: Airports and Ports BATS Tables 7-1 Existing Facilities Summary Brunswick Golden Isles Airport General Airport Information Runway Data 7 25 Length 8001' Width 150' Pavement Strength S-120, D-185, DT-364 Marking Precision Instrument Precision Instrument Condition Good Effective Runway Gradient 0.10% Obstruction Clearance Slope 50:1 50:1 Runway Lighting HIRL Approach Lighting System MASLR VASI P-4L P-4L ILS CAT 1 Airport Buildings Navigational Aids Airline Terminal 21697 SF Rotating Beacon Yes General Aviation Terminal 7,500 SF Wind Indicator Yes-Lighted T-Hangars 10-units Segmented Circle Yes Conventional Hangars 51,200 SF NDB MCKINNON Airport Maintenance 8,000 SF AWOS-3 124.175 ARFF 3,800 SF (Index A) CTAF/UNICOM 122.8 Apron Air Carrier 10,100SY Automobile Parking Spaces General Aviation Terminal 33,230 SY Pax Terminal Total 283 Fuel Short/Long Term 48/171 AVGAS Yes Employee Spaces 8 Jet A Yes Rental Cars 56 MOGAS Yes Source: The LPA Group Incorporated Analysis, 2001 Long Range Transportation Plan 2005-2030 7- 4 Section 7: Airports and Ports BATS Tables 7-2 Existing Facilities Summary McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport General Airport Information Runway Data 4-22 25 Length 5800' 3313’ Width 100' 75' Pavement Strength S-45, D-60, DT-364 S-14, D-30 Marking Non-Precision Basic Visual Condition Excellent Fair to Good Effective Runway Gradient 0.12% 0.18% Obstruction Clearance Slope 34:1 34:1 Runway Lighting MIRL MIRL 4-VOR, GPS, PAPI- 16-PAPI-2L, 34- 2L, 22-NDB, REIL, PAPI-2L Landing and NAVAIDs PAPI-2L, VOR, GPS Airport Buildings Navigational Aids Fixed Base Operator (FBO) 13,500 SF Rotating Beacon Yes T-Hangars 24-units Wind Indicator Yes-Lighted Conventional Hangars 73,400 SF Segmented Circle Yes Airport Maintenance No dedicated facility NDB MCKINNON ARFF No on-site facility AWOS-3 118.525 CTAF/UNICOM 123.05 Apron General Aviation 33,230 SY Automobile Parking Spaces Public/General Use Lot 87 Public/Rental Car Fuel Ready 20 Employee/FBO AVGAS Yes Spaces 11 Employee/Aircraft Jet A Yes Sales 28 Mobile Fuel Trucks 1 jet A, 2AVGAS Total 146 Source: The LPA Group Incorporated Analysis, 2001 Section 7.3: Existing Land Use Patterns Section 7.3 (a): Existing Land Use Patterns Brunswick Golden Isles Airport Today, surrounding land uses adjacent to the north of BQK are primarily forestry/agricultural, while other areas further north are low density residential and park/recreation/conservation. Land immediately east of BQK is mostly undeveloped/unused. Immediately to the east is low-density residential areas adjacent to U.S. 17-25. Public/Institutional and industrial land uses lie adjacent to the southern boundary of the airport’s property between Glynco Parkway and Chapel Crossing Road. Land use west and southwest of BQK include park/recreation/conservation and low- density residential near Golden Isles Parkway and Baywater Lake. These land uses are identified on Figure 7-5. Figure 7-7 is the Legend for figures 7-5 and 7-6. Long Range Transportation Plan 2005-2030 7- 5 Section 7: Airports and Ports BATS Figure 7-5 Long Range Transportation Plan 2005-2030 7- 6 Section 7: Airports and Ports BATS Section 7.3 (b): Existing Land Use Patterns McKinnon SSI Airport Figure 7-6 illustrates the existing land uses near SSI as published by the Glynn County Department of Community Development. Eight categories of land uses are depicted: Residential, Commercial, industrial, public/ institutional, transportation/ communication, parks/recreation/ conservation, agriculture/forestry, and undeveloped/unused. SSI is surrounded by urban development due in part to the desirability of the St. Simons Island residential areas and the availability of public infrastructure.