Rapid City Regional Airport Master Plan Update Chapter 4 – Facility Requirements Chapter 4: Facility Requirements Introduction This chapter of the Airport Master Plan analyzes the existing and anticipated future facility needs at the Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP). This chapter is divided into sections that assess the needs of primary airport elements including airside facilities, passenger terminal complex, air cargo facilities, general aviation facilities, landside elements and support facilities. Airside requirements are those necessary for the operation of aircraft. Landside requirements are those necessary to support airport, aircraft and passenger operations. Proposed requirements are based on a review of existing conditions, capacity levels, activity demand forecasts and airport design standards using FAA guidance and industry standards. Existing facility deficiencies are identified along with potential future facility needs. The level of review completed is sufficient to identify major airport elements that should be addressed in this comprehensive airport plan. Rapid City Regional Airport is a growing airport facility as a result of a continued strong demand as a result of regional tourism, health care, retail and financial sector growth and a strong Federal government presence. Since the last Master Plan, the airport has constructed various improvements including expanding passenger security screening and updating the terminal, relocating aircraft rescue and fire fighting, constructing a consolidated rental car quick turn around facility, straightening Taxiway A to correct a modification to FAA standards and expanding apron areas. Discussions with airport management, coupled with forecasts depicting growth in all areas of aviation led to areas of emphasis in this chapter. These include identifying future commercial airline driven needs and assuring that existing users such as cargo, USFS, general aviation hangars, SDARNG, and support facilities have sufficient room to expand. Overall, airport facility development will be identified to adequately accommodate existing and expected activity levels in this Master Plan. Potential solutions to address the facility needs through the planning period are discussed in this chapter. Specific alternatives that implement the recommendations are evaluated in Chapter 5: Alternatives. Planning Activity Levels There are various airport activity measures used to determine facility requirements including passenger enplanements, peak hour and airport operations. Airport activity can be sensitive to industry changes, national and local economic conditions. This results in difficulty in identifying a specific calendar year for the airport to each demand levels associated recommended improvements. For this Master Plan, Planning Activity Levels (PALs) are used to 1 Airport Master Plan Update Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) identify demand thresholds for recommended facility improvements. If an activity level is approaching a PAL then the airport should prepare to implement the improvements. Alternatively, activity levels that are not approaching a PAL can allow improvements to be deferred. The forecasts developed in the last chapter are now correlated with each PAL 1, 2 3 and 4 which were 2018, 2023, 2028, and 2033 respectively. The following Table identifies the PAL metrics for the Rapid City Regional Airport. Table 4-1 – Planning Activity Levels (PALs) Planning Activity Levels Metric Base PAL 1 PAL 2 PAL 3 PAL 4 Passengers Annual Enplanements 256,191 275,634 296,254 318,133 341,298 Peak Month (12.22%) 31,255 33,627 36,143 38,812 41,638 Design Day 1,031 1,110 1,193 1,281 1,374 Design Hour Departing (19.5%) 201 216 233 250 268 Design Hour Arriving (19.5%) 201 216 233 250 268 Design Hour Total Seats (14.3%) 295 317 341 366 393 Passenger Airline Operations Total Operations 14,016 13,700 14,079 14,491 14,623 Peak Month 1,713 1,674 1,720 1,771 1,787 Design Day 59.6 58.3 59.9 61.6 62.2 Design Hour 5.4 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.6 Total Operations Total Operations 41,358 43,280 46,610 50,396 54,753 Peak Month 4,214 4,410 4,750 5,135 5,579 Design Day 208 218 235 251 276 Design Hour 21 22 23 25 28 Source: KLJ Analysis Airside Facilities Airfield Design Standards Guidance on airport design standards is found in FAA Advisory Circular 150/5300-13A, Airport Design. Change 1 to the Advisory Circular was issued February 26, 2014 and is incorporated into this chapter. Airport design standards provide basic guidelines for a safe, efficient, and economic airport system. Careful selection of basic aircraft characteristics for which the airport will be designed is important. Airport designs based only on existing aircraft can severely limit the ability to expand the airport to meet future requirements for larger, more demanding aircraft. Airport designs that are based on large aircraft unlikely to operate at the airport are not economical. Design Aircraft Aircraft characteristics relate directly to the design components on an airport. Planning a new airport or improvements to an existing airport requires the selection of one or more “design aircraft.” FAA design standards for an airport are determined by a coding system that relates 4-2 Airport Master Plan Update Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) the physical and operational characteristics of an aircraft to the design and safety separation distances of the airfield facility. The design aircraft is the most demanding aircraft operating or forecast to operate at the airport on a regular basis, which is typically considered 500 annual operations. The design aircraft may be a single aircraft, or a grouping of aircraft. It is not the usual practice to base the airport design on an aircraft that uses the airport infrequently, thus some elements may be designed for a less demanding aircraft. The FAA typically only provides funding for the airport to be designed to existing and forecasted critical aircraft that are expected to exceed 500 annual operations. Other Design Considerations Other airport design principles are important to consider for a safe and efficient airport design: Runway/Taxiway Configuration – The configuration of runways and taxiways affects the airport’s capacity/delay, risk of incursions with other aircraft on the runway and overall operational safety. Airports with simultaneous operations on crossing runways can cause delay. Location of and type of taxiways connecting with runways correlates to minimizing runway occupancy time. The design of taxiway infrastructure should promote safety by minimizing confusing or complex geometry to reduce risk of an aircraft inadvertently entering the runway environment. Approach and Departure Airspace & Land Use – Runways have imaginary surfaces that extend upward and outward from the runway end to protect normal flight operations. Runways also have land use standards beyond the runway end to protect the flying public as well as persons and property on the ground from potential operational hazards. Runways must meet grading and clearance standards considering natural and man-made obstacles that may obstruct these airspace surfaces. Surrounding land use should be compatible with airport operations. Airports should develop comprehensive land use controls to prevent new hazards outside the airport property line. Obstructions can limit the utility of a runway. Meteorological Conditions – An airport’s runways should be designed so that aircraft land and takeoff into the prevailing wind. As wind conditions change, the addition of an additional runway may be needed to mitigate the effects of significant crosswind conditions that occur more than five percent of the year. Airports that experience lower cloud ceiling and/or visibility should also consider implementing an instrument procedures and related navigational aids to runways to maximize airport utility. Controller Line of Sight – The local Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) relies on a clear line of sight from the controller cab to the airport’s movement areas which includes the runways, taxiways, aprons and arrival/departure corridors. Structures on an airport need to consider this design standard, and in some cases require the completion of a shadow study to demonstrate no adverse impact. Navigation Aids & Critical Areas – Visual navigational aids (NAVAIDs) to a runway or the airfield require necessary clear areas for these NAVAIDs to be effective for pilots. Instrument NAVAIDs on an airport require sufficient clear areas for the NAVAID to 4-3 Airport Master Plan Update Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) properly function without interference to provide guidance to pilots. These NAVAID protection areas restrict development. Airfield Line of Sight – Runways need to meet grading standards so that objects and aircraft can be seen along the entire runway. A clear line of sight is also required for intersecting runways within the Runway Visibility Zone to allow pilots to maintain visual contact with other objects and/or aircraft that may pose a hazard. Interface with Landside – The airfield configuration should be designed to provide for the safe and efficient operation of aircraft as they transition from the airfield to landside facilities such as hangars and terminals. Environmental Factors – Airport development must consider potential impacts in and around the airport environs through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Additionally, development should also reduce the risk of potential wildlife hazards such as deer and birds that may cause hazards