Chapter One Tacoma Narrows Airport DRAFT INVENTORY Master Plan Update The Inventory Chapter documents the existing conditions for the Tacoma Narrows Airport (Airport) to include airport facilities and aviation activity. The information presented represents baseline data and the foundation for the subsequent chapters. Identifying what is available today allows the study to address what facilities are insufficient to meet the projected aviation demand. AIRPORT LOCATION AND ACCESS The Tacoma Narrows Airport is on Pierce County property outside the city limits of Gig Harbor, which is located along WA State Highway 16 west of Interstate 5. The Airport is 34 miles or an estimated 45-minute drive from SeaTac International Airport—the closest major air carrier airport. Exhibit 1A depicts the Airport’s general location in the region – across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge west of Tacoma. Tacoma Narrows Airport Master Plan Update Page 1-1 Inventory AIRPORT HISTORY Known originally as the Tacoma Industrial Airport, the Airport officially opened for operations in 1963. Within ten years, the Airport had hosted its first air show, received the first state aviation grant (totaling $5,000) provided to a public use airport, and added an air traffic control tower, Instrument Landing System (ILS), and a restaurant in the terminal building. Eighteen years after its opening, the Airport changed its name, in 1981, to Tacoma Narrows Airport. At the time, it was owned by the City of Tacoma; Pierce County purchased the Airport from the City of Tacoma in late 2008. Since its opening, the Airport has continually improved through airfield development projects, hangar development, and support facilities with funding support from various sources such as federal grants, state grants, local government funds, and private investments. The Airport’s most recent improvement was a major runway safety area improvement project. A tunnel was constructed over Stone Drive to provide an extended runway safety area – that meets the FAA requirements - to the north of the existing runway. A more detailed sequence of airport development projects, derived from FAA records, is presented below and identified by the year in which the project grant was issued: 1962 – Land acquisition, site preparation, construct runway and north portion of parallel taxiway with connectors and apron area; install Medium Intensity Runway Lights (MIRL), beacon and segmented circle; install perimeter fence; extinguish/abandon four on-site road right-of-ways and commence construction of new County road; construct power service system; relocate power lines; remove obstructions 1963 – Construct fire, crash and maintenance equipment building, including utilities and access apron 1964 – Land acquisition (44 acres) for north approach area 1967 – Land acquisition; remove obstructions; clear and grade for Instrument Landing System (ILS) 1969 – Extend and mark partial parallel taxiway including connectors, signage, and holding apron; relocate beacon 1971 – Construct north access and south access taxiways including fillets, markings 1973 – Site grading for ILS and Medium Intensity Approach Lighting System (MALSR), friction seal and mark Runway 17-35, modify runway threshold lights 1975 – Land acquisition for airport development (19 acres) and approach protection for Runway 17 (106 acres) Tacoma Narrows Airport Master Plan Update Page 1-2 Inventory 1981 – Construct and mark connecting taxiway; expand apron including tiedown anchors; install perimeter fencing 1984 – Prepare Airport Master Plan Update 1986 - Construct south apron, including tiedowns and connecting taxiway; construct service road, install perimeter fencing 1988 - Overlay south ramp extension; widen south connecting taxiway 1989 – Install taxiway lighting and apron lighting 1992 – Expand apron, including relocation of lighting, construct apron, including lighting, install Runway End Identifier Lights (REIL), install segmented circle and relocated windsock; install signs 1997 – Airport Master Plan Update (grant 1997, master plan completed/published 2003) 2002 through 2009 – Improve Runway 17 safety area by phase, including fencing 2010 – Design an improved Runway 35 safety area including localizer relocation (project was later canceled by FAA due to lack of available federal funding) 2013 - Runway 17-35 rehabilitation and runway width reduction AVIATION ACTIVITY Aviation activity at a general aviation airport is typically measured by the number of based aircraft and by the number of annual aircraft operations (takeoffs and landings, including touch- and-go operations performed during flight training). According to Pierce County records, the estimated number of aircraft based at the Airport is 132. The based aircraft fleet includes the following: 108 single-engine 15 multi-engine 5 jets 4 helicopters The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines airport operations by specific categories. For TIW, the operations fall into one of three of these categories—General Aviation (GA), air taxi/commuter, and military. Airport users in these categories include corporate, private GA, government agencies, scheduled cargo, and the occasional cargo and/or passenger charter/air taxi. GA aircraft operations are estimated to represent nearly 95% of total annual operations at the Airport, with air taxi operations representing 2% of the total annual operations and military operations the remaining 3%. Tacoma Narrows Airport Master Plan Update Page 1-3 Inventory Airport operations are also divided between local and itinerant activity. Local operations refer to aircraft remaining near the airport and include training activity such as touch-and-go operations and aircraft maneuvers in a practice area near the airport. Itinerant activity refers to all other operations that depart to or arrive from another airport. Itinerant operations make up the majority (60%) of the Airport’s operations while local operations represent the remaining 40%. Tacoma Narrows Airport is used by a variety of transient and based aircraft for a broad range of business and recreational purposes. Total annual operations for calendar year 2012 are estimated at 48,500 operations, which includes the air traffic control count of 44,057 operations plus an additional estimated 10% conducted when the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) is closed from 8 pm to 8 am daily. Operations primarily consist of small, single-engine piston fixed wing aircraft, but many other aircraft types operate at the Airport including corporate jets, helicopters, and turboprops. Air traffic is heaviest during special events such as fly-ins. The largest event is the Tacoma Freedom Fair Wings and Wheels event held every July that brings an estimated 25 aircraft to the Airport. This event—started in 2011—has been a successful one with airplane flybys, pilot meet and greets, Tuskegee Airmen, airplane and helicopter rides, as well as a car and motorcycle show, displays, and food vendors. To provide additional insight regarding the aviation activity characteristics at the Airport, an airport user/pilot survey was distributed. Survey results were compiled and are presented in relevant sections of the report. Based on the survey responses, examples of current aviation activity conducted at the Airport include: Corporate Recreational Flying Career Training Environmental Patrol Emergency Medical Aerial Photography Medical/Patient Transfer Real Estate Tours Search/Rescue Special Events/Airshows (i.e. Wings & Police/Law Enforcement Wheels) Military Exercises Aerial Inspections EXISTING FACILITIES The Airport, at an elevation of 294 feet mean sea level (MSL), consists of approximately 568 acres. Existing facilities are depicted on Exhibit 1B and described here within three primary categories: airside, landside, and support facilities. As part of the Inventory element, a boundary survey was completed to confirm the County’s airport property boundary ownership. Tacoma Narrows Airport Master Plan Update Page 1-4 Inventory Airport Office / Customs (Old Firehouse) LEGEND Parking Lot Restaurant (The Hub at Gig Harbor) AIRPORT PROPERTY LINE FBO (PAVCO Flight Center) VASI VISUAL APPROACH SLOPE Proposed New Hangar INDICATOR FAA Control Tower REILS RUNWAY END TOSCH Aircraft IDENTIFIER LIGHTS FBO (Tacoma Narrows Aviation) PAPI PRECISION APPROACH Conventional / Condominium Hangars PATH INDICATOR FBO (PAVCO Maintenance) ASOS NW DR STONE AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVING SYSTEM Conventional / Corporate Hangar Water Towers Pierce County Hangars 26TH AVE NW Fuel Farm Apron NW ST 4TH Tiedown Apron Office Building Saturn Hangar Conventional Hangar Windcone Stormwater Facility B4 B1 ASOS TWY B2 TWY B3 TWY TWY TAXIWAY A A1 A3 A4 A2 350' TWY TWY TWY TWY Runway 17-35 (150' x 5,002') PAPI VASI VASI REILS Service Road Glideslope Shack STONE DRIVE NW STONE DR NW DR STONE 4TH ST NW ST 4TH 8TH ST NW ST 8TH TACOMA NARROWS AIRPORT (TIW) 0 200 400 Master Plan Update Feet EXISTING CONDITIONS MAP Exhibit 1B 12100 NE 195TH ST. STE 300 . BOTHELL WA 98011 425.951.4800 AIRSIDE FACILITIES Airside facilities include active aircraft movement areas such as the runways, taxiways, and aircraft apron areas. The Tacoma Narrows Airport has a single runway, full-length parallel taxiway system, and aircraft apron areas with tiedowns on the east side of the runway adjacent to the building areas. Runways The Airport’s single runway is at a north-south alignment-- designated as Runway 17-35—with dimensions of 5,002 in length by 100 feet in width. The runway