NeilD
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Posts posted by NeilD
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In line with the mentioning of Swiss Air service to Zurich - it was interesting to see the coverage of the NASA - FAA - USDOT - CLT collaborative research lab establishment at Charlotte. CLT really will have some of the latest NextGen technologies first before other airports and regions.
Read the article at this link and view the video. The animations showing the D concourse interestingly has a Swiss wide body aircraft in the picture.
https://americansecuritytoday.com/air-travel-getting-safer-charlotte-intl-airport/
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LKN704,
Thats just it. There's no large airports in the NW mountain counties and the FAA would probably never approve the development of one when it would be sandwiched between TRI and HKY. Part of their mandate is to prevent the unnecessary duplication of facilities when existing airports can do the job.
A large airport could cost hundreds of millions if not over a billion. All the tree removal and tree trimming necessary would be so unpopular and impossible with the protected forests, parks and environmentalists residing in the mountains. To put it in Jefferson or adapt Wilkesboro would really be no closer to Boone or ASU than Hickory now is and HKY is already connected by a 4-lane highway and is part 139 certified for airline service. Nothing more is needed in terms of infrastructure.
The Hickory airport did in the past serve the Northwestern counties and combined they could put up the kind of population and wealth base to support it. As recently as 2005 - HKY had Delta Connection (ASA) CRJ-200 regional jet service to ATL - but they were not marketing the area effectively even then.
I would have printed on the tickets "Hickory-Boone, NC" to demonstrate the market served. People have to be just as excited over visiting the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain as they are of seeing the Hickory Furniture shopping or the Crawdads minor league baseball team. Problem is right now - Hickory effectively cannot market for High Country host attractions and High Country host cannot market for Hickory area attractions. They are only strong enough to attract national attention together NOT separately.
The four counties of the Hickory MSA have about 375,000 residents and are much larger business centers than Watauga county (53,000 reaidents) or any of the relatively small mountain counties.
Another idea I pitched was the consolidation of the marketing and chambers of commerce into one large and powerful marketing force. In other words, combine the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area with Boone-Blowing Rock-Wilkesboro-Statesville-Marion and jointly promote this airport and NW NC foothills/mountain region nationally to tourists. You would have more than 800,000 year-around residents in that case as a market base plus tourists and seasonal residents.
On their own, these individual county chambers of commerce are too small and functionally ineffective to market the area nationally. Combining would give the resources and population base to attract airline service and to make the case that reliance on GSO and CLT does work well for the NW corner - the drive times are just too far from places like Sparta, Newland and Jefferson.
It seems that each county wanted to keep its own little "country fiefdom" rather than work together. Those kind of "gentleman's agreements" not to "step on each other's toes" or encroach into others counties or compete with each other really hold everything back. It sad and counterproductive to that economically ailing (but stunningly beautiful) area.
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Having airline service at Concord will help to provide lower fares to the Charlotte region overall and could even influence fares at CLT on select routes.
More than a "small handful" of people are using the Allegiant service. In 2014 it hosted 12,000 boardings and 12,000 passenger deboardings.
By 2015 it had grown to more than 30,000 enplaned, 30,000 deplaned and destinations increased to 3 cities in Florida. This is impressive considering that Allegiant doesnt fly daily but usually only twice per WEEK for each route.
Factor that in when someone begins to complain about airport noise. That's less than 20-30 seconds of noise 4 times per week for each route served. Passenger stats at Concord will no doubt increase.
As far as the needed investments to better accommodate airlines are concerned - they really are conservative and modest in scope
The city of concord is paying for the parking deck and will receive future revenue benefits that will more than pay for the cost of construction. As a matter of fact, the airport needs these spaces anyway as the airline's passengers are consumming parking spaces already needed to support pre-existing General aviation purposes.
The airfield is already ready for expanded service. The simple, barebones terminal building and ramp will undoubtedly be paid for with grant funds from the FAA's Airport and Airway Trust Fund.
Unlike most government expenditures that are sourced from general tax dollars - this money comes from the users of the nation's aviation system themselves - in the form of collected taxes existing since 1970 on airline tickets, taxes on the sale of aviation fuels and air cargo waybills.
This unique self-funding mechanism ensures that airports, aviation operators and consumers that have historically "paid in" to the fund can seek grants that pay as much as 90% of the cost of this development.
Is that a good investment? This building will accommodate additional airlines and new service.
Even "tourist" flights will have a beneficial economic impact on the Charlotte area typically on the order of tens to hundred of millions of beneficial economic impact each year.
Allegiant operates at secondary airports precisely because it IS much cheaper than setting up operations at a large and busy airport like CLT. Charlotte only has relatively low costs when compared to other large airports NOT low costs in and of themselves.
Concord is a very successful and busy General Aviation airport - whose GA traffic more than helps to sustain its total operating budget. This commercial terminal is needed because the airline is currently consuming valuable hangar, parking, ramp and GA terminal space.
As far as the costs of TSA security is concerned - the budgeting for additional Concord police officers could mean that the airport is seeking a TSA-opt out and TSA reimbursement strategy.
Commercial airlines are a relatively small additional part of the services offered at this airport.
A few years ago - I tried to convince the manager of the Hickory regional airport to pursue Allegiant. Hickory had a long history of airline service - between 1941-2005. I told him that if he didn't - Concord would make the moves to become the Charlotte regions 2nd commercial airport.
I specifically remember him saying "that wouldn't happen" because Concord was just "too close" to Charlotte for that to develop.
Well, we can all see what HAS occurred.
I'm happy for Concord - but I also feel sad for Hickory - I live in CT now but did live their for 15 years and I think this squandered opportunity will mean that airline service will probably never again return to Hickory or Northwestern North Carolina for that matter. Considering all that NC has to offer tourists in its northwestern blue ridge mountains counties - that is a real shame. A failure of imagination and competent leadership.
Ugh.
If you are interested in how airports operate - may I suggest this page that I use to promote my current airport - Tweed-New Haven in Connecticut
https://m.facebook.com/tweedfacts
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/apl/aatf/media/AATF_Fact_Sheet.pdf
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UPNoDa:
Any airport has a limited amount of curb frontage length. This length in feet could be used to serve the maximum number of clients with buses efficiently or it could rather inefficiently be "Clogged up" with sedans carrying one or two people. Buses often carry people on wheelchairs and better meet ADA regulations. It makes more sense that these should be a little closer to the terminal curb. So, in these new designs the 3 closest lanes are for commercial and special use. The outside 5 lanes are for general use.
Buses can be city transit, but most often they are airport buses carrying passengers to and from the parking decks and lots. They might also be vans and buses shuttling folks to area hotels. Taxis, limos and other commercial vehicles need lanes for needs ranging from routine UPS and Fedex deliveries to emergency response vehicles requiring Direct curbside access
CLTs having built a CONRAC (Consolidated Rental Car Facility) within the bottom levels of the new hourly parking deck was very smart in that it freed up ramp space for A-North Concourse, provided new revenue opportunities, and freed up space in the lower level baggage claim area once used by rental car counters. It also provided this rental car service just steps away from the terminal and took the need for all these rental car shuttle bus fleets off the airport roadways thereby improving air quality.
The new design will provide both underground tunnels and flyover walkways above the traffic lanes between the hourly deck and the terminal. The overhead walkways will connect with a second floor mezzanine level of the expanded terminal lobby area. Providing the tunnels and walkways will allow pickups and drop offs in the hourly deck without pedestrians ever needing to cross traffic.
Despite air traffic growth - with these new designs their should be much fewer pedestrians walking across traffic like their now is.
http://www.ls3p.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CDIA.pdf
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Piedmont 767:
It's 436 pages - but you should find that it answers all your questions covering CLT planning between 2013-2033
What you have is a crop of the future airport layout plan
Some clarifications on what you typed:
Runway 1-19 is shown as 12,000' X 150' on the ALP
As a cost- saving measure, runway 1-19 may be built a little shorter. A Displaced threshold may be used to provide 11,700' for takeoffs in ether direction on runway 1-19 rather than the full 12,000 linear feet
the parallel, linear concourse to the south is going to be for American Eagle regional jets and commuter aircraft (currently using E)
International will be from concourses C, D, and possibly a re-configured E after the demolishing of the current structure post- 2025
A 5th parallel runway east of the current airfield close to Billy Graham parkway is also planned
All non-AA carriers will operate out of A-North concourse that will provide its own separate self-contained entrance road spur, curbside, terminal, ticketing and baggage claim with elevated walkway connection to the daily parking deck
American will also get some gates on the current A concourse and A-North
the addition of end-around taxiways and additional parallel taxi lanes on the ramp will reduce delays and drastically improve capacity
these taxi lanes will come at a cost - some gates at the easternmost ends of concourses E and D and the western end of A will be lost and replaced elsewhere
Basically CLT is expected to be twice as busy and twice as large a terminal complex (in square feet) as it is now. These changes are all within the 2013-2033 timeframe
Surely these are exciting times for CLT!
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Wind tunnel tests were conducted. These are the scale models used. There will be a large TRACON base building and parking area as shown.
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According to this list - CLT could become the second tallest ATC tower in the US and the fifth tallest in the world at 370 feet!
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The design for the new ATC tower is available for viewing online here:
https://faaco.faa.gov/index.cfm/attachment/download/58930
https://faaco.faa.gov/index.cfm/announcement/view/22745
It looks quite similar in height and design as Atlanta.
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At the base of the current control tower is the TRACON or Terminal Radar Approach Control facility. That is the biggest part of any replacement facility and would surely require the most time to construct, set up and test before becoming operational. I got to tour the tower cab and the TRACON about four years ago. Photos were not allowed to be taken but I have attached some from other similar facilities. The primary responsibility of the TRACON is the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of arrival, departure, and en-route traffic. CLT TRACON is responsible for all the airports located under its busy class bravo airspace
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Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion
in Charlotte
Posted
Could it be the E-175 you are seeing in the E-Concourse animation? It would look rather large in comparison with CRJ-200s?
For American Eagle - Envoy, Compass and Republic all fly this model aircraft and could use the E-concourse.