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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFlying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission - 10/14/2021APPROVED MINUTES FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020 7:00 P.M. CITY CENTER 8080 MITCHELL RD COMMISSION MEMBERS: Chair: Dan Dorson Vice Chair: Andy Kleinfehn Commissioners: Keith Tschohl Bob Barker Chilkunda Narendranath Michael Lawrence (Business Representative) Blaine Peterson (Airport Manager) STUDENT MEMBERS: Alec Aldrich, Max Johnson, Paawan Kathuria, Suchita Sah, Yash Salunke, Zuheb Ibrahim COMMISSION STAFF: Scott Gerber, EP Fire Chief Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary MAC STAFF: Jennifer Lewis I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Dorson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Absent were commission members Narendranath and Lawrence and student representative Sah. Residents [member of the public] John Thompson and Lydia from MAC joined the meeting. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Barker moved, seconded by Tschohl to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. WELCOME TO NEW COMMISSION MEMBERS Dorson described the commission’s purpose and asked the student representatives to introduce themselves. The commission members then introduced themselves. IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS [Member of the public] read a prepared statement saying the morning, evening and nighttime flights over the neighborhood near the Flying Cloud Airport were incessant, constant, repetitive and noisy. Circling flights were particularly bothersome. The number FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION October 14, 2021 Page 2 of flights were up. He feared a potential crash in the neighborhood and asked why the flight schools were operating over residential neighborhoods, creating not only noise pollution but potentially endangering residents. John Thompson echoed many of these comments. He stated his wife at times could barely talk over mealtime due to the flights. Dorson asked if he perceived it was jet noise or other engines that were most disruptive, and Johnson replied it was jet noise over the house in the early hours in the morning. At times small aircraft flew over his desk. He asked if there was data to support the perception of more flights, both large and small, operating over Eden Prairie. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Tschohl moved, seconded by Barker to approve the minutes of the July 22, 2021 meeting amended to correct the spelling of Kleinfehn’s name on the second page. Motion carried 5-0. VI. STANDING DISCUSSION ITEMS A. NOISE REPORT - MAC Lewis presented the noise report showing the FAA counts taken by air traffic controllers. Every airport in the United States with an air traffic control tower would take annual counts shared publicly. There were 90,000 operations at Flying Cloud Airport in 2021 through August; data for September on was yet not available. Between 2001 and 2014 the number of operations showed a downward trend (with a total 185,000 operations). Then the trend was upward from 2014 to 2020. Flight traffic data included twenty-four hours totals, unlike the FAA counts which showed data during control tower operating hours. The number of jets operating in 2021 so far was 8,171. The percentage of jets operating at Flying Cloud fluctuated between 7 and 16 percent. 2018 and 2019 showed the highest percentage of jet flight operating at Flying Cloud. The Superbowl and the Final Four drew more jet traffic. Dorson asked for and received confirmation each “operation” consisted of each takeoff and landing by a plane, even by the same plane. Lewis stated the nighttime operations at Flying Cloud were holding steady at 4 percent. This was true for the third quarter of this year. There was no increase in nighttime levels. Compared to other airports, MSP ran about 10 percent, St. Paul had about 8 percent of its operations be nighttime operations, and Anoka was around 6 percent. St. Cloud was at 8 percent and Crystal was at 3 percent, putting Flying Cloud in the middle in terms of percentage of nighttime flights. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION October 14, 2021 Page 3 Household complaint trends were up: there was an increase in the last five years. 2020 set a record for complaints and in the number of households reporting, whereas in 2021 the complaint level was 33 percent lower compared to 2020. Starting July 1, 2021 the methodology for counting operations changed from counting “touch-and-goes” as one operation to counting arrivals and departures as two or more operations. She defined “touch-and-go” for the audience. This resulted in an increase in the number of operations in July, August, and September. Tower counts were therefore also lower until July. Tschohl commended the increased accuracy of these comparisons and asked that this change be noted for the record. Lewis displayed the website where the public could access the MAC Reliever airport reports. In the third quarter of 2021 at Flying Could there were 40,000 operations compared to 23,000 in 2020 in the same quarter. 1,500 of these 40,000 operations in the third quarter of 2021 were nighttime operations. Barker asked if it was possible to go back and amend previous quarterly counts to align with this new methodology, and Lewis replied unfortunately it was not: the commission and public had to understand this would be the methodology going forward. The FAA counts, however, would remain constant throughout. Seasonal trends showed a “camel back” with a peak in summertime and lower numbers in the spring and fall. Aircraft types were also a factor, and the highest number of complaints were associated with piston engine aircraft, with the second highest number of complaints being associate with jet aircraft. Flying Cloud Airport was the airport that generated the highest number of complaints compared to all the MAC Reliever airports, at 78 percent of the complaints. In the third quarter of 2021 there were approximately 4,800 complaints, around half of those in the same quarter of 2020 (approximately 9,400). There were more households generating complaints in this quarter than at the same time last year. 59 percent of the complaints were submitted by households with fewer than 10 complaints. Lewis displayed and explained the color-coded map showing the locations and numbers of household complaints. More residents working from home or otherwise staying home has affected the number of complaints. Lewis described her outreach efforts to both pilots and to residents. She and Peterson met with flight schools and held meetings with pilots to discuss flying with consideration and to suggest best practices, such as having practice areas away from the airport. Safety team meetings and town hall meetings were also held. Each MAC Reliever airport now had a newsletter. Having aviation information accessible to the public was also helpful. The Sound Study in 2020 was a part of this, as was the Air Expo in 2021 and Women in Aviation Day, also in 2021. She stressed the need to make the public feel welcome to the airports. Eden Prairie Lifestyle Magazine and a video were other means of communication. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION October 14, 2021 Page 4 Flying Cloud Airport was the largest in terms of flight volume, with Anoka being the second largest. The disparity in complaints between Flying Cloud and Anoka was due to Anoka’s much larger nonresidential area that surrounded its airport. Flying Cloud was a busy airport in a largely residential area. Lewis showed the complaint numbers for Anoka Airport in comparison to Flying Cloud. Dorson noted Flying Cloud also had more complaints in proportion to operations. Kleinfehn added in 2020 the FAA tower counts showed 124,030 operations at Flying Cloud compared to 70,852 at Anoka. Flying Cloud was nearly double the number of operations for 2020, when complaints hit a high. In 2021 Flying Cloud had 90,279 operations through August of 2021, compared to 52,082 at Anoka. Anoka also had a different look and a different “feel” than Flying Cloud. Lewis answered questions regarding navigating the MACNOMS (MAC Noise and Operations Monitoring System) website. Discussion followed on the definition of public airspace and flight restrictions under the FAA and other federal rules. Dorson thanked the members of the public for coming forward and encouraged further comments and communication. Discussion followed on revenue sources for MAC. B. ORDINANCE 97 MONITORING – MAC Peterson reported that there were zero violation in July, but in August there were six aircraft in violation. Two were repeat offenders and they received letters. In September there was one and in October, two violations. August, 2021 was the only month in which there were repeat offenders. Weight violations are counted as the published gross weight of an aircraft type regardless of their specific cargo or fuel that day. C. AIRPORT INCIDENTS AND OPERATIONAL UPDATES – MAC Peterson reported there were 13,215 operations in July (FAAnumbers), a four percent decrease from the same month last year, 14,546 in August, an increase of 17 percent over August, 2020, and 12,759 in September, a two percent increase from the same time in 2020. There were 40,520 operations for the third quarter of 2021 compared with 38,044 in 2020. The Air Expo saw 7,500 people come through the gates and was a success. Girls’ Aviation Day was held on September 25, 2021 with one hundred participants. The state of Minnesota made up one-eighth of the participants in Girls’ Aviation Day across the world. 168 volunteers contributed over 600 hours of time to 13 education stations and six exhibitors with 38 staff. There were 28 static displays, plus a state trooper helicopter and a Blackhawk helicopter, one canine unit, and the MAC Fire Department and Police Department. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION October 14, 2021 Page 5 There were two bird strikes, two pilot deviations, and one emergency response this quarter. Peterson explained for the student representatives that the pilot deviations consisted of pilots being lined up on the wrong runway. D. PRIMARY RELIEVER AIRPORTS VISIONARY STUDY - MAC Lydia introduced herself and stated this study was started a number of years ago to isolate the impact of the Primary Reliever Airports in the Metro Area. This was a study in two phases; phase one had just been completed. Flying Cloud Airport was the primary hub in the southwest Metro area and served many people. Flying schools and businesses contributed to the increased number of operations at Flying Cloud, but Life Link, charters and other services were also contributors. Every five years the Metropolitan Council and the FAA tried to produce planning documents for Primary Reliever Airports and was about to begin the Long-Term Comprehensive Plan for Flying Cloud Airport. This would take about 18 months to complete. The Long-Term Comprehensive Plan would look at hangar space for corporate and private users. Hangar space was at a premium with new users. The Plan would also look at design standards and tie them to the conditions of the airport. Hangars tended to be the focus of growth. The Plan would also gather noise data and do noise analysis. There would be heavy public involvement in the Plan, and regular updates to the commission. The follow-on plan would produce a set of drawings that would show the present and a future layout of the airport. VII. OLD BUSINESS IX. NEW BUSINESS A. MAC AND FIRE DEPARTMENT TRAINING AT THE AIRPORT Gerber stated training between the Fire Department, MAC, and the FAA went very well this quarter. It was coordinated for not only plane crashes but to work with all the fixed facilities at MAC. This was another good relationship building exercise. Fire Department staff were now able to operate inside both small and large airplanes. Training also included helicopters and FAA staff held classroom trainings. 95 of firefighters are not full time and the department needed to become as tactically strong as possible. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION October 14, 2021 Page 6 B. CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP PRESENTATION ON COMMISSION WORK PLAN FOR 2022 (JANUARY 18TH) Gerber announce January 18, 2022 was the next City Council Workshop presentation with commissions. Within two sessions, all five commissions would give updates and present their work plans. IX. UPCOMING EVENTS AND TOPICS FOR FUTURE FCAAC MEETINGS Gerber stated the commission wished to ensure it was leveraging opportunities for its student representatives and stated the commission could discuss vocational opportunities offered by the airport at the January meeting. Josh Swanson, the Superintendent of schools in Eden Prairie and a pilot, would be invited to the January meeting to present. Steve Bruss could also be a resource for aircraft maintenance. XI. ADJOURNMENT The next FCAAC meeting will be held on Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in Heritage Room I. MOTION: Barker moved, seconded by Tschohl to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:58 p.m.