BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MERCER ISLAND, WA

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1 BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MERCER ISLAND, WA AB 4564 September 7, 2010 Regular Business RENTON AIRPORT STATUS UPDATE Proposed Council Action: Receive update. No action required. DEPARTMENT OF COUNCIL LIAISON EXHIBITS City Manager (James Mason) n/a 1. Operations at Renton Airport 2. Guidelines for Access to Renton Airport 3. Noise Complaints from Airport Operations APPROVED BY CITY MANAGER AMOUNT OF EXPENDITURE $ n/a AMOUNT BUDGETED $ n/a APPROPRIATION REQUIRED $ n/a SUMMARY BACKGROUND The Renton Municipal Airport ( Airport ), owned by the City of Renton, is a general aviation airport which serves Renton and other nearby communities. The airport provides regional aviation services for air charter, air taxi, corporate, business and recreational flyers. It is also a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated "Reliever" airport, diverting general aviation aircraft traffic from Sea-Tac International Airport. Because Renton airport s purchase and ongoing operation and maintenance are funded by the FAA, the airport, unlike many publically or privately owned and operated facilities, must operate under the control and guidelines issued by the FAA. OPERATIONS The Airport is used predominately by single-engine piston aircraft, and ranks among the top six airports in the State of Washington in terms of aircraft landings and takeoffs. The Boeing Commercial Airplane Company, located adjacent to the airport, manufactures Boeing 737 aircraft and uses the airport for their initial flights. There are approximately thirty-one 737 aircraft that fly out of Renton Airport monthly. During May, June and July 2010, Boeing jets accounted for 112 operations (an operation is one landing or one departure). The old Boeing paint hangar on airport property has been recently structurally modified to current earthquake standards and is now outfitted to paint new 737 aircraft which represents a continued reinvestment by the Boeing Company in its Renton site. Seaplane (or floatplane) operations from the Will Rogers-Wiley Post Memorial Seaplane Base, located at the north end of the airport along the shore of Lake Washington, also comprise a significant level of activity at the airport. The seaplane facilities include a floating dock and launching ramp, which makes the Airport Page 1

2 one of the few airports in the Pacific Northwest where aircraft can land on wheels and depart from the water, or vice versa, if they have the correct equipment. Based Aircraft at Renton Airport Single Engine 283 Multi Engine 14 Jet 3 Total Fixed Wing 298 Helicopter 14 Glider 1 Military 0 Ultralight 0 Total 315 The Airport is a Landing Rights Airport, with US Customs services available for both floatplane and wheeled aircraft arriving by water or by land. A history of flight operations at Renton Airport is outlined in Exhibit 1. BOEING PRESENCE AT RENTON AIRPORT Sometime prior to 2007, the Boeing Company notified the City of Renton of its intention to allow two leases on two major airport runway aprons to lapse. These aprons had been leased by Boeing for several decades and were used in the manufacturing, preparation and storage of commercial aircraft. Upon receiving the notice (and at the behest of the FAA), the City of Renton initiated and airport master planning process to determine the future uses of the soon-to-vacant aprons. FAA regulations require these airport facilities to be used for aviation related functions. In late 2008 and early 2009, much of the master planning discussion centered on a proposed corporate jet center. The proposal was controversial with many near airport neighborhoods in both Renton and Mercer Island. During this time period, the City of Renton agreed to analyze noise impacts on Mercer Island from the proposed jet center. They also agree to place a Mercer Island representative on the Renton Airport Advisory Committee. Former Mayor Elliot Newman served as the City s initial representative. In early 2010, Mayor Pearman appointed Councilmember Cero to be the current representative. In 2009, during the master planning process, Boeing re-contacted the City of Renton to advise the City of the company s desire to enter into a new long-term lease for the two airport aprons. The intended uses of the aprons were to remain largely the same as the historic uses. The City and Boeing came to terms thereby ending any discussion of a future corporate jet center. As a result of Boeing s decision, airport operations have remained essentially the same as during the time period prior to the end of the previous leases. NOISE ABATEMENT Noise abatement procedures at the Airport are voluntary measures by pilots to fly friendly and be good neighbors to the citizens who live under aircraft flight paths. Pilots should only deviate from these procedures when necessary to comply with any Air Traffic Control requests or in the interest of safety. It is advised that pilots maintain the highest FAA-advised altitude over noise-sensitive residential areas identified in yellow on the map included as Exhibit 2 and follow the guidelines for landing and departure. Page 2

3 The Airport has three non-precision approaches (NPA) to Runway 16 (coming in over the lake). The three non-precision approaches are straight to the runway and align somewhat with Island Crest Way. Nonprecision means that during inclement weather or when visibility is poor, arriving aircraft can only descend to a specific altitude before they have to give up on the approach and try again or ultimately, go elsewhere. The approaches are under control of the FAA, which has sole responsibility for the airspace. One of the three non-precision approaches at the Airport (known as the RNAV/GPS approach) brings aircraft directly over Mercer Island (when landing to the south). This approach uses a navigational beam transmitted from Paine Field that is used to follow the path down to the runway at the Airport. The second NPA is known as a Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) approach and is less preferred by pilots because it is less precise than the RNAV/GPS approach. The third NPA is known as a WAAS LPV approach which essentially uses GPS for guidance. This approach was implemented in October 2008 and has a steep glide slope to keep aircraft as high as possible over Mercer Island when aircraft are on final approach. Presently, all non-precision instrument approaches to the Airport must use Runway 16. These are the only published approaches to the Airport. During visual (known as VFR) conditions, approaches may be made to either runway depending on the flight pattern in use, which is largely dictated by the prevailing wind. Since 2001, a volunteer citizen committee, the Renton Airport Advisory Committee (RAAC) has worked to examine ways in which the Airport can make improvements to sustain its economic value while minimizing the noise impacts of aircraft using the Airport. When there are periodic closures and maintenance to Boeing Field s runways or other nearby airports, the Airport is required to accept the aircraft that would have normally landed elsewhere. Both Renton and Mercer Island residents are impacted occasionally by noise associated with these fluctuations in air traffic. Airport staff is responsive to noise complaints and, when possible, works to minimize the impacts to our residents. Exhibit 3 provides a history of noise complaints at the airport over the past eleven years. The City of Mercer Island maintains an open dialogue with Airport staff and will be notified of all noise complaints originating from Mercer Island. RECOMMENDATION Deputy City Manager MOVE TO: Receive report. No action required Page 3

4 20-Year History of Operations at Renton Airport Year Operations , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , * 63,579 *10 of 12 months counted thus far AB 4564 Exhibit 1 Page 4

5 Visual Flight Rules (VFR) Guidelines for Access to Renton Airport Routes Impacting Mercer Island (Fixed Wing Runway Activity) Routes Impacting Mercer Island (Fixed Wing Seaplane Activity) DEPARTURE: from the lake is at pilot s own risk report airborne. Fly mid channel to avoid noise sensitive areas. West Channel departures remain at or below 800' ARRIVAL: fly mid channel to avoid noise sensitive areas. Remain at or below 800' MSL while in the west channel, over the water, and in Boeing airspace. Landing on the lake is at the pilot s own risk report on the lake. AB 4554 Exhibit 2 Page 5

6 Noise Complaints from Airport Operations Description Amount Total number of complaints recorded to date 1,023 Anonymous complaints 89 Complaints with given addresses/names 934 Recorded Mercer Island complaints Mercer Island Complaints Complaints from other locations (not including anonymous) ALL (not including anonymous) * Total Mercer Island Complaints Complaints from other locations (not including anonymous) ALL (not including anonymous) *year-to-date 3 complainants account for 154 (49.52%) of Mercer Island complaints AB 4564 Exhibit 3 Page 6